Saturday, a day kissed by the sun and embraced by the wilderness, beckoning us to wander through nature's verdant wonders.
Saturdays like this are the ones I look forward to every weekend. I eagerly anticipate Saturday because this provides me the perfect opportunity to hike and immerse myself in nature's embrace. This is my kind of self-love. This is my rest after a busy workweek.
Although my week is not as fully loaded as before because we are on our summer vacation right now (how I hope so) but the week has become even more demanding because we need to report to school and conduct classes for the learning camp and comply for our "Teacher's Clearance". So I am very grateful for Saturdays, as they are my breather days, my escape days, and my date with nature, especially now that I found hiking friends.
Saturday: Time to breathe. Time to discover new trails.
I actually am experiencing muscle pains in my lower leg right now. We were scrambling (a mix of hiking and climbing) for approximately 7.5 kilometers in 5 hours. The length of the hike was not exhausting at all but it was the scorching heat of the sun during our descent (at least for me). We started our hike at 6:30 AM (yes, late for a start) and finished the course at almost lunchtime! I felt like grilled meat when I arrived home!
We had three stopovers during our trail, the mesmerizing hidden caves of the mountains of Mabuli making our trail longer than we expected it to be. But in this blog, I'll talk about my hike in general and the part where I was silently amazed by the tall green grasses covering the land giving us only a narrow path to walk on. The rest, I'll publish a separate blog about the beauty of nature I discovered hidden on those magnificent rocks but of course, I'm giving you a glimpse of it.
Our first stop was my cave. Yeah, you read it right. It's my cave. The cave felt like my own because I always come here almost every year. I am familiar with cave angles and their color and of course, I can definitely tell what's being taken from the cave. Sadly, the locals are exploiting the cave as their livelihood.
We hiked from one cave to another filling our eyes and soul with the wonders of nature. Aside from the verdant trees, other greeneries that made me stop in the middle of my hike were the lush tapestry of tall green grasses dancing gracefully in the wind.
At the start of our ascend, the enchanting greenery of tall cogon grasses is what unfolded before my eyes! They are growing so fast compared to the last time I came here. They are at the height of my hips. They swayed gently in the breeze when we passed by. Funny how I like the feeling of walking amidst them while I hate them much growing in my small garden. lol.
Since we started late on the hike considering the super hot weather of the Philippines, plus we have unplanned stopovers (which was what made the whole hike worthwhile), on our hikes, we could already feel the blazing heat of the sun above. If not for the tall trees and the shadow of the mountain itself because we were hiking at the side, we might collapse due to the sun's heat.
However, when we passed along this thicket of ferns, my feet stopped on their own and linger on the dense and compact group of ferns, creating a beautiful and lush natural arrangement. I forgot that it was blazing hot! Nature in any form, never failed to amaze me. I stood there for a while and inhale the goodness of life.
I thought that was the only part of the mountain where I got to see those lush ferns, but I was surprised to see another lush sea of ferns beneath the coconut trees at the foot of the mountain. This time it's no longer blistering hot because of the group of coconut trees covering the area, it feels refreshingly cool now. So we rest for a while to regain some of our energy and got ready for the last part of our hike in the open field.
Despite the scorching temperatures, the experience was nothing short of refreshing and revitalizing. With every step I took felt like the weariness of the week melts away preparing me to take on the challenges of the weeks ahead.
That's it for my Saturday morning adventure. This is my entry for sir 
Don't forget to smile often. 😊🤗😍