I was browsing through my photo gallery and I found the album of my Mt. Pulag Birthday hike last December 2019.
A Little Trivia:
Mount Pulag is Luzon’s highest peak at 2,926 meters above sea level. It is also a dormant volcano. The borders between the provinces of Benguet, Ifugao, and Nueva Vizcaya meet at the mountain's peak. It is the third highest mountain in the Philippines, next to Mount Apo and Mount Dulang-dulang.
It was my first major hike and a very memorable one as I celebrated my birthday at the peak of Mt. Pulag.
I wasn't able to bring a chocolate cake to actually celebrate my birthday up there, but atleast, I was able to bring water and a jelly ace. Aha!
I have always loved hiking, and my first experience was when I went to Sagada. But hiking to Mt. Pulag is different and very challenging.
"I see my path, but I don't know where it leads. Not knowing where I'm going is what inspires me to travel it." -Rosalia De Castro
I was in Grade 12 when I dreamed of Hiking this Mountain. And on my 20th year on Earth, I made that dream into reality.
I planned this trip for a month. I had to book a Travel Agency because I was alone when I did this ultimate hike.
To be honest, I was a bit scared to travel alone. But the feeling of excitement was bigger than my fear. And everything just feels so surreal right now, while I reminisce that moment.
Everything was all worth it when me and the group I was with finally reached the top. We managed the freezing weather, and the 11-hour traverse. Yes, it was tiring. But no regrets, because we got to experience watching the sunrise at the top.
"The sunrise, of course, doesn't care if we watch it or not. It will keep on being beautiful, even if no one bothers to look at it." -Gene Amole
If there is one thing that I learned on this hike, it is that no matter how high the mountain looks like, if we continue hiking, if we keep going, if we keep on walking, we will always be able to get to the summit.
Just like in life, no matter how hard the challenges we encounter everyday, we will always be able to overcome these hardships. As long as we keep going, we will keep winning in life.
"Hiking is a bit like life: The journey only requires you to put one foot in front of the other ... again and again and again. And if you allow yourself opportunity to be present throughout the entirety of the trek, you will witness beauty every step of the way, not just at the summit." -Anonymous
P.S. All photos are mine.
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Wow sis, you reached the summit... 👏👏👏 I didn't have the chance to visit the place because of my baby.. Maybe few years from now i can hike in that mount also. 😊 It's one of my goal to climb mounts to have feel like i conquered something. 😊