Eco-Trek For A Cause

Yesterday, Fe and I joined Judith’s group (Lynette, Cecil, Bebeth & Yoyoy) in their eco-trek at Barangay Balubal in Baloy. Unlike any other adventure we’ve been to, that eco-trek was one of its kind due to the sacred place itself. It was not just purely nature trekking for us hikers then. It was more of a pilgrimage towards the Shrine of our Lady of Guadalupe right there on top of the hill. It was an eco-trek for a cause as we completed the Via Crucis (Stations of the Cross) for our Pre-Lenten sacrifice.

Getting there at the shrine is quite a sacrifice itself. You have to pass by around 5 kilometers from the highway to reach the starting point of the trek. And from the starting point itself, you have to trek down the woods, go through those bushy trails and cross the river for the nth time. (I say nth time ‘coz I didn’t count the actual number of times we crossed the river, hehe!). It was like having a zigzag route since the first 12 of the 14 Stations of the Cross we went through were positioned alternately on the opposite sides of the river. The last two stations, however, were just adjacent to each other, leading to a trail towards the entrance of the shrine. Just a few more steps and we've reached the top! Thanks God!

Feeling so exhausted from such long trek under the infuriating heat of the sun, we took a short rest at the visitor’s area where foods were served. Hay! Timing sad kay gutom na kaayo! Imbes na snacks lang ang kaunon, kami ni Lynette gi tuloy-tuloy na ang paniudto hehehe! After we had filled our stomachs and had refreshed ourselves, we proceeded to the chapel for the prayer offering to our Lady of Guadalupe.

When it was time to clean up and leave the shrine, the sky started to dim a bit. Uh-oh! It was giving a signal that it’s going to rain any minute! Nah, wa jud palibak, kay mao jud paghaw-as namo sa pinaka-katapusan nga pagtabok sa suba, nisugod na ug bundak ang ulan. Hala lumba ug panagan hehehe! Not that bad though, ‘coz it wasn’t a heavy downpour of rain after all. And we were just in time to catch a pedicab to drive us to the highway. And that ends our adventure. Hope we can schedule for another trek sometime this year.

See more photos at http://pepperonni.multiply.com/photos/album/42