Sunday, July 3, 2016

Four Mountains In A Day (Climbing Mt Marami, Mt Buntis, Mt Nagpatong and Pico De Loro In One Day)

“Ruth di ba sabi ko sayo walang baguhan? Baka di niya kayanin!” 

Once upon a summer, I was invited to a mountain climbing. As an adventure junkie, I went for a go in a heartbeat. It was my first official climb. Not to mention my first four mountains in a day climb. That was one of the most exhausting experiences in my entire life. But one of the most valuable experiences that made me better understand life itself.

At 2 am, we were on our way to the first peak to conquer, Mt. Marami. Meeting my fellow climbers looking so professional about this thing had me worried if my 2 bars of Snickers and a liter of water would get me through the day. I was even ready to bail out when one of the organizers said to the person who invited me, “Ruth,di ba sabi ko sayo walang baguhan”.

I felt backing out. Why go through this when I could sleep and read the whole day? But that person told them I can do it and winked at me. My mind argued. How dare is she to believe I can do it? We are talking about four mountains here! But on one note, what would I lose if I do this except for few calories. I decided to stay. They already had my registration anyway so Mr. Giving Up you are not an option. That person believed that I can do it. And when I signed up to this I also thought I could do so.


The first 30 minutes of the trek was fine but as hours passed it was killing me. My sweat trickled from anywhere and I panted like a dog. Hopelessness seeped in upon hearing them we were not even half of the trek. I was hungry and thirsty and starting to think if my colleagues were on drugs. Like how could they walk normally and steadily while my heart was ready to explode? Ah, pain… Endless pain…

Then I found myself standing before a crystal clear calm stream.  I was staring at myself and asked, why do I keep on whining? Pain is part of the journey. Can I just enjoy this? I looked around realized how the morning sun could be so beautiful when clouds and fogs try to hide it. There were wild flowers silently screaming to be noticed. Climbers who were willing to share their stories. It made the climb easier. Sometimes in life, we are just too itchy to get something done that we failed to notice and be enthralled by the simple things that come along the way.

When you are about to conquer the peak, the ascent could be very rocky it will hurt your hands. The path is getting narrower you have to look closely. You have to grip well in order not to fall. You have to be mindful every step of the way until you get there. Thirst, starvation, wounds, scars, they are just few of the pains to deal with but they won’t matter when you finally stand at the peak, feeling on top of the world as you savor the earth’s splendor. No pain, no gain, they say. Same goes with life and successes. You have to work for it. And you just don’t give up.

Upon descent, the summer sun was hostile hot it felt like my head was to be ripped off. I barely had any water left and I was tired my surrounding started to blur. I walked and stumbled, walked and stumbled for eternity. My exhaustion tricked me to give up and just when I was about to, I caught a glimpse of our jump-off site. Funny it is with life. You won’t really know if you are approaching the finish line when you focus on pain too much. But if you keep going, you will be surprised it will be over. And it pays when you just don’t give up.

And there one mountain down, three more to go and it was already 12 midnoon. Next stop, Mt. Buntis. Everyone was eager to take over the next peak except me. Dehydration had me down. I wanted to push through. Prove these people this rookie can do it but my feet were not just up for the challenge. Swallowing my pride, I told them, I’d wait at the van. People call it quitting. I call it being smart. I could feel my system dying. If I don’t listen to it, I could be courting more serious trouble.

Accepting failure in life is never easy. Most especially if you are trying to please spectators. But in the end, I should know that we are talking about my journey here and not theirs. Yes, I made a pass in climbing this peak. I’ve learned that giving up is not a bad thing at all. Giving up when you know you cannot do it at the moment because of circumstances you are not in control of is fairly okay.

It was already dark when we reached the third mountain. This time, I felt better and was back on the challenge. Mt Nagpatong was an easy climb. This taught me that after every fall, you just keep going and you’ll be stunned how things unfold.

By 8 pm, we arrived at the last peak, Pico de Loro. My mind, body and soul was morose I could not take anymore mountain. I decided not to climb it. Almost all of us did except the four hardcore mountaineers. I was not ashamed of it anymore. And adage could say he sky is the limit but reality is, at some point, you need to acknowledge constraints that are way beyond your control and seek the best option. You can always get back into it the next time. You just don’t simply give up when you intend to try it again next time when you are capable and ready to do so.

Life is full of rocky mountains to climb. It sure is to be thrown with tons of pains, struggles and bottleneck the most tempting to do is give up—our dreams, our goals, our passion. Just keep going. But if it is way too much and you could not take it anymore, give yourself a break. Learn to rest. Learn to breathe. It is part of not giving up.

Basic Speech No. 10
Pioneer Trailblazers Toastmasters Club