A Day Off on the Ridge (Part 2)

If you've kept an eye at the first part of this post, you've probably wondered if we reached the peak (which also happened to be the campsite) on time to hit the hay.

Well to answer all your worrisome queries, we arrived safely and soundly at the campsite. My body felt we're in a higher altitude than usual but my eyes could only see darkness from end to end. The only thing that helped us navigate and successfully set-up our tent was our phone's meager flashlights and lights coming from other campers. And perhaps a little illumination from the moon; could have shed more but dark clouds were above us. This also got into my nerve at some point. What if it'll rain tonight? There's no single infrastructure at the campsite and our tent's not made for any bad weather condition, let alone a heavy rain with rumbling thunderstorms in the middle of nowhere. But I honestly was so tired and told myself if it'd rain, then we'd be drenched but the bed's calling for now.

We all dream of waking up in place like heaven, don't we? But that Sunday morning, I didn't have to dream and to look far; it literally looked like we were in heaven the moment we opened up our tents.

In the daybreak following a dark and cold night, it's a surprise that the bewitching morning glow of the sun welcomed us without hesitations. During my research before the climb, I rarely came across photos of massive sea of clouds appearing in Panimahawa. What I expected was a view of enormous land mass covering the entire area of what one's sight could reach, at times even beyond it.

"This rarely happens," I remember our guide said a few words like he's spilling coffee into my heart and right through my gut.

Encountering something rare caused my spirit to stay afloat for a few minutes or was it the entire time I was on top staring at everything my eyes couldn't seem to get enough of?

I was there standing with the rest of the night campers only to realize there's plenty of us on top. I wished to freeze time and catch a glimpse of the moment and encapsulate and bring it home. It would have been nice, but there's no way I could do that.

I knew time's of the essence; the massive sea of clouds could disappear any minute. Hence, I gladly gave Lance the duty to take snaps of photos I'd undoubtedly treasure forever.

I just came out from a shitty situation that time and still trying to let go of a person I loved terribly, I was forced to take my chances on traveling and yes, the pain brought me here (after Mt. Pulag which I also shared a few weeks back). I'd like to think that this mountain did its job in reminding me of the unparalleled beauty of traveling — that there's much to discover, that the world's too big only to focus on one goddam person. Enough of the drama, here are some photos of me that Lance carefully and perfectly snapped that morning.

To get an idea of how the Ridge will look from the other side, we walked across and was delighted with what we've seen. If you pay close attention to the photo below, you'd see some people standing and tents erected one after the other. I couldn't blame you if you couldn't see what I'm talking about for everything and everyone somehow blended perfectly in the background.

From the other end of the Ridge, I felt I was closer to the clouds, to the heavens. I couldn't stop spewing words that showed how fascinated I was with all of the things I've seen. I'm glad we explored farther than what's necessary; if not, we could've seen just an angle. The rest of the angles will stay undiscovered unless I go back, of course.

And yes, another pictorial's next on my list. I could think of too many poses but my favorite one is this photo below. It's a narration of the kind of peace that trips like this injects into my system. This might sound unrealistic to you, but I do take a lot of shots like this because this reminds me of how I looked at what was there and the fire of passion it ignited deep within me.

This shot reminds me of how much I enjoyed to slowdown, to sit down and to just let time pass without thinking or worrying or complaining. Just sitting at the edge of a hill consuming Mother Nature's best offer for breakfast that day.

We knew we needed to go back as soon as possible. And in order to reach back the campsite while making the most out of the scenery, I decided I'd do a short trail run from one side to the other. It was my first time trail running so I had to be careful (I remember using my GoPro to document this, maybe I'll share it some other time if I happen to find those videos. 😂) I could only imagine how nice it'd be if I can indeed complete a longer route of trail running in the ridges of Bukidnon. I heard this place is also famous for trail runners. There used to be an annual trail running event until COVID happened. Haven't checked if they've resumed such activities.

My hike to Panimahawa Ridge was never short of surprises and excitement and of course, challenges. But if I had to hike all night only to see this view in the morning, I might end up hiking all nights of my life just to see her beauty every morning. Or might as well build a house on top (But I doubt that's ever possible).

I can recall how hard it was to say goodbye; when I was just getting acquainted with all of Panimahawa's a goodbye was the hardest to initiate. But the sun's going up and we'd better hurry before we run out of hydration - water and the like.

So there, one final photo to end the exploration. But don't you worry, the journey continues. Part 3 on its way, stay tuned! 😁

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