Her First Summit

Always a joy to see you smile (or grin, in this photo). Last weekend she made her first summit at Mount Batulao, in Nasugbu, Batangas. Which is also my first mountain to summit; currently my fifth. At just a little over 800 meters above sea level, it's rated a low 4/9 in terms of difficulty - although I don't take this mountain lightly in any way. We had in the itinerary a traverse route, from the old trail to the new trail. On doing a Mt. Batulao traverse itinerary, I would always want to have it this way -- old to new. I dread the thought of descending through the old trail. Grappling your way up? No problem. But making your way down that cliff? Not a risk I'm willing to take.

Also, after about an hour or two, as you make your ascend to summit via the old trail, from that point onwards you're exposed. Not a single tree -- well, there's this lone tree at Camp 7 and luck is on your side if then it has enough leaves for a shelter. A remarkable sight from a distance though; from Peak 7 specifically. One can pray for clouds to cover the sun, but be careful what you wish for for you wouldn't want rain clouds to set in -- as weather can change abruptly in some cases. You don't want a muddy trail up in this mountain, descending either way (old trail or new trail) can be a challenge.

Luckily, it was a good day to be outdoors. I have no problem with the heat of the sun, I embrace it. It was such a joy to see my wife make her first summit. As soon as I saw her smile at me as she stepped foot at the summit, I couldn't ask for anything more that day. Well of course a safe descent is a given, after all, making it to the summit is just halfway.

Am always grateful to the Lord for the opportunity and ability to hike, experience nature and be outdoors. But that day was something else. Like most hikers would say: Each summit, no matter how many times you've climbed that mountain, it's never the same. Each experience is always unique. And to be able to share this summit with my wife was really special. This is something I love to do, and to be able to share it with the person you care so much about, someone you love -- it's overwhelming.

Cheers! To more summits in the future. :)