Mt. Famy 2003

Ohhh...my aching body. Yesterday's trek was grueling. The path towards the campsite was a long chain of twisting and turning. We had to cross a few streams and pass by countless horse dung along the way. Good thing the sky was overcast in the morning. There was a certain point where the ground was sloping so steeply that I had to stop in the middle and take a break because my legs were screaming in pain from acid build up. It was definitely a blessing that there were small stalls along the way that sell fresh buko juice. The coconut nut was such a big help. The girls who went with us especially had a hard time. Fortunately for them, they were able to ride on horses during the ascent or they would have collapsed along the way. Us men would’ve been too exhausted to dig graves for them to have a decent burial. Though I myself am really tempted to get on a steed myself, I just tried to picture myself beneath the cool, cascading waterfalls that will welcome my heat-exhausted body. I also didn't want to spoil the whole point of going on a mountain trek by being on a saddle all the way to the top. Other trekkers coming back from their overnight stay greeted us along the way and pepped us to go forward.

When we finally made it to the campsite after hiking for around 2 hours, we were greeted by number of tents pegged in various locations. Campers from the previous days started to eye us as they were having their breakfast and as some were taking a bath in the river. I'm sure we looked like amateurs to them with our entourage of horses and our pale, tired faces. We planned for a day's trek so we didn't have a big camper's backpack. Ours was the small ones containing a few extra clothes plus our food and water for the day. I saw they even have mini stoves for cooking their wilderness food, which I'm sure are canned goods no less.

The way to the waterfalls was a long steep descent glazed with various rock formations and intertwining tree roots. One wrong move and it's the Great Hikers’ Camp in the sky for anyone. One of our girls with us, thinking that we would just be taking a stroll in the mall wore tight jeans and fashionably inappropriate girly sandals. We thought that she would be the first one to go to the Great Hiker's Camp but thank goodness we all made it safe and sore. The top of the waterfalls was about fifty-plus feet. The water coming down was not so strong in the summer but it sure was very cold. We unloaded our stuff, took off our shoes and started to devour our lunch. Some of the guys stupidly left their food in the car so we had to spare them some morsels. Food at that moment was a precious commodity for us famished males. Surprisingly, all the females ate were just some junk food. Oh well, they had the horses sweating for them anyway.

After our meager lunch, it was time for us to jump into the cool water of Buruwisan falls. The color of the water was blue-green with dead leaves floating around. There were long vines hanging from the top of the waterfalls. As we entered the water one by one, each gave out sounds of Oohs, Aahs and Ouch! Oohs for the coldness of the water, Aahs for the comfort from the heat and Ouch for the jagged rocks underneath our feet. We swam across to the where the water is falling and it really felt so soothing to our hot bodies. Too bad some of us were not able to take a good dip. One didn't bring her bathing suit and the other one, well, had to find a secluded area to answer the big call of nature. After some time, we were joined by a few kids who live around the area. They dragged a big dead log to serve as a buoy for us to hold on. We also climbed up the rocks behind the waterfalls to sit down and relax. Time seemed to stop at that very moment as we enjoyed Mother Nature in her beauty. Surrounded by verdant images under a big blue sky, this place is like in the movie, “The Blue Lagoon”. Time for skinny dipping!

After a while we decided to hike to another waterfall nearby. The ladies opted to stay behind. We followed the river trail as it went upwards eventually leading to a smaller waterfalls called Lanzones. As we skipped from rock to rock, we could see a lot of campers from afar, some washing their clothes, some washing their hair. To our dismay of a crowded area, we didn't go all the way to the falls. Along the way back, we met our friend who just finished unloading his nature thing and was very much eager to take a dip. We headed back to where the ladies were and told them that we should try to hike further up to Batya Batya falls.

Unfortunately, just at the start of the trail to Batya Batya, the guys suddenly felt drowsy and so we decided to just go home…so much for conquering the great outdoors. I wished that there would be an air-conditioned car to take us back to the start of the trail. The hike back is usually a lot less exciting than the hike up. Going down is more effort and less enthusiasm. All the other guys went ahead but I stayed behind with the ladies to wait for their horses. As we thread along the dusty path, I started to feel really heavy and my knees rubbery. I wish I also had a horse to ride on. The winding trail that was exciting in the morning became tasteless and agonizing in the late afternoon. Another suffering was the afternoon sun beating upon our faces. Without the buko stalls, I would have surely fainted along the way.

After the long tortuous hike down, we rested at the registration area. I donated P20 to their association while the ladies paid for their horses. We then found out that the guys have already left us due to hunger and exhaustion. Sigh, whatever happened to team spirit? I guess they had enough of nature for one day and desperately wanted to get back to civilization. I was getting hungry myself. I could eat two whole MAX's fried chicken right there but the ladies and I still have a long drive going back to Quezon city.

Our whole hiking trip was finished not longer than a day. For us urban dwellers, it was a refreshing getaway from the city life. Although it was exhausting, I’m sure everyone enjoyed it. We just have to bring more food next time. I wonder where next time will be.