I may have climbed several mountains before, even with higher elevation than this. But six years of mountaineering hiatus just felt like I am a newbie once again. The only difference is, I still know the essentials of mountain climbing which I still applied during the hike. 

Trudging up an easy trail was already a lot of work for me. There are times when I was on the verge of quitting especially when the sun was trying to fry me and my back was about to raise the white flag. But there's no way to quit when you've already covered at least half of the entire hike.

Since we couldn't keep up with our company's pace, Jan and I decided to just enjoy the trail instead. After all, we can't get lost in it as there's only one trail up. We started hiking at our own pace and did several rests in between. Yes, technically, it was only the two of us hiking, constantly checking up on each other, looking for that tiny bird species that can surprisingly make a sound as loud as the ambulance sirens and admiring the unusual flora while others were already way ahead of us.

Our first climb together!

Judging from our physical condition (even if I had some stairs training for a week), the supposed-to-be easy ascent was apparently difficult as my knees were screaming murder and I was catching my breath almost the entire trek. And I dreamed of conquering Mt. Pulag's Akiki route a.k.a killer trail? Dream on Sarah, dream on. Anyway, after hours and hours of knee-killing breath-catching arduous hike, the view of our destination, Lake Holon, was set before our very eyes. It was surreal.

Beyond beautiful.

Hello! From 5,000 ft above sea level. :)

From that point, the descent going to the lake shore is about thirty minutes. Going down was not that easy too as some slopes are slippery while big roots crisscrossed the trail. My toes started to hurt this time. But why stop now?

Reaching the lake just wiped away all the exhaustion and pain. I was in total awe. Clean. Serene. Beyond beautiful. A rewarding sight indeed.

We immediately pitched our tents and spent a cold night there. The next morning, I was the first one to wake up hoping to catch a glimpse of the sunrise. But I guess, the sun was too shy to show up for I was cursing it for casting its harsh rays on me during the hike. A few hours later I basked under the gentle sun as cold winds caressed my skin. I sat on the rock by the lake that looks so divine and let my mind drift away. Reflecting. Still in awe of such wonder. This is indeed a perfect reminder of God's awesomeness. But more than this picturesque view, it was really the challenging trek and the journey, not only with Jan but with Bretch and his good and friendly mountaineer friends that really made the entire trip memorable.

Preparing for breakfast.

with Jan and Bretch

Jan fishing

Jan and Bretch enjoying the fish spa

While trekking, heavy rain poured down soaking us from head to foot. I have already warned Jan about this. During my previous climbs, we have this thing we called the first-timer's curse. Rain will always drip from the sky whenever we hike with a first timer. And I guess this is just another case of a perfect coincidence. Well, it turned out the rain was actually a blessing. Yes, it was a much needed way to cool down our bodies that have been steaming off heat as we ran down the mountain trying to catch up with time before darkness looms in. Surprisingly, we made it back to the jump off point earlier than expected and our clothes were almost dry.

We made it back in one piece. And I couldn't be more proud of Jan for this is his first climb ever. ;)
This entire trekking experience allowed us to be one with nature, admire God's amazing wonder, meet new people, gain more friends, and best of all, we were able to roll a sweet and adventurous escape into one. If I will be asked to go back to Lake Holon again, I wouldn't take No for an answer.