A STALKER'S BLOG: LEARNINGS from PICO De LORO (part1)

It was my first time to hike this past weekend at the famous “Pico De Loro” with some of my friends. Never really thought of what’s to come but I guess since everyone thought that I might have a hard time finishing it then I took the challenge.  We all started to meet up at around 8:00am (but we we’re late due to some errands that i had to finish.. haha) so we left at around 9:00am at Pala-Pala (in Cavite). We stopped at a market somewhere along the way to buy important stuff (and I bought an sd card for my cam since I forgot mine at home) Then an hour or two later we finally got there and started our crazy.. happy journey all the way to the peek of the mountain.

                        So as we started walking at the bottom of the mountain. My “GOAL” was just to see what’s up there (just like everyone). The thought of hiking sounded EASY for me, just like strolling at the beach (just a longer version of it perhaps). As we started it was all FUN.. FUN.. FUN. We we’re joking around and getting to know each other. Everything looks amusing at first glance.. the veins of each tree.. the huge boulders everywhere.. the sky and all. You just feel blessed that GOD gave us all these amazing wonders that we should treasure.

                        Then we had to stop over a couple of times (just a breather) and every stop’s scenery was just breath taking. Until we reached the first temporary stop over so we could prep up for lunch. The good thing with that stop over is that they had a store with cold drinks, food and a lot of water for cooking.. drinking and all. We had a sumptuous lunch with the rest of the crew – It was rice + Ensalada + Fried Galunggong (and it was just amazing eating in a boodle fight style). Then we had to get ready since we we’re given a heads up that we were just near a quarter of the whole trip (and yeah It is true). We we’re walking.. and walking and walking until we have reached the part that I call “The Never Ending Stairway To Success”. This part of the climb was just the most gruelling of it.. each step was just getting HARDER and HARDER. Maybe It was because of the “TIREDNESS” and the fact that we have so much baggage with us.

                        It was like a TEST of FAITH and CHARACTER. Climbing up the whole way up is just not preparedness.. It includes your “MOTIVATION” of “WHY” you would want to REACH the TOP. Some would just want to go with the flow however that only gives you “LESS Fulfilment”. Some would STRIVE because of their “COMPETITIVENESS” to get ahead of the rest but that way of climb would lead you to being “LONELY” on TOP.

                        If you would ask me what my “MOTIVATION” was? It’s to get up there and “inspire people to GET UP on their TOES and tell them how lovely it is up there” and because of this mindset I climbed all the way up ahead of the whole group. On my way up I had to be careful of my steps since I don’t want to be “INJURED”.. (just like in real life) It is really important that you decide well and check the stability of each options (or steps) before you take that simple step or else you won’t be able to enjoy the whole experience on top since you are “BROKEN”. Have you ever met people on TOP who had a broken SOUL? Probably a boss of yours who never seems to appreciate things in life? Celebrities who just take everything for granted because they feel like it.. Not knowing that the people who look up to them do get affected by all their actions in life.

                        One more thing that helped me all throughout the climb was my conversations with GOD the whole time.. for him to give me enough “STRENGTH” to get there so that I could accomplish my GOAL.. for him to “PROTECT ME” from all evil that may make me FAIL my mission. It is TOUGH out there but every time I meet HAPPY people from the TOP.. It just makes feel BETTER. They make me want to “PUSH MYSELF” more.

I’ve also come to realize that there are branches that you could “HANG ON TO” whenever you feel “WEAK”.. just like how LIFE is. You meet people whom you could TRUST and rely on but you have to “BE CAREFUL” in choosing one because not everyone is there to help. You may think that it’s a strong branch but it may be a “SNAKE” ready to “BITE” and paralyze you.

“Don’t be AFRAID to TRUST.. but be CAREFUL whom to TRUST”

                        I remember while on my way up I met this kid (around 10y.o perhaps..) who was waiting for some of his friends. I was just amused by how strong he was.. walking fastly on his own. So I’ve decided to ask him if he knew the way around.

He replied “yes I have been here a lot of times”..

Since he looked like a kid of some local I trusted him. We walked around for quite some time but I cant just keep up with him. He is just fast. So I had to “STOP” him once in a while and SIT.. REST so I could push more. Then as we go by I realized that the road looks like it’s leading us somewhere else.

I got scared and asked him again. “Are you sure about this way?”

He replied and said. “Yes”

So I have decided to shout and check if my group is somewhere nearby.. and they we’re however it was just on a different direction from where I was heading. The crazy part was most of the road were blocked by braches and bamboos (I actually thought that this kid might take me to some crazy killer father and have me murdered.. haha).Then we met another kid who told us that we we’re on a wrong direction. So I just walked again until this kid walked way pass me again until he was nowhere in sight.. but I just pushed and shouted to check if my group was near me and I saw my sister ahead of me (and I got a little upset because I have worked so hard to be the first one to get there but they got ahead of me). I told my sister then about what had happened to me (she joked around that I may not be her brother that I maybe a doppelganger who pretends to be her brother).. then all of a sudden I started hearing chattering crowd and I just knew that I was there already there. All my hard work finally paid off.

I saw a couple of my group who welcomed me with all smiles on their faces telling me that “YOU’VE MADE IT”.

                        I just felt “PROUD” and “HAPPY” because of the sense of FULFILMENT that the experience gave me. I remember that saying “EAT your FROG for breakfast and nothing worst will ever come your way”. You just feel EMPOWERED right after.. like anything is possible when you put your mind and heart into it.

That’s it for now watch out for part 2 of my BLOG this week as I tell you how we’ve reached the real PEEK and the PEEK 2 of Pico De Loro.

Hope you’ve learned something today STALKERS!