Spartan Trail: Two hikes, two lessons along the way

“You can’t do a good job if your job is all you do.”
–Katie Thurms

“The wise rest at least as hard as they work.”
–Mokokoma Mokhonoana

We are never short of adage — old or new — that points out how important work-life balance is. They tell us about identifying priorities, setting boundaries, and nurturing harmonious lives in today’s demanding world.

I have been working in a self-publishing company for a decade now. Going 11 years, in fact, this coming July. It took me a while to realize that there is no such thing as perfect balance between work and life. What we can try at the least is to find happiness as we integrate work, family and self-love into our day-to-day life.

And that is what I have been doing for the past six years.

I was lucky enough to have met individuals who showed me “the other side of life” — one that does not include the four corners of my room. From summits to seas, they showed me the beauty of outdoor living and being one with nature. The experience was life-changing.

Whenever my officemates see my photos, they always get amazed by this kind of lifestyle. I do tell them that there’s more to those pictures. There’s laughter, fond memories and sense of accomplishment, but so is frustration. And sweat. And a lot of pain.

To make it easier for them to understand, I’ve decided to take them on a hike to a beginner-friendly trail on two separate weekends.

First weekend: I learned that each of us has our own pace and that’s okay

I was one of those born with no sense of direction so when I told James that I’m taking my colleagues on a hike, he was hesitant. Skeptical probably is the better word for it. I couldn’t blame him though since I don’t even trust myself on the trails. My confidence that time came from the knowledge that there will be more hikers on weekends and that I didn’t have to worry if we, God forbid, lose our way. In the end, he agreed on the condition that our route will only be up to Monterrazas and around the coffee shops of Huya.

There were five of us who decided to meet at Mc Donald’s in Banawa. Tagging with me are Eggy, Kim, Spencer, and Dodong. A few minutes walking on the paved road of Paseo Arcenas subdivision, Eggy already started asking “are we there yet?” Right there and then it dawned on me that I’m with people who are not used to this kind of hobby. In this group, I’m supposed to be the one in charge and they’re my responsibility.

So I adjusted my pace and told them to stop whenever they need a breather. And rest they did — a lot.

The sun was already up when we ascended to the city’s pilgrimage center called Good Shepherd. There, they stood in awe to the view of the waking city and I was happy when I saw accomplishment in their eyes.

Eggy, on the other hand, was profusely sweating and evidently out of breath. This got me worried because the first leg of Spartan Trail has yet started. We were about to head to my least favorite part — the dreaded “stairway to heaven” which meant an uphill climb through a series soil steps. And what’s worse, the heat was scorching.

We continued the hike and I watched my friends climb their way up slowly through the steps. This section was supposed to be a 30-minute hike but it took us over an hour to reach the trail fork. A very slow pace to experienced hikers but I was proud of them for facing the challenge head on. Cursing and smiling all throughout.

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The fork led us down a descending path which was a relief for our tired knees. I excitedly told them that we’re almost there and so close to the coffee shops. But little did I knew that I took a wrong turn. Good thing we saw another group of hikers and followed the trail they were using. Phew!

We first reached Starbuk’s (a play on words for the infamous Starbucks) but didn’t stay there too long as it was teeming with hikers.

We then headed to the less crowded Kofi Ben (The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf) which was at the foot of the mountain where Starbuk’s is. The trail going down was very dry and loose so I warned my friends to be extra careful with their steps. Again, this slowed down our pacing and doubled our time spent on the trail. But that’s okay. At the end of the day, what’s important is they had an unforgetabble experience and a new perspective of nature.

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Second weekend: I’m reminded that maps are lifesaver

So my first time as a guide seemed to be a successful one since more of my colleagues wanted a repeat hike. A little more confident with my navigating prowess (LOL), I willingly agreed.

Last week’s Kim and Spencer decided to come along, while Eggy was traumatize (HAHA) and Dodong couldn’t join. A new addition to the group was Leslie, Danah and Chelsea. Girl power, huh?

We followed the same route but surprisingly, this batch was a lot faster and full of energy. There were very few stops and a lot of happy selfies. Leslie even took the lead as climbed the “stairway to heaven” and went ahead of us to the trail fork.

I made sure not to take another wrong turn this time and successfully led my teammates to Boss Kape (Bo’s Coffee). Last week’s group was not able to visit here because of heat exhaustion so I’m proud that this time we were able to do so.

Since we still had a lot of time in our hands, I asked them if they want to go deeper into the forest and try river trekking. Of course, they’re up for the game so we headed straight to the second leg of Spartan Trail.

To reach the riverbed, one has to walk on a descending path surrounded by different tree species and wild vegetation. This is my favorite part since the trail is mostly shaded and there’s no uphill climb. But that seemed like the exact opposite for my friends. While they’re good at climbing up, most of them find going down a challenge.

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We even had three slips but, thankfully, there were no fatal injuries. It took them quite some time before reaching the riverbed, and when they did, they thought of the exact same thing I thought when I first hiked on this trail. Amazon.

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We took our time here and enjoyed the forest. They also seem to have fun walking on the dried river and going over the manmade dikes which looked like huge hurdles to me.

We hiked as far as the waterfalls but unfortunately, the water’s dried up due to summer. After taking one last rest, we decided trace our way back to get lunch.

Going back was a piece of cake — or so I thought. Somewhere along the way, I lost track of the path and reached a dead end! Unlike the previous week, there were no other hikers on the trail this time. I was staring at the map on my phone, zooming in and zooming out as if trying to make sense of which was is which. I was panicking!

Good thing my friends where cool-headed and told me to take it slow. Since I can’t read maps, I stopped overthinking and decided to follow the orange line that the app recorded from our descent a while ago. A few minutes later, the trail became more familiar and we breathe a sigh of relief.

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We laughed it off but it was a really scary time for me. I’m the one responsible for these people and I should have been more careful. After that, I promised myself to pay more attention when James talk about maps. Even if I don't understand half the things he's saying most of the times. Hehe.

That's it for now, friends. I think this will be my one and only update for this week since I'll be going on a major climb very soon. Wish us luck! See you next time 💛☺️

_{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 for 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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