Hello, Hive!
The past few months, my friends and I have been exploring the trails connecting to Budlaan Trail to the point that we've already discovered three or four different routes of varied difficulties and trail types as of the writing. Although I cannot divulge the exact waypoints here for safety purposes, I'd like to share with you some of my experiences and realizations during these hikes.
Ever since Spartan Trail became an instant celebrity in the outdoor community, being visited by hundreds of hikers every weekend, we started looking for a less crowded trail within Cebu City. The first choice is the good ol' Babag Trail, which offers multiple exit options. But I guess age got ahead of us and our tito/tita knees are too tired to face its steep ascent — unless we're forced to train for an upcoming major hike. Then, there's the Kalunasan Trail which starts along the usual mountain bike trail before diverging to the forest trails. Lastly, the Budlaan Trail which has only one flaw: the pricey motorcycle fare going to the jump off.
You see, back in 2017-2018 the fare from Gaisano Talamban to Sitio Baugo was only 25 pesos. Now, it's 70 pesos per head. Quite a leap but pandemic, inflation, and wrong political choices happened. It may be a small amount to others but to those of us who are hiking on a budget, it meant no more coca-cola and snacks along the trail. Hehe.
To counter this challenge, our map experts, Alton and James, decide to use their navigation skills to look for alternative routes that will save our pocket money. And together with 
An MBT trail becomes a hiker's path
One of the alternative routes we found is through the Bonita Trail. This trail has been actively used by mountain bikers as early as 2017 and it's amazing how it remained out of our sight all these years.
The hike starts on a paved road, passing along My Bonita Home for Young Girls (a rescue house for abused children and teens). It's slightly steep but the good thing is it's surrounded by trees.
After that, there are multiple trail forks which you can choose from to reach Sitio Baugo. I cannot describe each route though (forgive my lack of direction) but here are some highlights from our previous exploration hikes starting in Talamban and traversing to its neighboring mountain barangays.
Less crowd, more peace
In all the alternative trails going to Budlaan, one thing is for sure: you get to be with nature in silence.
My friends and I don't ignore each other during the hike — if that's what you're thinking. Of course, we talk about our recent lives, frustrations, chismis, and every random thing under the sun. What I mean is, there's less noise here. No loud voices on crowded trails. No music blasting from speakers (except for that one time we had joiners hihi). Just peace.
Diverse paths, varied experiences
Most sections of the alternative trails pass through unpaved pathways that are commonly used by local residents or passing bikers.
Some hikes we lose our way and have to trace back our steps...
Other times we find ourselves blessed by nature's bounty...
 |  |  |
|---|
But the best of part of it all is when our wrong turns lead to new discoveries. Just look at these views!
Trail thoughts
In hindsight, these exploration hikes remind me that just as there are different trails that lead to one destination, there are also different ways that lead to our goals in life.
Sometimes the road is slippery, other times it's rocky. There are dead ends. There are wrong turns. There are junctions. There are start overs.
But there is growth too.
And memories, lessons learned, bonds made. 🫰
Maria is a hopeless romantic who travels in pages and places. She is an INFP who loves sunrises and moonlight nights and reading books in between. On weekdays, she works for a self-publishing company as a copywriter. On weekends, she lives her life as a poet or hiker. She hopes to share her love for words and the world with you here on HIVE.
If you like this content, don't forget to follow, upvote, and leave a comment to show some love. You can also reblog if you want. Connect with her through PeakD, Tiktok, or Instagram. 🤍