Climbed Mt. Pulag and Happy Holiday's to All!
Trip Start
Mar 21, 2006
1
34
55
Trip End
Oct 05, 2008
Tublay, Benguet,
Philippines
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Last week, I headed to the Municipality of Kabayan (about four hours northeast of Tublay) to climb the second tallest mountain in the Philippines and tallest in Luzon. Mt. Pulag stands at about 9,300 feet above sea level and in classic Filipino style was a very rugged and straight up trail. I was joined by Scott the friend of one of my fellow PCV's visiting from the states. We stayed with my host cousin the night we arrived to Kabayan and headed out the next morning on the Akiki Trail Head, which is known as the "killer trail." It was indeed one intense climb and unfortunately about two hours prior to camp I started to get really bad leg cramps. I eventually swallowed my pride and let our guide carry my pack the rest of the way to camp. Mt. Pulag has a very unique eco-system with four different layers encompassing the mountain. It begins with a mixture of a pine and mossy forest, then pine forest, then mossy forest and the top is all grassland. We were literally above the clouds at the grassland camp site and had amazing views of the surrounding mountains the following morning as we approached the summit. Despite the leg cramps I am really glad I went and have now climbed the second tallest mountain in the Philippines!
Hard to believe that another Holiday Season is upon us and I will soon be spending my second Christmas and welcoming in the New Year in the Philippines. I am looking forward to spending Christmas with my host family. It really has hit me since returning back from my visit home how fast my last 6 months here are going to fly by, and I want to spend as much time with my host family as I can. I will be heading down south to Boracay for a big beach New Years Bash with fellow PCV's and then my parents arrive for a two week visit on January 11th.
I recently reconnected with a wonderful Poem written by Maya Angelou, that she read at the lighting of the National Christmas Tree in Washington D.C.v on December 1, 2005. Her words are a wonderful message of Peace regardless of what Holiday you celebrate this season or faith you choose to follow. Enjoy!
Amazing Peace: A Christmas Poem
By Dr. Maya Angelou
Thunder rumbles in the mountain passes
And lightning rattles the eaves of our houses.
Flood waters await us in our avenues.
Snow falls upon snow, falls upon snow to avalanche
Over unprotected villages.
The sky slips low and grey and threatening.
We question ourselves.
What have we done to so affront nature?
We worry God.
Are you there? Are you there really?
Does the covenant you made with us still hold?
Into this climate of fear and apprehension, Christmas enters,
Streaming lights of joy, ringing bells of hope
And singing carols of forgiveness high up in the bright air.
The world is encouraged to come away from rancor,
Come the way of friendship.
It is the Glad Season.
Thunder ebbs to silence and lightning sleeps quietly in the corner.
Flood waters recede into memory.
Snow becomes a yielding cushion to aid us
As we make our way to higher ground.
Hope is born again in the faces of children
It rides on the shoulders of our aged as they walk into their sunsets.
Hope spreads around the earth. Brightening all things,
Even hate which crouches breeding in dark corridors.
In our joy, we think we hear a whisper.
At first it is too soft. Then only half heard.
We listen carefully as it gathers strength.
We hear a sweetness.
The word is Peace.
It is loud now. It is louder.
Louder than the explosion of bombs.
We tremble at the sound. We are thrilled by its presence.
It is what we have hungered for.
Not just the absence of war. But, true Peace.
A harmony of spirit, a comfort of courtesies.
Security for our beloveds and their beloveds.
We clap hands and welcome the Peace of Christmas.
We beckon this good season to wait a while with us.
We, Baptist and Buddhist, Methodist and Muslim, say come.
Peace.
Come and fill us and our world with your majesty.
We, the Jew and the Jainist, the Catholic and the Confucian,
Implore you, to stay a while with us.
So we may learn by your shimmering light
How to look beyond complexion and see community.
It is Christmas time, a halting of hate time.
On this platform of peace, we can create a language
To translate ourselves to ourselves and to each other.
At this Holy Instant, we celebrate the Birth of Jesus Christ
Into the great religions of the world.
We jubilate the precious advent of trust.
We shout with glorious tongues at the coming of hope.
All the earth's tribes loosen their voices
To celebrate the promise of Peace.
We, Angels and Mortal's, Believers and Non-Believers,
Look heavenward and speak the word aloud.
Peace. We look at our world and speak the word aloud.
Peace. We look at each other, then into ourselves
And we say without shyness or apology or hesitation.
Peace, My Brother.
Peace, My Sister.
Peace, My Soul.
Sending each of you thoughts and wishes of Peace this Holiday Season and thoughout the New Year!
Happy Holiday's to all!
Love,
Sherry
Comments
Ahhh ...
that was refreshing, thanks for the poem. my favorite line 'Not just the absence of war. But, true Peace.' ... so true ... gotta love Maya :)