Someone was calling me . . . It wasn't a dream. I woke up to the sound of someone's voice calling my name. It was Jessica, trying to wake me up. It was a bit late and I felt ashamed. Everyone seemed to be up and running, while I was the only one locked in the bed at this point. I had slept a bit late, and I felt like I lay awake for a long time last night.
I hurriedly got up. I remembered that I have to wake up early so I could travel with Marie and Katamtaman to Ibad. They were going back to their village, and we agreed yesterday that I would join them in the boat ride. And there they would help me find my guides to Mt. Pinatubo.
I was curious as to what’s ahead but my mind paid more attention to the beauty that surrounds me. If there’s one thing I like the most every waking hour, I guess that would be the surreal feeling of early morning. Everyone was quiet as we rode the small wooden boat to Ibad. Everyone seemed to be savoring the cool morning scent and the pure freshness. I was born again. It was like traveling to another space and time. As the sun gradually exposed itself, the fog above the waters faded slowly, and the lake became alive with all the birds flying above and the ducks all lined up slightly visible from a far distance. I couldn't explain that moment in mere words. It’s not every day I get to experience something like this, it seemed all unreal.
All four of us headed out, passing through the narrow path in the midst of the jungle, making our way out of Ibad. The vast lahar dessert was revealed as we descended from the mountain. It was hot as hell, and from the looks of this merciless landscape, I knew it was going to be a very long hard walk.
We were the only people traversing the bright white dessert-like terrain of lahar, and along the way is a combination of sands, stones, and grayish streams. Benny and Pag-o were leading the way, and they really walked fast, while Garry walked with me as if patiently adjusting to my slow pace. I felt like I was Bear Grylls walking under the scorching heat trying to get out of the dessert to survive. Huge staircases were formed out of lahar, which are quite deceiving, looking like hard concrete steps from a distance. One wrong climb, stepping at the edge, I found myself crashing down with my feet cutting through the gray sand. We were still in the lowland and I had already bruised my knee. What a bummer!
After the first few hours, we had reached this cave we needed to cross. They had expertly analyzed the footholds before we climbed up. It was one unforgettable part of the challenge, one difficult obstacle I surpassed. I felt like everything I hold on to were unstable and that the only thing I depended on were their hands. It was a scary climb up, and I showered with a mixture of sands and water.
Next to the cave, the most difficult part was the climb up this steep anonymous mountain. I couldn't even remember climbing on my own here, as all the rocks I hold on to seemed to be crumbling like an old cookie. And now I realized why I needed more than one guide for this. There were times when I had two different hands as rope while I did the rappelling. Gripping a small tree branch while hanging over the edge, I was asked to patiently wait at this state numerous times . Alternately, my guides cut the tall grass to make way, and at times, they would stomp repeatedly on the loose soil of the steep mountain surface to create a stable trail. When the designed path was ready, we would all continue the climb up.
This was indeed a long way round to Mt. Pinatubo, and the ruthless path we traversed tested my endurance, almost putting me on the verge of my limits. We would all stop whenever my guides felt like I needed to take a rest. I seldom request for a break as I wanted to get to the finish line in no time, however my strength was quickly diminishing at this point. It was the longest day of my life.
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