The first time I went trekking at Mt. Makulot-Batangas, geez! I was pretty excited and haven't got enough sleep the night before. Well, fun is always at the beginning of everything and when we got there at the base of the mountain, I never anticipated that it would be actually hard. Nobody ever told me that it was a semi-major assault as it might discouraged the whole entourage who are much eager to reach the summit before noon and in time for cooking lunch.
That's me with a red beanie beside Francel-my cook buddy.My limbs were literally shaking, sweat dripping my face, catching breath at every checkpoints but still determined to go up. Wow! How I love the trees, clinging vines, wild fruits and flowers and birds even with my 30 lbs. backpack on and feeling more and more heavier each step. It's cool beneath those tall trees and its grand canopy hid us from direct sunlight but still, I can't help myself complaining every time I slipped in those loose stone nuggets. No easy trails as every paths lead upwards the whole way through. It was suppose to be a 2 hrs. climb but we started a good pace, thus, we end up with only an hour and a half trek to the campsite. It was already midday and everyone wants to fill their empty stomach as soon as cooking is done. And who's the best cook up there? I'm proud to say that Francel and I makes a good cook in the wild because you know what? We didn't burn the food (lolz!) It requires a good deal of patience and a load of tricks to be able to cook under a very small burner and also with the constant wind blowing in every direction. Before everybody starved to death, we had our fills and soon slumber for a short nap under the open campsite. We had a 360 view around us and "sunset" is the best thing up there. No doubt mountaineers never stops making new trails in every mountain because it was their aim to see how wonderful the sunsets are up there.
