A CLIMB FOR A CUP OF
COFFEE
Mount Manabu – A Cross’
Summit
It was Saturday, the 4th of July when four
of my friends - Francis, Erich, Jake, Hanna and I agreed to climb Mount Manabu.
Our day started early by meeting at around 5AM at Greenfield District. This is
my third climb with these super cool and witty friends. I swear, there is no
dull moment when you are with these guys. We can all talk about anything under
the sun and end all conversation in the funniest way possible.
When we arrived in Batangas we looked for a short
stop so we could eat breakfast and when we were ordering Kuya EK (Erich)
decided he wants to have some coffee so he ordered. The storekeeper asked him “Sir,
yung kape nyo original po ba?” and he responded “Bakit Ate, meron bang fake
nyan?” and just like that we all ended up laughing while eating. Batangas is
known for their “Lomi” so Francis and Hanna decided to try it. It is a must try
when you visit the province.
Prior to proceeding we had to register at Sta. Cruz
base and get the Acacia tree which we needed to plant near the campsite just
below the summit. This is our small part to create Social Awareness. A
mountaineer just doesn’t climb. We care for nature in our own little ways – One
tree at a time. We went straight to the jump off point afterwards as we needed
to go back to Manila so I could attend another event for #Kundirana2015. Of
course, we could not miss to take a group photo before we start the climb. 
Mount Manabu stands 720 meters above sea level and
is relatively recommended for newbie hikers. It got its name from MAtaas NA BUndok. There are
eight stations before reaching the peak of the mountain. There are two trails
to reach the summit. One is following the stations as it is listed numerically
from Station 1-8 which is the shorter trail. The second trail - is the longer and
more difficult trail, after Station 4 you take the left side of the trail
straight to The Grotto which is Station 8 – this is also where the spring is
located, we took this route. See map below:
Stations 1 to 4 can be considered light but after
that the trail becomes more challenging because of the upward hike plus it was
a bit muddy and slippery on the day of our visit because of the rain and there
was a storm signal raised at that time. There are parts where it gets difficult
specially for me because of the huge gap between the stones, woods and mud
trail and since I am not gifted when it comes to height, it is given that I have
shorter legs so it becomes more challenging on my end.
When we reached the summit, there’s already a group
of hikers that was ahead of us (around 20 people) so we did not want to miss
the opportunity to make new friends. Below are our group pictures.
Reaching the top is always the reward. Appreciating
the scenery and beauty of nature. It is at its finest. It always gives me a
certain type of goosebumps (a good one) and makes me realize how lucky I am to
be able to experience and witness God’s wonderful creations.
With that, let me share some photos with you my
readers and I hope you enjoy this visual trip as I enjoyed our journey and destination.
And as it has been a successful climb
once again – a little celebration won’t hurt. Till next time for a major climb.
