Have been dreaming of getting on top of a mountain? Been wondering how does it feel like to be there? Would you like to be on those pictures the same way as the other hikers?
Me. I tried it. I was invited by a colleague to try hiking. ( THIS IS MY FIRST HIKING EVER! ) I am so excited and I immediately prepared myself for my first climb. I did walk from work to home (that’s around 3.7km) as part of my warm up for 3 days. The mountain is called Mt. Daraitan. This is one of the popular mountains in the Philippines. This mountain sits in Tanay, Rizal along with the other beautiful paradise such as Tinipak River and Cave. The place is just an hour or two drive from Manila.
So yeah, I tried it. We left Manila at around 1:30 am and we arrived at around 3:30 am – 3:40 am. We immediately started our adventure. It is still dark when we started the climb. It is very easy at the first few steps (It feels like your just walking around in a forest) I am so fueled at the beginning but after an hour of climbing I can feel my thighs sore and the trail becomes more difficult. I’ve agreed to come to this mountain as it was dubbed as just a minor hike or #pabebehike as we call it in the Philippines. It is clearly not a minor hike and its definitely not a #pabebehike. The trail is more of an Assault Type of mountain (that’s how they call the trail). I asked the tour guide what does Assault mean? She describes it as a trim trail which involves more climbing than walking (which is not really advisable for beginners). And I prepared myself for walking 😂😂😂 So yeah, after a two hours climb I immediately told them that I can’t make it. My colleagues tried convincing me that I can still do it. I tried to climb again for a few steps but my chest burns and I feel like I’m going to throw up. So the guide assisted me as we climb down. Yeah, I quit. Knowing that I also invited a friend who is a beginner as well and He made it 😭😭😭
I wrote this not because I want to tell beginners that do not climb Mt. Daraitan. But instead PREPARE yourself. It would be best if I prepared myself a month before my first climb. And I should’ve not focus on walking 😂 Even if you walk how many miles and the trail is just flat it won’t help at all. We need to focus in cardio and try walking in an inclined trail. It would also help if you will search and ask people what kind of trail does the mountain have? It will also help if you understand some of the terms or words that they use for hiking to help you decide if you are ready for your first climb. Try educating yourself first as hiking is not EASY.
CONGRATULATIONS for those beginners who made it. Wondering what happened next? Did I just waste a few bucks and did not get anything at all. Good thing my Guide is really nice. So she invited me to visit TINIPAK RIVER AND CAVE instead. It also involves walking but I made it. The water is very clear with an amazing rock formations. We visited the cave first and went down to the river. The cave itself is totally amazing. I wish drinking alcohol inside is allowed 😂😂😂 The water is very cold and there is a mini falls inside (was not able to take good pictures inside because it was too dark and I don’t have a good camera) The entire cave is filled with stalactites and stalagmites which made it more challenging to reach the inner part of the cave. When we’ve reached the inner part with an amazing mini fall, my guide let me swim around for a few hours until other hikers will visit the site. From there we climb down the river and continued swimming.
How was the experience? I enjoyed it. Its jut disappointing that my body was not able to cope up with the trail. Well at least I had an experience and I know how it feels like to climb. I can always do revenge hike, right? Well at least now I know how to prepare myself. I also visited the Cave and River which made my experience more magical. For those Beginners who quit. That’s fine my loves. You can always visit the mountain. It will never go away, it would always sit there waiting for you to reach the top. Wondering why I named this as a “HEAVY TRAVELER”? Literally I am heavy 😂 I weigh 72 kilos and I’m just 4”11 in height. I am overweight. As I wrote this blog I had a thought of maybe the reason I was not able to reach the top is because of my weight itself or my body is not that fit for climbing. So for those beginners out there who wanted to climb. It would be best if you prepare yourself first. If ever you did not make it, You can always do revenge hike 😉 😉 😉
If you would like to try hiking but do not have any contact person. You may add our Organizer on facebook Jha-jha Amoin Ermita-Mendoza. How much it costs? The range if from 800 php – depending how crazy you are in eating 😂 😂 😂 as there are restaurants hidden where you can try Filipino Cuisines and there are souvenir shops as well along the way)
Please don’t forget liking my page https://www.tumblr.com/blog/dare2beambitious and tune in for more exciting travel from a #HEAVYTRAVELER like me 😉 😉 😉 My journey just begun. I will focus in visiting beaches in the meantime while preparing myself for my revenge hike or I might consider other mountains that has an easier trail than Mt. Daraitan’s.
“there is no BEST VIEW if you will not go though a HARDEST CLIMB” ( that is my friends who reached the top. )
other pictures: TINIPAK RIVER AND CAVE
