Mt. Kan-Irag

30 mins or 30 km? For people who craved adventure, it was a deliberate choice opting for the longer route. Or perhaps it was the 2L of beer we shared before our trek that decided for us.

It was a traffic-heavy ride to the meet-up point in Talamban on a seemingly sunny afternoon. While waiting to catch a ride that would take us to Brgy. Budlaan where the trail would commence, the sky suddenly opened up. Hesitant yet determined, we carried on. 

A shed, a sari-sari store, a basketball court, a few houses,  and some smiling locals greeted us upon our arrival. Still, the heavy downpour showed no signs of stopping. We got to a point where we contemplated on taking the easier and shorter route, but we never once thought about turning back and putting the climb off for another weekend. After almost an hour of engaging with the local kids and sharing some snacks, the heavy rain finally slowed to a drizzle. Two liters of beer later, with a local guide to accompany us, we set off to an adventure that has opened so many doors for us.

the first part is almost always the easiest part.....after that you just kind of slowly die a little bit inside haha

still on the Budlaan trail...or jurassic park, idk

Since the locals advised us to avoid the river at all costs in case of a flash flood, the trail we took was not the usual Budlaan trail bound for Mt. Kan-irag. We had to make a detour. It was a grueling climb for first time trekkers like us. Scrambling through mud, rocks, and branches, making our way through an unestablished trail (made by our guide in order for him to avoid the river whenever he hikes to Kan-irag on a rainy day) as the rain started to pour again.

With shirts drenched in sweat and rain, and shoes caked in mud, we soldiered on for hours. Only stopping a few minutes to catch our breaths and hydrate since we were losing daylight. The exhaustion from taking on a muddy trail was only made tolerable by the quick scenic breaks we had along the way. Plus, our guide really has a way with urging us on to another kilometer despite our silent pleas to the heavens for help.

"we take the breaks we think we deserve"

if you look closely, you can see the cascading (and muddy from the heavy downpour) Budlaan Falls

Dusk has already settled on the bustling town of Cebu the moment we started our summit assault. I checked my watch. "7:03pm", it said. We had been hiking for four hours. Just this one last ascent before we can finally rest our weary limbs and pitch our tents to camp for the night. It was a rocky ascent (with boulders along the way), and if you're not careful (like me), you're gonna get one hell of a bruise for a souvenir.

The minutes dragged past. A few meters started to feel like a few miles. The distance between us and the distinctive tree at the peak seemed to stretch on for kilometers. The last ascent was the hardest for me. But I just had to keep putting one step in front of the other.

A light drizzle still lingered as we reached the peak which also served as the camp site. Hastily yet carefully, we pitched our tents and changed into dry clothing. Lucky for us, the sky cleared as we were about to have our dinner. It was a novel feeling; sitting with an exhausted yet contented lot, sharing a hot meal while admiring the glistening city lights as they stretched on for miles up there.

At about 10pm, we settled in for the night. We slept, not uncomfortably, despite being in an unfamiliar setting. And that night we slept not knowing we would continue to try to conquer more mountains in the future.

Early morning at the camp site

 

30-minute trail to Busay (we took this trail back to the city)

the shorter and easier Busay trail

New Zealand? Maybe

When you finally set foot on the peak (any peak of any mountain!), at first you feel numb, still fatigued from the climb. And then all at once, the rush of relief, the sense of achievement, the sudden euphoria would set in and set your soul alight. As I'm writing this all down in the comforts of my apartment, I remember thinking halfway through the trek, "That's it, we're never climbing another mountain again". But here we are now, 5 mountains later, still waiting for another chance to pitch a tent high up in the sky, longing for another mountain to conquer.