#madlumcave

[iamphotogabier]

The face between the Mt. Gola & Mt. Manalmon. 🗻🏔 #MadlumCave #MtGola #MtManalmon #Hiking #Dayhike #1stHiking2017 (at Mt. Manalmon/Gola the Twin Peak's)

[iamphotogabier]

Ang pabebe climb ng mag pipinsan. Salamat pala sa pag sama nyo ate @yannypot at @casseyzab ☺️ i love you both. 😘😍 #MadlumCave #MtGola #MtManalmon #Hiking #Dayhike #1stHiking2017 (at Mt. Manalmon/Gola the Twin Peak's)

[iamphotogabier]

Delicate pose. Hahahaha. 😂 #MadlumCave #MtGola #MtManalmon #Hiking #Dayhike #1stHiking2017 (at Mt. Manalmon/Gola the Twin Peak's)

[iamphotogabier]

Pabebe ang Madlum - Mt. Gola - Mt. Manalmon Twin Peak Dayhike. San Miguel, Bulacan Hahaha! 😂 First hiking for the year 2017. ⛰🌋 #MadlumCave #MtGola #MtManalmon #Jumpshot #Hiking #Dayhike (at Mt. Manalmon/Gola the Twin Peak's)

[merdenomnoms-blog]

As Above And So Below And Above Again

Hooray! Another weekend getaway! Fresh from the polluted airs of the metro, we venture out to San Miguel, Bulacan, to test our mettle, our friendship and our communication skills, as an acquaintance from Slovenia joins to know what it’s like to go hiking and spelunking Philippine s-t-y-l-e.

The Team

These guys are really taking it seriously.

After a whole night’s travel being doused with what seems to be a huge part of the ocean getting here, we set off at dawn to trek to the peak of the mountain.

Still water runs deep. 

After an hour or two of walking, we came across a river that had strong underwater current. Yet we must persevere lest we’d want to disappoint Jordan, our Slovenian travel buddy.

The roads were muddy, clamping at your feet with every step, slippery going down and vexing to one’s mentality as the roads got thinner and our water rations were getting low. But falter we did not, for we are Team Night Trek! (Came up with a not-so-thought-of name due to obvious reasons.)

Though based on experience, your friends are your life support out there. Good laughs really do make the journey short and worth travelling. As with my bias in watching movies, I prefer to do it with friends--travelling is no exception.

Phase one: done.

After what seemed to be the time it took for the Mesopotamian era to end, we finally reached the summit. Water levels were surprisingly at more than half levels, team spirit strong and the awe towards the view was undaunted. 

Where do you hail from?

I’ll keep my thoughts to myself on these two. Haha!

Jordan leaving his mark in the PH.

Sugar, we’re going down.

So what goes up, must come down. And hence, me and the mighty league of not-so-prepared trekkers were ready to head for Madlum Cave. As bleak as the name sounds, we were ready and packed with our wit, wet shoes, aching soles and indomitable will for what seems to be another couple of hours of trekking. Not again!

(These plants did serve as an admonition to what we were getting ourselves into.)

Boy, are we ready!

NO pain, NO gain.

With only a 15 y/o skinny boy as our cave guide, we descend into the crevasse.

He only had two simple rules: One, his word is always final and should be followed at all times. Two, when he says “don’t look down,” we really shouldn’t look down. 

So I guess you’ve pretty much figured out that none of these rules were followed.

Jordan kept asking for any life-supporting equipment like ropes, extra pair of boots, how would rescue come if anything happened to us.  “I’m all you’ve got.” said the guide. “Haha. Seriously, how are we going to cross over there with no rope to support us?” Jordan insisted. “I’ll grab on to those stones and use my body to support your movement while you get to the other side.” said the tour guide.

Jordan was silent and obviously perturbed. We all kept laughing and cheering him on YOLO. It didn’t work. I guess some people take it too seriously when their lives are on the line. I mean, who wouldn’t?

Pitch black would be an understatement into these caves.

That’s my near-death experience since someone did break wind, and being last in line wasn’t really an ideal position to be in. (I know who you are and I will find you and I will have my revenge on you.) Haha!

Now after exiting the cave, there was just one more menial task at hand: the monkey bridge. Wobbly and just the strain we needed to squeeze out every ounce of strength left in our bodies, it was the only obstacle left to be tackled.

But again, falter we did not! None of us were prepared to give up at the last minute. It’s every man and woman for themselves, but the team kept on rooting for those crossing. Heck, it’s just 30 feet down anyway. And who knows where the river current will take you? (Clasping strength increased upon that thought.)

It was exhausting. Just remembering how I felt at this moment had my fingers typing really slow.

But alas, here we were. One last bath in the river before we set out to pack for busy Manila again.

The experience was really arduous. But at the end of the day, we were all so relieved to have realized that such a deterring task would be accomplished.

That was surely a remarkable experience. And probably one of the reasons why Jordan hasn’t come back to the Philippines yet. Hahaha! Kidding aside, safety and being alert would be a primary trait to consider if you’d venture out here to Mt. Manalmon and into Madlum Cave.

More travels, Team Night Trek!