April 14-15, 2012
From a group of 5 down to only me left, I pursued to do a night trek in Manabu…alone! It has been almost 2 years since I first and last climbed this mountain so I was 90% confident that I can do it all by myself. The last 10% is the fear of ghosts and the dark!
This mountain has been one of my favorite places to climb because it offers an easy trail and a good view that satisfies my hungry eyes for nature. Before I reached jump-off, I got involved in some unlucky situations where I began to think of continuing this trip or not. It is when the van I’m riding overtook Fiesta Mall. I only realized it when we entered Lipa City. I went down and rode a Tanauan-bound jeepney to go back to my destination when suddenly it suddenly got lost control of the brake! We counterflowed to avoid hitting a jeep in front of us but a car in the other lane almost hit us. Fortunately, we’re just running slow and managed to stop. To not have negative thoughts about what happened, I prayed and just walked for 15 minutes until I reached the mall.
Climbing a mountain at night is not that new to me for we already did that in our climb in Batulao last month. But doing it alone is another thing. I always tend to ‘over imagine’ things I see especially in the woods. Thankfully, with the good Lord’s guidance, I reached Mang Pirying’s hut without glitches. From there, I heard loud noise coming from the campsite (I think I won’t be sleeping tonight). And upon reaching the campsite, I saw this group of people, maybe 20-30, drinking liquors and creating weird sounds and acts. For the record, I have no complain about such acts but for the respect for the mountain and its serenity, these acts, I believe, should be controlled.
The area still possessed it’s majestic beauty back when I last visited it. Nothing has changed, almost. The huge white cross still completely stood there. The views were still breathtaking and the weather was still freezing cold at night (sadly I forgot to bring my jacket and quilt so the whole night was like spending it in Everest)!
I expected my whole trek to be dull and lonesome but I surprisingly found it the contrary! I met some good fellows from Samsung that held a tree planting program. Aside from that, I also noticed that the trail was now marked with signs so trekkers won’t be lost. Lastly, I also found some time to see this mountain in a new perspective. Good job!
I had a chitchat with Mang Pirying for hours without knowing it was Tatay Tino/Nino I’m talking to. I still find some info about Mang Pirying or if Mang Pirying and Tatay Tino/Nino are the same.
I also got no pictures of my trip because I have no camera of my own.
freeclimbers 
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