Kim's Quest #31: Into the Highlands of Cebu [Napo-Babag Trail]

Before anything else, I would like to share that I support any initiative that aims for the betterment of Steem in the long run.

While I don't want to involve myself with the politics as much as possible, there are activities that are worth supporting; just like @sbdpotato. So, I'm setting @sbdpotato as beneficiary at 10% of my Kim's Quest post.

I get those people who have sentiments that the Trending Page of steemit.com has been littered with burn post and sbdpotato. The reaction is normal since the Trending Page should be the face of Steem to the outside world and it should be presentable, but those two posts are necessary for Steem in the long run. Although temporary, they're better than not having an action at all.

But who am I to comment on those things? I'm just a normal content creator so I should just go back to creating contents. I'll just support any positive activities and initiatives in ways I'm capable of.

By the way, those flowers were the ones I saw along the trail. Some were planted by the locals, while others were wild flowers that were growing on the side of the trail. I was actually thinking of a separate post dedicated these flowers, but it would just be too short so I decided to fuse it with this post. Here are other photos:

Aren't those flowers lovely? Although I didn't know their scientific names, I know the local names of some of those flowers.

As for the main post, I already shared some of the trails and highlands of Cebu. I'll add another trail to the list. If you're interested, you can find those I've shared here:

And for the addition to the group, let me share one of the toughest trails in Cebu.

Napo-Babag Trail is part of an interconnected trails in the highlands of Cebu. If you're really a fan of walking and even trail running, just like my friend @xaydtrips, it would take you more than a day to traverse all the trails here in Cebu. She told me one time that they just walked from dawn until the sun comes down until they reached Camp 4 in Talisay City.

The trail officially starts at Sitio Napo in Barangay Sapangdaku, but meeting point is usually at Guadalupe Church in Barangay Guadalupe. From the church, a habal-habal ride for Php 20.00 would take you to Sitio Napo open basketball court where the official starting point of the trail is located.

The trail started along the houses at first, with concrete footwalks and through a bridge. Brgy. Sapangdaku's name comes from the river that traverses in the area. "Sapa" is a Cebuano term for creek and "daku" means large. The combination of the two terms "Sapangdaku" means large creek or river.

The trail is relatively flat at first after you cross the bridge, but it will eventually start to go uphill and then downhill, traversing the side of the mountain. Houses can still be seen at this part of the trail.

A few moments of walking which traverses a path following the direction of the river, a small creek will be crossed, which is still connected to the main river, that will mark the start of an uphill assault.

The trail is much steeper compared to Spartan Trail. See that cell towers in the photo above? That's Mt. Babag. We need to traverse the steep trail under the sun since most parts are open, unlike in Spartan Trail that has canopy of trees. It's a good trail for those who are anticipating a major climb with an open trail.

As the trail progresses much higher, it becomes more exhausting so make sure to bring enough water with you if you plan to train in Napo-Babag Trail. Patches of mango plantation and bamboo groves provide a little bit of relief through its shade.

What really amazed me was the view along the trail. It's different compared to Spartan Trail since the city view is just in the background. Mountains and power line towers dominate the view. Near the peak of Mt. Babag, there's a spring that could be a water source if you don't have a sensitive stomach.

Reaching the peak is so rewarding after almost 2 hours of assault. The view at the top is also one for the books. The beauty of central Cebu is clearly evident.

There's a house near the cell towers that sells snacks and drinks so you can enjoy a local soda while marvelling the beauty the mountains.

Since the trails are interconnected, you can choose to exit at Temple of Leah or through Bagsakan in Pamutan via Muffin Peak.

I guess that's all for this post. I hope you'll like it. If you do, leave a comment down below and show some love.

Kim Ybañez

_{Welcome to Kim's small corner in the Steem blockchain. He is a chemical engineer by profession, but a blogger by passion. He is a wanderlust and an adventure seeker. Join his quests as he visits secluded destinations, climbs mountains, tries new and exotic dishes, and explores his country (The Philippines) and the rest of the world (it will just follow since he's still a poor, corporate slave with tons of bills to pay and two siblings to support in college).}