IT
RAINED LAST NIGHT BUT it was just light and it saved me the trouble
of a disturbed sleep. I thought I saw sunrise but shrugged at the
sight and went back to sleep. Regained my senses at the sound of
footsteps. Jonathaniel Apurado is busy this early. A pot of boiled
water is ready for coffee with rice already cooked. I felt tiredness
today, January 24, 2017. Must be the thought of the immensity of the
Thruhike and, here we are, on its eighth day, barely making a dent,
although we are now on the threshold of reaching the midpoint.
Yesterday
was the longest stretch we walked. It was quite a departure from the
days after Day One where we pampered our feet and enjoyed well-rested
hours. I take note of things which made a Thruhike favorable for me
and Jon. We are not young anymore yet we can outwalk anybody when
challenged. Aggressive hike is good but it should not be done in a
string of several days like most people do when chasing peaks. Their
adrenaline rush dull them to dump everything for that perfect moment.
These people are slaves to time, gobbling more than what they could
chew. It is dangerous.
The
Thruhike is not just about walking and moving forward. It is a
cerebral activity as well. You consider many factors, seen and
unseen. You have to be flexible and decisive when you are forced
into an inconclusive corner. You do not think just for yourself but
of your companion, the objective and everything that comes your way.
Safety and security are given premium over everything associated with
adrenaline. The Thruhike is an adventure moment all the time but we
are not slave to time, even though we have schedules to observe, and
of the brain, which sometimes release adrenaline for no apparent
reason.
The
itinerary is just a piece of paper. It is just a guide to keep an
ordered observance of time but I could radically change it when I see
a need like the first day and the yesterday. In between I gratify
self with early arrivals and long rests. Would I be able to keep up
with the pace of today with injured toes? I would have it treated
later. It is a long stretch, maybe more than yesterday’s. I trust
that we would, with our breakfast of rice, soup, chorizo Bilbao and
coffee and supplements of multivitamins, Guarana and Yakult.
Before
leaving, we visit Junnie Estimada whom we knew from last time. He is
quite a fellow, intelligent despite his humble upbringing, had been
to so many adventures when he was a younger man. He earned street
smartness while working as a wash boy for a taxi company in Cebu City
in the ‘60s and learned to drive one on his own. Later, he drove
buses in Cebu and then in Mindanao. In Cotabato, he drove for a
cargo company and was into the middle of many skirmishes during the
MNLF secessionist war of the early ‘70s. He returned with his
family here after retiring from his job at the Dole Pineapple Farm
some fifteen years ago.
The
Thruhike is about meeting local people who have stories of their own
and this makes the Cebu Highlands Trail unique. Since Day One we
have met many people and these interactions would be the main course
of a future book about this Thruhike which I would someday write.
Telling about them and their lives would give the CHT a different
perspective, so different in a way, of how the usual long trails are
viewed at. Here, in the CHT, there is more emphasis in showing
kindness, patience, charity and love for, without such, you can never
absorb acceptance.
We
start Day Eight at 07:30 under mild weather with showers. We stuck
to our northern course and soon came upon a very muddy part of an
unpaved road. Motorcycles filled with passengers are in a quandary
finding navigable furrows which would soon be flattened and widened
by cargo trucks. Walking people are voicing out their displeasure at
government for acting so slow. They requested us to post our
pictures of this road condition in social media so something could be
done immediately. Several stretches were turned into morass by
trucks as it transfer from one highway into another highway.
The
unpaved road that linked two highways wind about into breathtaking
views of the wide lowlands of Dumanjug as we enter into Bae, Sibonga.
Finding a good signal, I was able to notify the Sibonga Police
Station of our Thruhike. The two solitary hills that we saw
yesterday in Tulang, Argao are now in our midst. We reach another
village of Papan, Sibonga before stepping on a paved highway that
linked coastal Dumanjug to Sibonga coast. We followed it uphill
going by way of the latter and soon come upon near a corner where
there is a sign announcing that we are entering Manatad, Sibonga.
We
entered another road, just a few meters walk, and another sign
showing Libo, Sibonga. This is the place where we were supposed to
be at yesterday. Saw an empty bench for a good place to rest and
rehydrate from the almost two hours of non-stop walking. It offers
an endless view of a beautiful valley. The weather is still mild and
cloudy. We followed another road where there is another sign
displaying Cagay, Sibonga and then another about Basak, Sibonga. The
asphalt road is narrow with few vehicles using it like three-cylinder
Suzuki light pickups but, most of the time, by motorcycles. This is
another scenic stretch that gives value of the Thruhike.
We
pursue our course to Basak and stop by a store to cool myself with a
cold bottle of RC Cola. This is a common rural store that doubles
itself as refilling stations for motorcycles. Part of what they sell
is gasoline displayed in one-liter glass bottles of Coke. The owner
is a peace officer of the village, Monico Iñigo, and he is busy
loading his farm produce of bitter gourds and tomatoes into separate
baskets so he could bring these to the town market. He asks of our
ID cards and I gave him also my calling card for keeps as well as a
CHT sticker.
The
asphalt alternated with an unpaved one most of the way and it wind
its way upward into lonely stretches. The weather is cloudy but
mild. We cross into Candampas, Barili for a while before we found
our feet walking again in Sibonga, The road passes by a community
with beautiful gardens until we reach a place called Lamak, which is
now part of Mayana, Barili. It is 12:10 and perfect time to observe
noonbreak. We are now at the midpoint of Day Eight.
I
munch on four pieces of Park N Go bread, three Tiger crackers, three
Titay’s Liloan Rosquillos, a Nutribar and my mixed trail food of
nuts, raisins, marshmallows and coated chocolates. These are paired
with cold bottles of RC Cola. A Herbalife Natural Raw Guarana
capsule is added to my simple lunch. Then I sent a text message for
Barili Police Station informing them of my presence and my route.
For the first time in the Thruhike, I lay on a bench, closed my eyes
and pretend to sleep. The effort is good enough to freshen me after
30 minutes.
By
13:00, we proceed north and reach the boundary of Napo, Carcar City
after an hour. I shoot another text message for Carcar City Police
Station. The asphalt road goes about weaving a tight valley of strip
farms, chalky cliffs and verdant hills and almost no houses. It is a
lonely highway and the silence is only broken by just a few
motorcycles. It goes down and up several times and I liked its
solitude for it opens up the mind to accommodate many thoughts and
enlightens the spirit. It also pushes the brain to block pain that
are felt on the body.
This
black road that goes through beautiful places is long and it goes
through some parts of Guadalupe, Carcar City until communities appear
and a school in a place called Hunob. I found the trail that will
traverse the highlands of Carcar City and, later, would lead me to
the Mantalongon Livestock Market in Barili. The day was warm but
windy. Approaching Hunob, there was a light shower and it drenched
me wet to my skin, including my socks which were nursing a blistered
toe each.
I
was walking in pain for the past three days but this day my shoulders
felt a soreness that was felt after that light downpour in
midafternoon. I tried to remedy that by shifting the placement of
the shoulder straps of the bag which I had been doing so for sometime
on the last five days. I think all my shoulder areas had been made
tender by the stiffness of the bag’s shoulder pads. There was a
flaw with its design which I first encountered during the exploration
hikes in Segment VI, VII and VIII but it was not that irritating
because these were just 3 to 5 days walk where weight diminishes by
the day.
I
would not mention the maker but I am exploring the idea of replacing
it when I reach the halfway point of the Thruhike. The problem is I
do not have the funds to procure a better one. What I have are the
Silangan Predator Z, a Habagat Viajero, a Doldy VCS 30, a Lifeguard
USA and a couple of army-issue duffel bags. All of these are either
just too small to carry things for the Thruhike or are these designed
for efficient organization of the items to be carried. I have
another much bigger Habagat Venado II but it is already retired after
20 years of service.
My
eyes betray the pain that I kept for so long but it is hidden by the
dark sunglasses that was provided by Zue Fashion. We arrived at
Mantalongon Livestock Market at 15:40. The honorable village
councilor, Willy Muit, had been waiting for us and, once he spotted
us, led us to their village hall. We were met by the honorable
village chairperson, Ursula Daquil, and assigned us an upper room to
use for our night’s stay. It was a tiring day but the people of
Mantalongon made it sure that we were comfortable while we were in
their place. Even personnel from the Barili Police Station arrived
to give us support while documenting our presence with photos for
their community relations program.
We
have running water and bathroom for use and electricity to charge our
batteries for Jon’s camera, my Lenovo A7000 smartphone, our Cherry
Mobile U2 basic phones and our Versa Duo VHF radios. Although I have
a Canon IXUS camera, the self-contained camera from the Lenovo A7000
would provide the images that I would send in real-time, or near it,
in a social networking site for the benefit of our sponsors, friends
and followers. The Cherry Mobile U2 is favored by members of the
Camp Red Bushcraft and Survival Guild, which we both belonged,
because it floats on water at IP-6 rating and could function in any
rugged conditions.
When
not propagating signals, the Versa Duo VHF radio could function as an
FM receiver and could provide us entertainment and relaxation when we
are in urban billeting areas or in campsites. The rest inside the
Mantalongon is most welcome. I would change my moist Kailas socks
with that of an Under Armour socks for tomorrow. The base of each
toe are not good to look at and demands immediate medical attention
after our supper of Korean spicy noodles and rice. The skin on both
left and right shoulders are red but there is no pain as pressure on
skin surface is relieved by rest.
We
were not able to cook our supply of food since a local peace officer
decides to let us partake of food prepared for his daughter’s
birthday. We appreciated this kind gesture very much for it changed
our routine fare of spicy noodle soup every dinnertime. We will
carry surplus food instead for tomorrow and it would be a long hike,
perhaps much longer than what we hiked today. The blisters have been
treated by Doc Jon with medical supplies from our own first aid kits.
I felt a sense of security as I lay on the floor behind a big desk.
Toned down MP3 music from my Cherry Mobile U2 brought me closer to
Lady Starlight and after the third song I turned it off.
Distance
Walked: 23.72 kilometers
Elevation
Gained: 598 meters and a low of 162 meters
Document
done in LibreOffice 5.2 Writer
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