Warrior Pilgrimage

Featured in wwww.pinoyapache.blogspot.com on October 23, 2008

I WOKE UP FROM the incessant vibrations and alarms that my Nokia emitted. It was four at dawn, September 7, 2008. Looking beyond my window, I could see the somber sky developing gray overcast clouds that parlayed of an ominous rain coming. I have to rise from my warm bed, brave the the cold water from the pipe and take a quick shower and, from there, embrace the cold wind outside.

Ah, another round of trekking the old trails from Guadalupe to Mount Babag (752 meters above sea level) is in schedule and I have to go on and meet Boy Toledo and Ernie Salomon. They were there with me on August 17 when we tackled the old route together with Glenn Lao. As in the previous trip, we would meet at the Virgen de Guadalupe Parish grounds at eight in the morning and start from there.

I arrived earlier, and was able to catch the 7:00 AM Holy Mass for the first Sunday of September. The Mass ended after an hour; Boy T and Ernie were already there plus Nathan Cannen, Myla Ipil and Harold Alcontin, the GPS Man. Good! Six is a good company. The rains started to fall but it didn't dampen our spirits one bit as most of us, except me (as always), brought rain gears. We stopped by a carenderia at the back of the church and bought packed lunch before proceeding by foot for Napo in Sapangdaku.

It rained hard on the asphalt road to Napo but it gave more meaning to the purpose and scope of our activity: the harder the climb the better...READ MORE (Press CTRL + mouse click)