Obviously, our first trek left us on such a high, that we made a pact to make it a regular activity. A month and a few days later, amidst our crazy busy schedules, we were back on the road at 3 am to conquer another peak - Mt. Marami (Plenty).
True to its name, Mt. Marami gave me, and everyone in our trail group, PLENTY.
There were plenty of trails that led to the summit and several other surrounding communities. It offered the full experience. We had to go through forest trails, rivers, heat-exposed valleys, ravines, very narrow side-of-the-mountain-is-this-a-friggin'-trail trails, inclines and descents in varying degrees (some really close to 90 degrees) and a literal rock wall. A ROCK WALL.
Oh! And, yes, it took PLENTY of steps. 33,500, to be exact, according to my iPhone. Needless to say, we also needed plenty of time to complete the trek.
So ... I, therefore, conclude, Mt. Marami definitely delivered. And, because of that, I have plenty of "A-ha's" to share.
It pays to be prepared.
Call us nerds, competitive or committed, but, after our Mt. Batulao trek, we debriefed and talked about what we could do better.
- Lip balm. I carried my lip balm in my most accessible pocket, so I could apply liberally anytime. No windburns this time :)
- Good pair of trail shoes. In Batulao, I wore a snug-fit trekking sandals which tortured my feet. So, I invested on a pair of outdoor trail shoes (kapit, Salomon!), a size bigger than my actual shoe size. A tip I got from trail guides and the trekker sales person who helped me at the shop.
- Compression socks are the bomb! I threw in a pair of compression socks, which, without a doubt, helped reduce my feet's after-trail soreness. Despite being a longer and more difficult trail, I was not an invalid the following day.
- Sleeves help. I got some itchies from the tall weeds in Batulao, so I borrowed my sister-in-law's biking sleeves. No itchies that left pocky dots on my arms. Yey!
- Compact trekking backpack. The bag I used in my first hike was much too big and heavy. My back ached even though my hiking buddy adjusted it for me. I'm glad my brother talked me into buying a more compact trekking backpack more suitable for my compact size.
- Hiking poles are a huge help. We borrowed a pair of hiking poles which were a big help during the many ascents and descents.
- Music. Everything is so much more pleasant with music!
Other than that, we had the standard trail food (can't go hungry), water, sunblock and cover ups.
Keep your eyes on the goal.
When we started our trek, our trail guides pointed at an obscure point, its highest point, on top of the mountain. They said, that was where we were headed.
What?!
I fainted inside. I really did.
I wondered whether I would even make it halfway through. But I took a deep breath and took my first step towards my goal. While it looked daunting in the beginning, it helped a lot to look up every now and then and see where I was in reference to the summit. It served as encouragement and motivation to see my progress.
The important lesson here is to measure progress in reference to my goal --- and not against other people's progress. Progress, after all, is relative. No two people would have exactly the same goals and timings to achieve them. Comparing yourself to other people would only give you undue stress (and stress, they say, causes cancer).
Stop and take rests.
And, because the only person you are racing against is yourself, it is completely fine to stop and take rests. As you catch your breath, take the time to breathe the fresh air and enjoy the sights. Moreover, it is essential to rest, recover and rejuvenate yourself. You'll be amazed at the momentum from the burst of renewed energy vs. trudging on drearily.
Most constraints are in your head.
The summit was composed of three separate rocks. We had to traverse the side of the rocks to go from one to the other. We had to climb the rock wall in order to get to the main summit (the bigger rock formation). I thought to myself, "Great. You always wanted to do wall climbing. Well, here you go!"
And, as if that wasn't enough, we came to a fissure in the rock. I will have to jump across the gap. I stopped, assessed the gap and decided out loud, "It's too wide for me. I'm too short. I won't make the jump." My friend didn't say anything. He merely looked at me incredulously and shot a glance at our tiny 9-year old guide.
Right.
I jumped.
Help comes when you need it; sometimes, when you least expect it and from the most unlikely people.
On our descent, I was managing myself down the rock wall when I couldn't find my footing. Out of nowhere, there was a hand outstretched towards me. A trekker from another group helped me get down safely from the wall. And I'm glad, that instead of just muttering my appreciation, I looked up to give him a proper "thank you". I found myself face-to-face with the first (and, probably, only) attractive non-gay male specimen in the trails that day. (Thank you, Lord!)
No, we did not have time to exchange anything more than the standard thank-you-you're-welcome dialogue.
Perhaps on the next trail.
Ask for help.
Because Mt. Marami had plenty of paths, it was so easy to get lost. A few times we lost track of our other groupmates on the forks in the paths. The instructions from our trail guides were to either stop and wait for help or call out for help vs. trying to figure it out on our own. Faster and safer.
I realized it's a sound advise for life in general. How many times have we tried to proudly figure things out our own and found ourselves going around in circles?
Trials bind.
When we started out the hike, we all stayed within our little groups. As the hike progressed and the trail became more challenging, the groups slowly merged - supporting and encouraging each other, finding humor in the arduous trails. At the end of the trek, a number of us gave each other high-fives and sat together around a sari-sari store for our most satisfying no-frills meal.
Make connections.
The trek took 10 to 11 hours to complete. That was a lot of time spent around strangers, ample time to make connections beyond the usual small talk and courtesy helps offered. The good thing about trekking is that it forces you to interact with different people. Depending on how fast or slow you are, you get a chance to talk to different individuals within or even outside of your group.
I got to know our junior local trail guide who immediately won my heart. I found out our Australian member is actually taking a break from her masters (or doctorate) studies to do some volunteer work here in the Philippines. The owner of one of the houses who had an abundance of buko does not actually sell buko because it's much to heavy to transport. They also travel farther to than the nearby town to do business in order to earn more.
When you focus too much on speed and finishing faster, aside from ending up spent too soon, you also miss out on making meaningful connections. No one is chasing you. Enjoy the trek.
Not all paths are created equal, but each one has a unique lesson to offer.
Mt. Marami has several paths. They say all paths eventually lead to the summit. Some just take longer, while some are shorter. Some are more difficult. Some are scenic. Some go through communities ... and who knows what kind of connections we could have made with the locals there?
Each path offers something unique to the entire experience. Each one has a valuable lesson to teach. Each path will build you and help you unlock capabilities you never knew you had. No path is a waste of time.
So, no matter what path you are on now, don't fret. You'll get there --- where and when you should be.
Where God is, Life is Beautiful.
The trail boasts of a majestic ancient tree by the river, several patches of bamboo groves (one of which had a cathedral-like canopy of bamboos), rows of weeds with brightly-colored flowers, wild raspberries and black berries, a whisper of a river, artful array of rugged and smooth rocks, mountains all around and clear blue skies overhead.
For all its thoughtless randomness, it was the grandest, most beautiful garden I have ever laid my eyes on.
And I thought, even the remotest, most desolate places are not forgotten by God. He takes care of the littlest things in the most loving way.
He craves to take care of us.
The key is simply to let Him in ... and "He will make all things beautiful in His time."
