Pinatubo: Conquered!
I never thought I'd come back alive, but here I am, typing away! :D
Last June 18, my friends and I trekked for almost 5 to 6 hours to and from the crater of Mount Pinatubo. It was a lot more exhausting than I had ever imagined it to be. I can say that I was really pushed to my limit in terms of physical strength and endurance. Never before had I felt that feeling of being"almost there", only to be greeted by two more flights of stairs made of stone. And the thought of having accomplished those three hours heading up was constantly overshadowed by the thought of heading down.
The trek up to the crater seemed a lot longer than the way down. I think that it always feels like a place is farther when it's the first time that you've gone there. The more you become familiar with a certain route, the shorter the distance becomes-- at least in your head. And I have to say that the way up felt like it would never end. I would constantly think to myself, "I will never see RPG characters the same way." I know, I know, they're fictional... but you have to admit that they make walking on uneven ground look so easy... WHEN IT ISN'T.
And constantly, I'd remember Miley Cyrus's song-- "it's the cliiiiiimb" would constantly ring in my head when I was confronted by another huge rock to step on. What made things a lot easier was the fact that I had my friends with me, and that at some point we would remind each other that we're in the whole journey together by waiting up or by looking back and checking on each other. Definitely, it wasn't just about reaching the top (honestly, at some point I was ready to turn back), but it was more about seeing the top with everyone. To share that same view, to breathe in that same mountain air. To know that the trial was conquered with them.
When we reached the top, I didn't automatically feel the "it's all worth it" rush.
The view was breathtaking-- but I was also still trying to catch my breath. It took at while for me to realize that I was starving, and that my friends and I had trekked with just a mcdo burger fueling us from 3 am (we reached the top at 10). The rest of that energy was stored fat and will power powered by friends. I'd like to believe that it was also 70% supernatural, divine power that kept me going despite my tiredness. To think-- I had never gone such a distance. I've been running, yes but only 5k distances so far. And here I was, with this distance of about 15k one way.
We ate adobo chicken with rice. We had to split it since we had left our lunches and a generous climber had shared his untouched lunch with us (at least that's what I remember). I didn't feel like eating, but when I tasted that rice, I felt that I needed all the food I could eat for the way down. All that seemed necessary was water and a bit of rice to recharge me.
All in all, I don't think I'll be going back for another trek up Pinatubo anytime soon. Once seems more than enough for me. But even then, I think that the entire experience has helped me realize that there are things which I am capable of which I never thought were there to begin with. After that hike, everything else seems possible... and I'd like to think that this optimistic outlook ought to last me a sem or two. :)