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"Don't confuse your path with your destination. Just because it's stormy now doesn't mean you aren't heading for sunshine".

Weather was good when we set out Sunday last weekend. We all planned to meet at 10am and it was sunshine-y all over but little did we know that we'll end up soaking wet and freezing by the end of the afternoon. It all started when my friends asked me if I can bring them to one of the closest peaks in the city as they also want to try how it is to go trekking and hiking. So I decided to bring them to Sirao Peak.

Sirao Peak is the closest peak I know in the city. I don't know exactly how many meters it is above sea level but once you get to the top, you can see the whole Cebu City, Mandaue City, and Lapu-Lapu City down below. It is also a good 5-7 hours of walk depending on your pace and most climbers/mountaineers trek here as a practice climb for their major mountain climbs.

Last sunday is my 6th time already in trekking and going here. And I still remember my first time. All those wrong expectations about how it is easy to find your way or how you can reach the peak in an hour. I can't remember how many times I got lost in this place already. In my first and second attempt, I was not able to reach the peak but in my third attempt, I already got a lot of companions and even got a guide to lead us the way and that's when I finally reached the top. It was a sweet success. After that, I still always come back until I've finally learned the way and familiarized the trail. All the times that I've come back here, I've already been attached. Sirao is challenging and I love how the trail is very diverse and unique. What I love about Sirao is that you can find here one of the tallest and unexplored waterfalls on the trail, on the way to the top (as you already know that I love waterfalls). Everything about it is challenging. And the view on the top is rewarding. And that's what I can't wait for my friends to see. I just hope they survive the trail but I know they can. So let me share with you what happened. ✨

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We all planned to meet at Gaisano Talamban at 10am and got our supplies (trail food, lunch, water) ready. We're able to start and arrive at the jump-off point at 11am. For this trek, aside from my 2 long-time high school friends, Aliza and Ariel, who will be trekking for the very first time, I also invited my boyfriend @zanytourists to come with us too since I want them to meet him and also just in case I forgot my way, he'll be there to help us out since he's also familiar with the trail. I'm actually so excited since it will be the first time that I'll be bringing my high school friends to a trip like this which includes heavy walking! After almost an hour of trek and a little bit of shortcut, we already arrived to see this beauty.

What I'm excited about is that, I just found out that it's the first time, Aliza, is going to see waterfalls with her own eyes. We've been friends for a very long time now and I keep telling her stories of how good it is to soak yourself under the waterfalls and she has not even seen one! And so, she was just in awe when she saw this. I've been telling her about this falls and this is also one of her main motivation as to why she wants this trek.

She was all smiles! This is the waterfalls I've been telling you about. There are only very few people in the city who knows about it's location so this place is indeed very peaceful and beautiful. We all can't wait but to come down and soak ourselves. But the way down is steep and we have to be careful.

There were a few local kids by the falls when we arrived. We took just very few snaps as we are all eager to swim.

I'm just so thankful and blessed to have a boyfriend who shares the same passion in adventure and nature as me and who accompanies me everywhere. ☘️

Last snap before heading to the water.

We probably spent more than an hour with swimming alone. As for me, I love water now since I already know how to swim. And among the 6 times that I've been here, this is the second time we stopped to really soak in and enjoy the waterfalls. And my friend, Aliza here is having the time of her life and recovering the lost time she's not able to experience this gift of nature.

We almost do not want to get out of the water but it's nearing 1:30pm and there's still a very long way to go before we can reach the top and so we have to keep going.

After the majestic waterfall, we have to do a little bit of wall climbing as we have to pass by this small canyon and witness the very last waterfall we'll see in the trail.

We passed by this very last waterfall and got out of the river and continued on to another path along the trail which is already inside of a small forest. After an hour more, we decided we are hungry and took our lunch on the trail.

That was probably around 2pm when we had our lunch and after, that's when we noticed that the skies are starting to get gloomy and clouds are starting to form. After a couple of minutes more, we heard and felt small drops of water and we saw how the rain formed from the top of the peak we are heading to and how it slowly reached us. It started to drizzle and then the raindrops just became bigger and bigger. And then it is really raining! We actually had no choice since we don't have umbrellas and we are already behind our target and won't be able to reach the peak in time if we don't continue our trek now. So we just pushed on.

After an hour more, we passed by this tall grass area and we're almost there!

Our backs, arms, knees and legs are starting to ache but it's actually a good kind of ache. It's what I've been looking up to everytime I climb. I find the feeling of your muscles aching as a good feeling. It's actually rewarding. From here, we can already see the view of the peak. Almost there!

And after just a very few couple of minutes more, we finally set foot on the peak of Sirao. The rain softened that time but when we got to the peak, it was raining again. There are no big trees on the peak where we can seek cover since it's just mostly campsite and so we just embraced the falling water from the sky.

You wouldn't be able to see the drops but it was actually raining when I took this photo. We're drenched in an instant and we just let ourselves be soaked in the rain. The rain reminded us of happy childhood memories and those times when we were kids when we're just happily playing outside in the rain. The rain also washed off all the worries we had in mind about our future, and about some things in the present. The rain became our stress reliever. We're just thankful that nature is there to make us feel better and to remind us that there are still good things. I'm just happy that everytime I climb here, something new always happens for the first time and I'm actually glad it rained.

And I'm happy that I was able to make new memories with my long-time friends that we'll be remembering until our old age. And so far, they enjoyed their first trekking/hiking experience as well. :) We stayed there on the peak for 30mins and then decided to descend with a happy heart, cleansed mind, and a peaceful soul. We left all our burdens and worries on the peak and went home with a brand new hope and spirit to last for the next couple of months.

Until the next hiking/trekking experience, Co-Steemians. Thank you for passing by.

P.S. All photos are mine and is taken using my Sony A6000 Mirrorless Camera. Edited using Adobe Lightroom CC. 🌻