Hello, Hive!
Have you ever experienced some sort of tradeoff on a very personal level? I’m not really sure how to properly describe it but these words from Ralph Waldo Emerson fit the closest:
“For everything you have missed, you have gained something else, and for everything you gain, you lose something else.”
You see, as I’ve shared in my introduction post, poetry was and will always be my first love. It is my refuge and my survival. However, when I found myself venturing out of the pages of my notes, and into the unfamiliar world of mountaineering, I gradually lost touch of my muse. First, I struggled with the right words. Then, I could not make sense of the stanzas. Until, one day, I lost all ideas. No matter how I tried to re-read my old works, peruse the poems of Keats and Neruda, I couldn’t write.
So, after my Mt. Apo climb, I considered “retiring” from hiking and mountain climbing. RETIRE. Such a big word coming from someone who has not seen it all or has not reached that far. But, yes, I came to that point. I might have laughed it off in front of my friends but deep inside I was sad and afraid that I’d completely lose something very important to me. Life and adulting, in a way, helped me distance myself away from the trails. Looking back, I think it’s what also led to the misunderstanding between my friend and I. We were both going through something and could not turn to each other at that time. Anyway, I’m straying off topic. All is well now. :D What I’m trying to say is that it’s hard being torn between two loves. Good thing I was able to work it out. I’m not only back to writing (slowly), I’m also back to hiking.
Which leads me to this post…
Into the heart of Mt. Mandalagan
Mt. Mandalagan does not only make up the so-called Negros Trilogy along with Mt. Talinis and Mt. Kanlaon. More importantly, it is the heart the Northern Negros Natural Park (NNNP) and home to old-growth forest remains and important fauna and flora. That is why this area is highly protected. So when the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) approved its reopening after 10 months of closure due to insurgency issues, Jharm of Lakwatserong Engineer organized an event. He gathered 15 hikers for a DIY climb (via Patag-Campuestuhan trail) and James immediately reserved our slot. Jovy, Kim and Shiela also decided to come along and join the fun.
The group met at Cebu North Bus Terminal for the 5 PM bus trip. It was mostly shy smiles and few nods at first since most of us were stranger to each other. If this was six years ago, I would have paled to the thought of meeting new people. But experience — and probably age too — changed that fear to thrill. Well maybe still a little anxious, but definitely an improvement...
The bus departed from Cebu City 35 minutes late and we arrived in Tabuelan port at almost 10 PM. It was quite a long ride, but it gave us time to rest since most of us had just got off from work/class that day. We then boarded the roro going to Negros Occidental which took 2 1/2 hours and reached Escalante port at past midnight. Yet, that wasn’t the end of the trip. From there, we rode the bus for another two hours going to Silay where our chartered jeepney was waiting. At 2:52 AM, we met the driver who led us to the merkado for our last-minute errands.
It’s not often that we get a chance to travel to old cities such as Silay. Although it was dark, we passed by several old structures and can’t help but wonder what kind of history such places hold. It would have been nice to wait until the city comes to life but we had to leave.
We reached the old hospital in Brgy. Patag at 5:30 AM where we had our orientation with DENR who strongly emphasized their strict policies on waste management: Each hiker is required to list all their plastics, big or small, before the climb. The number of plastics will then be compared to the ones we bring back after the climb.
We began the hike after an hour. While walking on easy path, we started making scare jokes about Mt. Mandalagan’s infamous leech-infested trail. No hiker from Mt. Mandalagan would miss to tell you about these bloodsucking worms.
Some of us like Jovy, Kim and Shiela have not been “kissed” by these creatures so it was a kind of fun teasing them. Soon enough, limatiks started showing up. From low lying bushes to the forest floors, they waited for unsuspecting hikers to pass.
The leeches were very hard to get off you. But however scary, they were actually pretty harmless — and painless too. They only need very little amount of our blood and that’s it. In the end, our attention shifted to the the gradual uphill climb and we let the limatiks took our blood sacrifice for climbing Mt. Mandalagan. Here’s Kim and his battle wounds.
By 9:30 AM, we reached the “platform” — a small clearing ideal for pit stops and e-camp. This is where we cooked our lunch since we didn’t have hosted meal and must prepare the food ourselves. Despite being strangers, hunger became our common ground. Cooking the rice, fried chicken, and tinola then went smoothly.
Witnessing Tinagong-dagat's imposing walls
After two hours, we resumed the hike and finally got a glimpse of Tinagong-dagat from above. There was a tree that served as a view deck for hikers which would remind you of Mt. Talinis’ summit.
We took our time to breathe and snap some photos here. Then, we continued with the hike for an hour or so. At 2 PM, we finally reached Tinagong-dagat.
The first thing that caught my attention were the mountains that looked like a huge imposing wall surrounding the flat terrain. According to many, Tinagong-dagat was the old crater of Mt. Mandalagan. During heavy rainfall, water rises from it and this empty field becomes a wide lagoon. Hence, its name.
I was half thrilled to see Tinagong-dagat in its “high tide” but also glad that there was less water that day. We wouldn’t have space to camp if it was the other way around.
After pitching the tents, some of us started preparing our dinner while others started snapping photos of Tinagong-dagat’s picturesque spots.
There we also some who chose to take a power nap and regain their lost energy. But of course we didn't let this once-in-a-blue-moon opportunity go into waste. We feasted our eyes with nature's beauty and immortalized that moment through pictures.
The rest of the afternoon passed enveloped by fog. There was also intermittent rain, but that did not stop us from having our well-deserved dinner and fun-filled socials. We then capped the night with Omega painkiller to prepare our muscles for the next day's hike. 😁
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 for life as a poet or hiker. She hopes to share her love for words and the world with you here on HIVE.
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