Chill camping with the angkols at Mt. Kan-irag

Hello, Hive!

How was your weekend? I've finally got a chance to spend a peaceful and chill night in nature last Saturday, and that's what I'm going to share with you in today's blog.

This weekend camping took literally months in the making. Before, fun activities with friends were just one chat away. State the time and place and we'll be there in a jiffy. But now that we are older — with more responsibilities on our shoulders and more pain on our backs — the possibility of meeting each other is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. We keep on switching from planning to postponing to forgetting to making other plans again. It's funny and frustrating at the same time.

So last Friday, I told James that I really want to go camping even if it's only the two of us. Gladly, three of our friends — @kev.incredible, @iamcjestrada, and Alton — were just as eager to escape the city. We met at JY Lahug and paid Php 150 for a motorcycle ride to Ayala Heights.

By 3:50, we arrived at the jump off and started the short hike to Mt. Kan-irag. The new trail to the campsite is well established now compared to old one we used to follow few years ago. There are cement blocks lined on the footpath to provide better footing where natural soil could be uneven or muddy. The distance is also shorter since we didn't have to go around the residential area this time.

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After less than 30 minutes, we arrived at the campsite. Here, guests must first sign the logbook and pay the Php 70 fee at the entrance before pitching the tents.

Although the one we had in mind was already taken, there were still some good camping spots for us to choose. We picked a spot away from the center to, hopefully, avoid the crowd and the noise. Did we? 🫣

If this was five years ago, we'd be all around the camping grounds taking photos of the view and of ourselves. We'd be busy chopping vegetables and meat for our dinner. We'd be talking and shouting and laughing loudly. But, instead, there we were: sitting on our camping chairs, talking in whispers, content with the moment of peace and quiet.

We watched the sky shifted colors as the sun slowly set. The number of campers had also increased by this time and we watched the young ones excitedly do the things we used to do. HAHA.

At dinner, we didn't have to starve until late in the evening because we already bought cooked food and only had to prepare the rice. A little shoutout to Andoks for the roasted chicken, Chicky Oink for the spicy liempo, Jollibee for the spaghetti and peach-mango pie, and JY supermarket for the kimchi that came straight from the deepest seabed. 🤭

While the campers around us were still busy with meal prep, the angkols and I were done eating by 7 PM. A miracle if you compare it to our pre-pandemic camp setup. We spent the rest of the night reminiscing the past, talking about current events, and sharing a bottle of Vino Kulafu (a Chinese wine that's become a favorite among older generation because of its health benefits).

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The next day, we woke up to a cloudy morning. I would have loved to see the golden sunrise from Mt. Kan-irag but I guess that's another reason for us to come back, right? I did manage to take this photo of the pale orange sky after patiently waiting.

When I returned to our spot, the angkols were already out of the tents. They gathered in circle while sitting on their camping chairs — as if in a meeting. The morning's agenda: how was each other's sleep? Unfortunately for one of us, it wasn't that good. Alton had to call out some of the campers who woke up at 4 AM to turn on the bright light and talk loudly while everyone was asleep. CJ was also roused by the commotion and thought it was kind of funny since Alton sounded like an old man reprimanding the kids.

But other than this minor issue, it was a great weekend overall. We left Mt. Kan-irag with hearts and souls fully charged by nature. Here's our happy selfie c/o CJ. 😁

That's it for now. See you until our next climb!

_{Maria is a hopeless romantic who travels in pages and places. She is an INFP who loves sunrises and moonlight nights and reading books in between. On weekdays, she works for a self-publishing company as a copywriter. On weekends, she lives her life as a poet or hiker. She hopes to share her love for words and the world with you here on HIVE.}

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