Why mountaineering?

Well honestly, I really don't know. It never occurred to me that I'll be indulging most of my spare times in the mountains. I started hiking last January 2, 2016 when we needed to have our insect collection for the Entomology class. It was in Mt. Pico de Loro, rated with 3/9 and considered a beginner's hike (a.k.a. minor climb for most of the mountaineers). Mt. Pico de Loro is located in Maragondon, Cavite and Nasugbu, Batangas. We traversed and it took us 7 hours to go through the trail, including the process of collecting and we also had our lunch at the camp site. So basically, I did not expect to enjoy this kind of activity because I was not able to try to go out and explore things out of my limits. Also, I was a "school-bahay" type of student when I was in college, so I barely has the luxury of time.

My desire to try stuff that I never tried escalated when I had to go through something that I thought I would never survive. Half of the story about people pursuing mountaineering is true when they say that they want to know more about themselves, they want to find peace, and most importantly, they wanted the nature to heal them (drama, always good #parasablog!). It's a notion that when someone wanted to conquer as many mountains as they can, they tend to forget someone or forget anything that makes them feel less of a person. Yes, it might sound cliche but it's the reality (Well, maybe for most of the people who have just started this hobby). But as time goes by, you will feel that you're healing and you start to welcome the idea of meeting new people and crave for more adventures. You are lost but in a good way. Personally speaking, I enjoy it when I'm lost somewhere because I feel like there is the need to have my own back and figure things out. It's so rewarding when you finally dope out the puzzling trail.

The most genuine advantage of hiking/mountaineering is when you meet new people and turn out to be your friends. I remember when we had our unexpected hike at Mt. Balingkilat, which FYI is 1,100 ft. and rated 5/9. It was really a sudden trip that was planned hours before we actually leave for Zambales. We were just 3 girls and we're not prepared for a major hike because we did not anticipate such thing. We do not even have our packed lunch, trail foods and things that are needed for a major hike. Until we finally met this group of mountaineers who were resting and having their lunch. They noticed that we were exhausted and very dehydrated so they offer us their trail snacks. We went through the whole trail, including the traverse to Nagsasa cove for almost 12 hours since we spent much of the time resting because there are barely trees to be rested upon and the sun lit so bright. It was a surprise when we finally reached the camp site at Nagsasa cove because the group of people we met at the trail was also there and they introduced themselves as the Rock Jockers. We decided to spend the night at the site since the dusk sky won't allow us to go home. Good thing that people at Nagsasa offer camping tents that can be rented for a night or two. The Rock Jockers proffered us to join them for dinner. They are really fun to be with and starting that day, we became friends and up until now, we communicate and climb different mountains together. In connection to this, I learned that there will always be new people that will open doors for you and you just have to wholeheartedly welcome yourself to new beginnings because you never know what the future holds for you.

Another wonderful thing about climbing mountains is that you unconsciously unravel capabilities that you never thought you had. I am an active person and consider myself an adventurous one even before I started doing different activities, then I proved myself right the time I begun doing things fearlessly and jovially. Pusillanimity dominated me before although I am up for something frightening to do but now, I can proudly say that I can try things without being nerveless. I learned to let go of my fears and let myself be free from the things that once troubled me. Since then, I became my friends' tag along because they knew that I will always say yes to adventure.

This thing about hiking was not a good idea for my mom. She never wanted me to go to places she thought might harm me. She strictly reminds me to stop hiking and spend my spare time sleeping at home since med school demands a lot of time, effort and sleepless nights. But I am a defiant daughter when it comes to this part (sorry, mom) because my way of relaxing and escaping from all the school responsibilities is to climb mountains or go some place that isn't congested with people. (Don't do this, kids. Obey your parents ALL THE TIME, okay?). But anyway, I really can't do anything about that so whenever I feel like my sanity might leave me because of the pressure from med school and I have to hike, I secretly do it and hide my posts from my parents, although my siblings knew all of these. Nature is one thing that will take your breath away and leave you feeling accomplished, contented and refreshed. After you finished the trail, you become more of a person. You know in your heart that you are becoming a better one because you can finally let go of all the BS in life and avoid toxic situations.

Hiking also benefits your health. If you're not a kind of person who goes to gym, jog early in the morning or do home workouts, you might wanna try considering climbing mountains. It's a great cardio exercise that rewards you good backgrounds for your selfies at the summit. It keeps you physically and emotionally fit!

And to wrap things up, while you enjoy this kind of extra-curricular activities, you surely want to document everything and make it all memorable. Since I started hiking, I also started doing vlogs and upload it on my youtube channel. It's really fulfilling to do all these things aside from those that you usually do - may it be from school or work. It's an escape from this cruel world you live in. It's a way of diverting your focus to all the positive feelings towards people and life itself. So yes, if you feel like your life has been boring and you always do your routine, stop being workaholic and start wandering! Sometimes you really have to squeeze this in your hectic schedule so you will have a break from the tons of responsibilities and obligations waiting for you at school or at work. Give it a chance and you will always feel pump up to do the things you typically do. Go out and reach for summits!