DETOUR
That moment when everything is already in place, when the perfect plan and destination is within reach, when the excitement is shooting up, when the momentum is at its peak...then in an instant! Plans changed. Roadblocks showed up. You need to take a detour!My first day hike at Mt. Batulao kindled my interest in chasing more experiences with nature through mountaineering. So isn't it awesome to start my 2015 adventures with the famous Mt. Pico de Loro climb and camp? All items checked from the checklist. Adrenaline is rushing. Yaahoooo!
From here, let me take you to the highlights of Mt. Pico de Loro climb:
- Meeting people and making new friends are on the top list! Having high spirited and jolly buddies simply makes the hike enjoyable and minimizes the thought of our heavy loads and tired muscles. And since the trail is all new to the six of us, we joined with a group of hikers who led us up to the camp site. They really are blessings to us!
- The trail is lovely with a manageable start of hike from the jump off point to Basecamp 1. The place offers a good quick rest prior taking the steeper trail up to the summit campsite. The light to heavy rain made the trek extra challenging as the trail became wet and slippery! Nevertheless, the rain offered a cool atmosphere along with the green surroundings and pleasant forests' sounds. Ohhh.. Such a calm and refreshing experience!
- The summit campsite welcomed us with an afternoon fog and extra cold mountain breeze which motivated us to quickly pitch our tents, find warmth and take our rest. That time, the sunset view was hiding behind the summit which left us with orange rays passing through the scattered clouds! Still beautiful, along with a rainbow on the other side of the mountain. Just awesome! Another MJ&Me moment with nature that I truly enjoyed. Haha. Click, click, click. The photo ops just get going.
- Thumbs up to the camping-feel! Thanks to MJ, Mike and Jen for the extra effort in preparing our camping food.
- Good morning summit! Hello monolith! We are indeed at Pico de Loro - "Parrot's Peak". The day break was just wonderful and reminded me of our One marvelous Creator! Let these photo speak joy and thankfulness.
I just shared with you the highlights of the hike! But here are the interesting and somehow funny, yet lesson-full part of the hike:
- Never assume. But hey! MJ and I assumed. We assumed that the bus from Coastal Mall to Ternate will pass along Aguinaldo Highway. And so at Imus, I waited. And to his surprise, the bus went directly to Cavitex which is totally out of way. Haha. To cut the long story short, we made it to Ternate! But we spent extra time on waiting and extra money, fare for taking a faster route. Tsk! Never assume! Ask for the right directions, confirm, be patient and take a sure path.
- Together with our lead pack, we went down from the campsite to a waterfall prior the Basecamp1. It's a refreshing quick sidetrip which our group greatly enjoyed. From there, we decided to part ways from our lead pack, said our 'thank you' and went ahead towards Ternate trail. We passed Basecamp1, continued to tread and follow the trail. To our surprise!!! We met three tired hikers along the way, who claimed that they lost the track back to the jump off point. They have been on the area for almost 2 hours already. Together, we tried several trails, reached a dead end, utilized the GPS, concluded that we're on the wrong way, went back to the same spot, tried another trail. The cycle went on for an hour! OK, we're lost in the middle of the forest. Haha. Good thing we reached an area near Basecamp1 and someone noticed us. We were accompanied to the proper way. Aha! We missed a trail sign just few minutes after Basecamp1. Tsk! Together, we reached the jump off point. The other three hikers immediately went ahead to catch up with their evening flight to HK. Hehe. Everyone then had a great relief.
So what's my ultimate take home? The overall experience reminded me about DETOUR - a deviation from a direct course or the usual procedure, a roundabout way temporarily replacing part of a route.
Life is a journey and detours are applicable as well. Some detours are brought about by situations that are out of our control, some are results of wrong decision-making, or simply missing the road signs or directions.
So how can we respond when confronted with DETOURs?
Be patient.
Don't quit until you get back on track.
Persevere to reach your destination.
To our present fast-paced life, detours may bring fear, anxiety, disappointments and other unhealthy emotions. I'm reminded of Joseph's journey told in Genesis 37-50, from Canaan to being sold by his brothers, taken to Egypt as slave, made in-charge of the Egyptian's master house, falsely accused, imprisoned, to being governor over all Egypt and being reunited with his family. What a life! So full of detours. Yet, he remained faithful to a sovereign God! Yes, God is sovereign! That's why we could still be thankful in everything - in good, bad or difficult circumstances. We could put our faith in Him, knowing that He knows best.
Are you on a detour? Be encouraged by the message of this song, Trust His Heart by Babbie Mason:
All things work for our good
Though sometimes we don't
See how they could
Struggles that break our hearts in two
Sometimes blind us to the truth
Our Father knows what's best for us
His ways are not our own
So when your pathway grows dim
And you just don't see Him,
Remember you're never alone
God is too wise to be mistaken
God is too good to be unkind
So when you don't understand
When you don't see His plan
When you can't trace His hand
Trust His heart
He sees the master plan
He holds the future in His hand,
So don't live as those who have no hope,
All our hope is found in Him
We see the present clearly
He sees the first and last
And like a tapestry He's weaving you and me,
To someday be just like Him
He alone is faithful and true
He alone knows what is best for you
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