The Long and Winding Road to Puncak Tanawan

I've always considered myself a person who isn't lazy to walk for miles just to reach a destination. I'm very scrappy and wont resolve to ride a pedicab to save effort and energy. (Besides, I'm a physical therapist. Most of the work I do is to promote fitness and that starts from within. Also, I'm on a budget and on a diet.) So when the opportunity of going on a hike came along, I didn't hesitate to take it. I am an avid lover of nature (I grew up within four walls of ivy!) and am a certified adventurer (I am way addicted to Adventure Time). This was definitely the right activity for me to kick-start summer.

It was a bright sunny day when we started the approximately 6 hour hike (we hiked on a Sun day morning. Hehe). We started trekking past the starting point at about 8 in the morning. Which was after the habal2 took us from Arbee's bakery at the highway. Puncak Tanawan was the hottest hiking spot nearby so almost everyone in town was curious. No surprise there. We came across a lot of faces along the way. Not to mention, it was also a weekend, so a lot of people had the time to include an adventure trip just to unwind.

Like this biker.

We also met and talked to some of the local kids in the area. They were surprisingly nice and sweet; giving us their never-ending support as we made our way to the top.

There were about seven rest stops before reaching the summit. We stopped at each one (to take random pictures), making our own at some point. Each stop offered us food to buy and a choice to continue walking or opt for a habal2 ride instead. We came through though - declining every habal2 driver who offered and went past us along the way. I didn't mind resting to take a breath for the road was definitely long and winding. Plus, the trail wasn't exactly flat and had sharp rocks in them. Also, there were uphill and downhill trails making it even more cumbersome. Everyone gets tired at some point and it's in those pauses wherein I felt most contented being there. Not in the destination yet but still on the way.

It took us about an hour or two (or even three) to get to the first destination named "La Presa". 

Named after it's resemblance to sitio La Presa in Baguio, it provided us with a place to rest and to savor the view below.

 

Life is absolutely beautiful. There are so many places to go, interesting people to meet, and plenty of breathtaking sights to see.

Not long after conquering La Presa, we proceeded with our way up the highest point. It took about 30 minutes to get there regardless of the habal2 drivers telling us otherwise. The trail going there was much harder since it was more of a rocky ascent rather than walking on flat terrain. And to make things more challenging, we were pretty much very exposed to the sun's UV rays as it was approaching noon. This was where it got tough but we kept going, stayed the course, and made it up top.

 

By the time we reached the top, we couldn't help but marvel at the glory nature has bestowed upon us. (And of course, catch our breaths and relax!) Everything we saw was worth the sweat soaked in our shirts and the oxygen depleted from our lungs. Here is where we took the opportunity to revel at one of nature's hidden treasures and to take more pictures.

This is also a good site to camp out. They say that the sunrise here is absolutely phenomenal.

If you weren't able to pack lunch with you, no need to worry. At the top, there is a small house that serves a variety of food available.

By the time we had our fill of contentment and rejuvenation, it was time to descend back to the real world. Going down was much easier than climbing up, which made me realize how true this statement is in the real world. In life, it's not easy to get to the top as it requires a lot of effort, determination, willpower, and scrappiness. This nature trip made me reflect on why each of us need to traverse through long and winding roads to reach our very own Puncak Tanawan. Besides, it's not all about reaching the destination. It's about enjoying the ride getting there. (and by ride, I mean walk)

So always choose the road less traveled! You'll never know where your next journey would take you.

Cash me ousside. How bow dah?

Here are more pictures we took on our trip. Hope you enjoy them as much as we did taking them and hopefully they inspire you to take a hike, enjoy, and rejuvenate in life's pauses.