Lemon and lime

Prologue                                                               
         

    I have recently had
a whole new experience to add to my life story. Ito na siguro ang
pinakamasayang adventure na ginawa ko sa buong buhay ko. Something that even I
was not expecting that I would go through with flying colours. It was to conquer
Mount Pulag, the second highest peak in the whole of Philippines
next to Mount Apo. As per request, I am sharing a detailed account of my
journey, together with 8 other people whom I became friends with. In addition,
I also want you to feel my thrill I went through, even through reading, and to
encourage you to rediscover yourself too as I have rediscovered mine. Medyo
mahaba ito at malamang boring para sa iba sa inyo. Pero hindi na bale; yung mga
makakapagtiyaga, alam ko kahit papaano ay mararamdaman niyo rin ang napagdaanan
namin, na parang nakapunta na rin kayo dun with us (iyon naman ang purpose ko
kung bakit detailed ito.) Sa mga hindi makakapagtiyaga, okay lang. Sa mga nakaakyat na ng Pulag
sa inyo, I am quite sure you would agree to the feeling and would even tell me
”I told you!”.

I.
December 28

     6am, our group
of 9 left Baguio for Ambangeg, Kabayan, Benguet
via a jeepney. Although it was not my first trip to Kabayan, the rough and
zigzaggy road got most of us nauseated. It was a tough getting-the-feel-of-it-
ride, aside from the fact that the group was not totally familiar with each
other yet. I, for one thing, did not know anybody except from Lester, the
organizer, and Gladys who, I later found out, was my former intern at the SLU
hospital. We dropped by Ambuklao Dam and we all clicked right away because of a
common denominator: we loved taking pictures. Pati ang mga isda ay hindi namin
pinalagpas. To add to the thrill, lahat sila ,except Gladys and I, sat at the
roof of the jeep (ang tawag nila ay “top load”) during the ride to enjoy the
sceneries along the way.

     9:30am, we arrived the DENR office where we registered
and were oriented. We were not the only hikers during that time. Along with us
was a group of 30 rowers from the South (yata yun), and others more.

     At around past 10:30am, our jeep took us to the

name-i-cannot-recall-place to take another ride. Because of the rain the other
night, we were informed that it could not trek the muddy uphill so we had to
transfer to a truck. Along with another group, we dumped our stuffs and
ourselves up on the truck na katatapos lang yata magdeliver ng gulay, and held
on to our dear lives during the ride. Dun na ako nag-umpisang kabahan. Maliban
sa ilang hindi kaya, nakatayo kami at nakahawak lang sa lubid o kaya ay sa
railings ng trak. At this point, wala ka nang pakialam kung natatapakan na ang
paa mo, nasasagi ang dibdib mo, nahahawakan ang kamay mo, o kung amoy pawis man
ang katabi mo. The road was all muddy and bumpy. It was so rutted the vehicle
tilts 30-45 degrees to one side that I felt like we would be thrown out. And
then I started praying (in my mind lang siyempre para hindi halata na natatakot
ako.) Para sa akin na hindi nakapagpaalam sa mga magulang,
kailangan kong maging safe sa buong biyahe.

  12pm we
arrived Babadak Ranger Station. We had our first meal together, still trying to
get the feel of each other. Dito, medyo nawala na ang pagkailang namin sa isa’t
isa, nag-umpisa na ang tawanan at biruan. Naglatag kami sa damuhan where we
gathered for lunch. After an hour, it started drizzling. Lalo akong kinabahan.

     (Before I left Dagupan on the 27^th, I was
still having second thoughts if I should go on with the hike so I asked for a
sign from God if I should push through or not. Just when I was leaving the
house, it rained. I called up Ma’am Lani, my former colleague at work who was
then at Kabayan for vacation, to ask how the weather was. She confirmed that it
was drizzling but still okay for hiking. In short, umakyat pa rin ako. The
night before we left when I was already in Baguio,
my sister was discouraging me from going. Kesyo 3^rd year na daw ako
and baka may mangyari sa akin and all. That same night, I had a dream of us
trekking in the midst of a strong rain. Nagising na lang ako sa text ni Lester
asking kung nasaan na daw ako. I got all these premonitions so imagine how hard
I was praying that we get through the hike safely.)

     1:30pm, we started our hike wearing our raincoats
(mabuti na
lang at naisipan kong balutan ng plastik ang mga paa ko with my
socks on to keep my feet dry even if my shoes are wet and dirty.) It had been
raining the night before so the ground was wet, muddy and slippery. First time
ng rubber shoes ko’ng maexpose sa ganung sitwasyon kaya naman nag-alangan ako
kung makakatagal siya. In truth, I was assessing if I myself could make it. (It
was during this time that Jackie’s rubber shoes’ soles were destroyed so she
had to walk without the soles in it. She later on admitted how difficult it was
to trek with the stones, mud and grasses jabbing her feet.) I have never tried
this kind of adventure. Carrying my approximately 40-kilo back pack of camping food, clothes and sleeping bag, 2-kilo body bag of trail food, water and
valuables, and a pocketful of excitement, I kept on with my new friends. Harold
was assigned to be my partner; we were supposed to look after each other. Later
on, he would carry the greatest responsibility of looking after me.

     Noon ko lang na-experience ang ganoong physical stress.
I have tried jogging, walking or whatever-have-you before, but they were with a
privilege of stopping to rest. During the hike, oo nakapagpahinga kami but only
for a minute or two ( five, when we take pictures). I was hesitant to ask my
colleagues to stop whenever I felt tired or flustered. Right before we reached
Camp 1, I even hyperventilated. After another hour of hiking through the muddy
mossy forest, I got leg cramps. Harold was of great help. He walked behind me;
he helped me when I slipped, could not carry my stuffs , or pulled me up when I
could not walk up the steep slopes (kasi ang hirap mag-balance ng back pack
while you push yourself, promise!) Salamat na rin kay Manong Alex the tour
guide. Along the way, feeling ko nasa isang maze ako kasi hindi mo na makikita
ang
kabilang bundok; the trail is enveloped by trees, flowering plants and
bushes covered by mosses. Maraming hikers din kaming nakasalubong (mga pauwi
na) at nakasabay (nag-overtake dahil sa bagal namin) na umakyat sa bundok.

     At about 5pm, we finally reached Camp 2 where we would
spend the night. I was surprised to see a lot of other campers setting up their
tents. My friends would text me (may signal dun, akala niyo ba; mahina nga lang
ang globe) and would ask kung may cute ba’ng mga hikers. Marami din actually,
pero sa pagod, hindi mo na maiisip at magka-interest pang maghanap. It was not
difficult to gain new friends, however, because everybody seemed to be nice and
friendly. Most would offer help in their own ways when you need one, would
greet everybody they see along the trail, or just smile at you. We met a couple
of other campers from tarlac, manila, and as far as batangas. Anyway, we rested
for a while and set up our tents. We had dinner out of the lunch leftovers, had
a short bonding chat post-cibos, and slept at around 8pm. It was very cold, by
the way. My sleeping bag was not enough to keep
me warm so I was not able to sleep well.

II.
December 29

3am, Lester was waking us up for
the hike to the summit. We were blessed with night stars, meaning it would not
rain in another few hours so we could actually enjoy the morning sun.
Therefore, we had to rush to be at the peak before the sun rises. Gladys was
already having second thoughts of going with us because of the cold. It was her
second Pulag hike anyway, but Lester had his way of bugging her to move and get
up.

    I thought it was
already the easy trail, but I was wrong. It was as difficult. All we had were
the night sky stars and our flashlights to light the way. The ground was even
more muddy and slippery. At dahil hindi mo makita ang lalim ng huhulugan mo
kapag nagkamali ka ng balance, one had to be extra careful. I slipped several
times myself, as in nalublob sa putik, at nahulog sa pit. My hands were
scratched and bruised; I had to hold on to the grass every time to keep me
steady. Harold, as usual, looked after me.

     It was when we
were at our last mountain to climb when I felt really exhausted, not only
tired. My knees were wobbling; I could not stand otherwise I would lose
balance. Harold held my hand and was literally pulling me up. There were more
hikers behind us so I had to keep my pace. The trail was a one-way route so
those who were behind could not just overtake us. Meaning, kung mabagal ka, the
long line will have to wait till you make it. At that time, the group of 30
rowers were behind us, so imagine the pressure imposed on me. Harold took my
body bag and pulled me up with the encouragement, “Dali, malapit na sila!
Imagine mo na lang na papatayin nila tayo kaya kailangan mo’ng bilisan. Hala,
hayan na sila, papatayin na nila tayo!” If I was not dead tired, I would have
rolled over there laughing at how he morbidly persuaded me. Ngayon na lang ako
natatawa every time I remember him telling me that.

III

When I
finally made it to the top, I felt so amazed not on the view just yet, but on
how I was able to go through all the physical tasks which I have never tried in
my whole life. Not to exaggerate, but it was so tiring. However, I could not
cry out a complain. Whenever I wanted to give up, I prayed so hard to Him to
give me more endurance. I kept on reminding myself how lucky I was to have that
chance of just being there. My colleagues also inspired me big deal:

Kuya Andrew is a diabetic and asthmatic and yet I did not hear a
   
    grumble from him.

Lester’s untiring enthusiasm was rejuvenating.
Harold and his weird way of pushing me to the limits. Naghike na
    nakalimutang magadala ng jacket or pants.
BJ who had to walk so fast to keep up with Manong Alex, our guide.
Kris who kept on going and going. I think I never saw him worn-out.
Gladys who never got tired of making kwento all throughout the trek
    (ang hirap kaya nun, hinihingal and yet nagkukwento!)
Ross who never left Jackie. (He lent his shoes to her when we were
    on our way down to Babadak Scout Ranger.)

And last but the most inspiring, Jackie who trekked the summit 

    BAREFOOT. Her slippers gave away so she decided to just carry
it.     Who can beat that?

We
reached the summit at around 5:30am. It was so frigid my 4-layered get-up was
not enough to keep me warm. As I heard from one of the campers, the temperature
was 6 degrees. The starry sky was giving in to the sun slowly peeping out of
the sea of clouds hovering over the lowlands, and keeping us warm there on the
top.
The feeling was inexplicable – I was at the second highest peak of the
country, one third of Mount Everest. The view was mesmerizing just the same. I
could not imagine how great God is to have created something as beautiful as
the sunrise, the mountains, the clouds… everything! From my cellfone, I played
some praise songs that I purposely saved for that moment. Way back home, I have
been imagining myself singing Him praises while the sun rises. At that time, I
was actually doing it! Surprisingly, I was not the only one who knew the songs,
so Ross and Kuya Andrew sang with me while we were looking at the sun towering
the view. Before we left the summit, I took time to contemplate on how much He
has blessed me and my family for the past years… Everything felt soooo good.

     We went back
to the camp site after almost 4 hours of enjoying the landscape, picture-taking
and horsing-around. The trek down the peak was a little easier, but still with
difficulty because this time we were more scared of falling down the steep
slopes - we could already see how far down we could fall into. We arrived the
camp little less bruised. We had brunch, fixed our things and got ready for the
hike back to Babadak Ranger Station.

     At around 12pm,
we started the walk for Babadak which I expected to be less tiring for me since
pababa na ang trail. Again, nagkamali ako ng akala. After like 30 minutes of
trudging, it started to rain. There was no shade to rest into yet, and I did
not know where I packed my raincoat so I walked and walked ahead of the others
hoping I’d get to Camp 1 shade in a short while. Pero ang layo na ng nilakad
ko, wala pa ring Camp 1! Very wet, I took out the garbage bag keeping our food
out of my bag and used it as my raincoat. (Before we left Baguio, I was advised
to put my things in a large garbage bag before packing them into the hiking bag
to keep my things dry when it rained.)

     We arrived
Babadak Station after 2 hours. We could have left at once when we got there for
the DENR office where we would spend the night but the group of rowers took our
ride. Wet, cold, sleepy and hungry, we impatiently lingered there for another 2
hours waiting for another jeep. Some co-hikers staying with the locals that
night were kind enough to give us hot water for coffee, plastic bags
for wet
food, and sat with us for conversation. When we left Babadak, we gave them our
raincoats which they could use the next day when they hike up the campsite for
the summit. (Mind you, they were with a little boy around two years old, the
youngest person to reach the summit if ever.)

    
Magdidilim na nung dumating din ang sundo naming jeep sa wakas. Nakakatuwa kasi sobra ang paalaman
namin with the locals and the new friends our group met, na parang ang tagal na
naming magkakakilala. At siyempre, hindi doon natapos ang kulitan namin.
Hanggang sa jeep, umiral ang tawanan, kantiyawan. Doon na din nag-umpisa ang
post-hike evaluation kung saan we’d describe how the hike was for us,
realizations kung meron man, and messages sa bawat kasama namin. Parang
recollection! Habang nagsasalita ako, biglang may narinig kaming nahulog na
kung anumang parte ng jeep! At meron nga kaya natakot na naman ang lola mo.
Nai-blurt out ko tuloy na mglakad na lang kami (kahit madilim) kasi baka
madisgrasya kami lalo. Paano kung part pala ng preno yun at mahulog kami sa
bangin?? Ganun ako nahawa kay Harold sa pagiging morbid, kaya naman mega uli
ang dasal ko. Mabagal na lang ang pagdrive ni manong driver and eventually, we
got to the DENR office intact.

     As soon as we
rested, we hit the shower (ang sarap ng feeling after being muddy all day)
goofed around, cooked supper, goofed around again, and ate. We continued on
with our post-hike evaluation. It was then when I found out that almost
everybody initially had second thoughts of joining the hike, or would have to
sacrifice important affairs just to join. I also never thought that each one of
us would be so moved and emotional about the adventure as much as I was. Lahat
kami ay may kanya-kanyang magagandang realizations and ang pinaka-common was
how we valued the friendship that we established for the past 2 days that we
have all been together. Hindi ko din ma-explain kung paano nangyari iyon, pero
iba yung bonding naming 9 kahit 2 araw lang kaming nagkakasama. Malamang dahil
sa halos lahat ng times, tawanan lang kami ng tawanan. Sa lahat ng pinagdaanan
naming hirap sa pagpapaalam (at pagtatago) sa mga magulang, physical na pagod,
mga kanya-kanyang takot, wala ni isa sa amin ang nagsisi sa pag-akyat namin ng
Mt. Pulag.

IV.
December 30

     As usual,
Lester was our alarm clock at 6am the next day. (We slept at 2am that night,
plus the cold weather and warm blankets, ang hirap gumising!) We evetually
missed the first bus at 7am so we had to wait for the next one at 9am.

     While we were
at the road side, however, another new experience sparked up Kris’ attention.
He heard a pig squealing from one of the houses, being slaughtered. Being a
Fil-Am who just stayed in the country for about 7 months, something like this
is totally new. In short, pinuntahan niya yung bahay. Sumunod naman kami sa
kanya; nagpaalam ako sa may bahay kung pwede namin panoorin ang ritual dahil
first time ng mga kasama ko’ng maka-witness ng ganoong practice ng mga Igorot.
(I am very much familiar with the ritual because my mom is a full-blooded
Igorota.) Much to Kris’ amazement, he saw the poor pig die, fire-burnt, and
butchered.

V

    Hindi lang pala sa
Mt. Pulag natapos ang magandang experience namin. The household of Mrs. Cosme
was so warm and accommodating that she invited all of us to share her family’s
thanksgiving celebration with them. They brought us freshly brewed Benguet
coffee and biscuits while I was explaining my group what the ritual was for and
all. She even went out to the street to look for my other friends waiting for
the bus and invited them inside for coffee. She introduced her family’s
members, even up to the neighbors and in-laws who were just there to help.
After a while, they brought out a kept jar of tapey, a wine
fermented out of a special Benguet red rice, which all of us greatly enjoyed. Napadami nga nainom ko, medyo nalasing ako. What touched me so much was when
Mrs. Cosme requested us to stay for a couple more hours to wait for the meat to
cook so we could join them for a meal; she hoped the bus does not come or is
full so we could not leave yet. What a good heart she has! Kaya naman nung
tinawag na kami dahil palapit na daw yung bus, makikita mo ang lungkot sa mukha
nila kaya nahirapan kaming magpaalam. Kahit nung nakasakay na kami at papalayo
na, todo naman ang kaway namin sa pasasalamat at ganun din sila.

VI

     Sa bus pa lang
pauwi ng Baguio, naramdaman ko na ang lungkot. How can wonderful things end up
so suddenly? When we arrived the city, we did not want to part ways just like
that so we decided to have lunch at Lester’s place. This way, we could do our
group dismantling less abrupt and less emotional. As usual, pagdating pa lang
doon, hindi na naman matapos ang kwentuhan at tawanan hanggang sa isa-isa na
kaming nagpaalaman.

       My story does not end there, however, because I
believe our great experience will not end there. Even way after we got into
each other’s homes, our story-telling never stopped. Our communication never ceased
either. Minsan nga nagkukwentuhan pa rin kami sa text about sa lahat ng mga
nangyari amongst ourselves na parang hindi kami magkakasamang umakyat ng
Pulag!Hanggang ngayon, (obviously,) high na high pa rin ako. Sa mga nakita ko
doon sa taas,  lalo na sa kakaibang bonding na nabuo ko sa 8 na mga bagong
kaibigan. Lahat ng nangyari sa aming lahat ay bago, that was how this trek was
significant for each one of us even for Lester (our group was his 6^th
batch to trek with.)

Epilogue

    Salamat at natapos
mo ang nobela ko. I may be thought of overreacting but I don’t mind. What I
have imparted were real scenes and emotions experienced and enjoyed.

     Sana, mula sa
hike namin, maencourage ka rin na subukan ang isang bagay gaya ng adventure na
ito para suriin ang sarili, makapagmuni-muni. Hindi naman kailangang umakyat ng
Mt. Pulag. Although kung kaya mo, why not? (Para naman makapagsulat ka rin ng
blog mo tungkol dito, o makapag-comment ka sa akin na oo nga, kakaiba nga ang
experience na iyon. I have yet to find someone who was not mesmerized with the
Mt. Pulag scene and adventure as we did.) To attempt (not only to idealize) to
do something what you think you cannot do. You might surprise yourself that you
can pala.

     At one point
in our lives, something like this can be an instrument to help us measure our
capabilities, our strengths and weaknesses; how much we can put up with life
even if we could no longer take life itself. I never thought I needed a
mountain to make me recognize how much more I can do for myself and for other
people. Like in any of our personal mountains that we climb, when we get to the
top, the view and the feeling from up there are incomparable.

 Indeed, there
was no better way I could have ended 2007 than my Mt. Pulag hike.