#conquerhighgrounds

I can no longer remember the time where I had engaged myself with an active lifestyle, play basketball, join a fun-run or even play soccer. I felt that these activities were part of the "old" me..

As I was trying to re-discover myself before 2017 ends, I bumped into the idea of doing mountain hiking. BUT, since I have a huge fear of heights, I had many attempts to "plan" it with my friends.. (And yes, it always end up with a plan but never the action itself. Hah!)

Most of my friends who experienced hiking told me that the best view comes after the hardest climb. I don't believe this mantra unless I experience it myself. So.. I painted the long time "drawing" I had in mind since the start of 2017. I told myself that this is part of the things I want to discover. I really want to maximize my season at the moment, that's why I'm making the MOST out of every opportunity and activities. (Being SINGLE isn't bad at all. ❤)

OKAY. SO...

I heard this mountain called Mt. Pamintinan in Montalban, Rizal. So I ask people (like my friends who went on a hike before & my office mates) if they know the place and how to get there.. One of my office mates (Hello, ate Lanz!) lives in Montalban so I asked her if she wanted to go on a hike with me. And of course, the answer is YES! Hahaha. She is always game with everything. (Adventurous kid 😂)

The adventure begins;

December 24, 2017; Sunday. ❤

Yes. I (we) decided to go on hike as a Pre-Christmas celebration. Good thing, I got the approval of my Lola for this trip.

Saturday, I had to go to work to finish something so I stayed there for 8 hours (geez, like a regular day). I actually plan to rest before the hike since I need energy for that. BUT, unfortunately, I was not able to... (Reminder: if you'll plan to go on mountain hiking, make sure that you have rest, you eat breakfast on the day and you DO EXERCISE every day.)

Sunday morning.

This is the BIG day. I woke up around 5:30 in the morning. I felt mixed emotions (excited, anxious and EVERYTHING). Before anything else, I did my usual routine.. I prayed and asked God for His guidance, for a good weather and strength to conquer my fear of heights.

Ohh. Before I forgot, I prepared all the stuff that I need. Here are some of the things I brought with me:

• 1 Tumbler of water

• 2 Chocolate Bars (for energy)

• 3 Oatmeal Bars

• Mixed Nuts

• Extra Clothes (shirt, shorts)

• Jacket (since it's cold December)

• a cap

• Towels

• Plastic Bags

I did not bother to prepare rice meals since it's just a day hike. And it's better that you'll just bring less stuff so you won't have a hard time when you climb the trails. 😉

From Penya St. in Montalban, we took a jeepney ride going to DENR in Wawa. That's where our meet up place is. Since this is a Do-It-Yourself hike trip, we don't have any organizers and other stuff. (And it's cheaper btw). We are composed of 8 hikers in total, so the DENR representative advised us to hire 2 tour guides namely; kuya Rommel & Lester.

We first passed by the bridge in Wawa Dam. Geez! I'm at awe with nature itself. It was pretty amazing..

When we started trekking, my anxious feeling became less and was replaced with excitement. I'm telling myself that "I will conquer and finish the trail up until the Summit." and that "You can do this, Alee!!"

WHEN I ALREADY REACHED THE TOP!

I felt a sense of achievement and I cannot really explain the superb feeling I felt. I’m so proud of myself having this kind of experience. I’m honored and blessed to see God’s beautiful creations through the mountains and trees, the breeze of air and everything.