Two years ago I went to one of the highest peaks of Cavite,
Mt. Marami. Out of the ten or so people who went up the mountain that day, I
was among the few who will be conquering their first mountain. We trailed and
climbed for almost four and a half hours to reach the summit. At about 1:30PM
we were at one of the highest points of Cavite. The trail towards the summit
was challenging, at least for a newbie like me during that time. The organizer
of our climb found out prior to our trip that the trail was confusing so we opted
to hire a local guide plus none of us has ever climbed Mt. Marami before. It
was the month of June at that time so the rainy season was slowly taking the
throne away from the hot summer days. This became evident as we passed muddy
trails at least ankle’s height. We passed creeks and rivers, which according to
our guide could swell during hard rains.
The air was fresh and the scenery was green. It was a
perfect get away from the chaotic life in the metropolis. Such moments cannot
be easily forgotten especially for people who are much more used to the complex
life in the city. Out in the mountains, life is slow. You take each day one at
a time. You will have more time to think of essential things around you. In the
city, you cannot wait for the day to be finished. We get stuck in traffics then
sleep when we get home and then wake up the following day only to face almost
the same routine as we always do.
We stayed at the summit for almost an hour and quickly made
our descend towards our jump off point. I thought that going down was easy not
until I realized that droplets of water started to appear from the clear skies.
I tagged along with one of my closest friends among the pack during our
descend. He is in a way a veteran in trail hikes and mountain climbing. We were
talking about the climb during our descend as we glided down the side of the
mountain which earlier lead us towrds the summit. He told me that life is like
a mountain that we have to climb. There are hardships that we have to conquer
and we must overcome them to be able to reach the summit. He also told me that
in such activities you will see a person’s real attitude. When I thought about
what he said I looked at myself and the people around me and realized the truth
in his words. After awhile the droplets grew bigger and started to pour from
slowly passing dark clouds. The heat during the ascend was quickly subdued by
the rain. There were many times that my foot slipped in my own sandals because
the friction between my foot and the rubber surface diminished as mud crept
underneath my foot. There were times that I have to call on the person in front
of me fearing that I might get lost in the labyrinth of trails and because I
was being stalled by my muddy sandals. After sometime we reached a river and
talking to a local in the area we found out that a spring can be found at the
side of the river. After giving second thoughts and realizing that all of us
were out of water we finally drank from the spring. My friend, the same one who
talked to me earlier, told me how lucky the locals are because they have a very
simple life and that almost all of the things essential for survival are already
around them. They have food in the form of fruits and vegetables and some of
them raise chickens and pigs so meat is not a question. Potable water is also
not a problem as none of us complaied days or weeks after we drank from the
spring. Thinking about it I realized that city life has made alot of people too
complicated and I am no exception. Many times we create our own needs which are
not among the essential things in life. We are a complex bunch of individuals
while people in the provinces and mountains enjoy the life to the basics and
alot of them do not complain and yet live a happy and fulfilling life.
Everytime I go up in mountains I look at the locals and how
they live their lives. Often I envy them because they are living a very simple
life and I know that a person who has been exposed to a complex urban life may
have a hard time coping with the rural setting. Still, it is best to go out
from time to time and appreciate the simple life. It is also a time to
reminisce some of my childhood years in the provinces down in the south and
also a time to think more about the more essential things in life.
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| Image taken from: http://www.pinoymountaineer.com/2007/09/mt-marami-405.html |
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