DISCOVERING AND CLIMBING UNKNOWN MOUNTAIN - A GREAT ADVENTURE.

My eyes were sparkling staring at how glorious the greeting the sun and mountains gave me when I reached on top. The hike and climb were long and unknown but seeing the top view was indescribably satisfying. Once again, the mountain didn't fail to amaze me and give me solace. It felt like I'm closest to nature when I'm with mountains.

 A little side story. It was in 'Ber' months when two of my students came running towards me with their most exciting faces. I gave them a task. A task to find a tall tree with lots of branches on it for our DIY Christmas tree inside our classroom since Christmas is fast approaching.

I was expecting them to look tired and haggard while carrying the tree but the opposite happened. They came back happy and elated sharing the news that they discovered a mountain perfect for climbing and which view was. . ," they can't even put words to describe it". They didn't know its name either! This made me curious and thrilled.

Would the view be worth the climb? Naaaahhh.
Whatever.

I couldn't wait to climb it and watch how beautiful it is on top!

 Meanwhile, the Curriculum Guide for PE12 (Physical Education for Grade12) at that time requires the class to experience mountaineering for physical and mental fitness. (Ting! Lightbulb ON! 💡 )

It was then I prepared everything and set for an adventure to this mysterious and unnamed mountain.

The adventure begins!🧗‍♀️

With full energy and enthusiasm, we started our journey as early as 7:30 AM. The weather was lovely and bright. Everyone was happy and bubbly as we embarked on our adventure.

During our walk, we passed a small pond surrounded by trees. This was a kind of pond where Carabaos dip their body to keep cool under the hot weather. Not too far from the pond, we saw a Mahogany tree planted in a straight line. At a glance, one would think it's an entrance gate to some hidden place. These two sceneries added fuel to our eagerness for the climb.

After about one hour of walking, we came to this beautiful and wide-open field. In the middle of the field is a chicken poultry farm. I love this scene from afar. It depicts the simple yet grand scenery of the countryside. Another view that we met was a log lying on the street side, with the open field and the lovely sky as background, I didn't hesitate to make some poses and took some photos of mine.

"Country road, take me home, to the place where I belong🎶🎶".

This music came to my ears while I was walking. I was keeping myself calm and enjoying the moment while preparing my mind for what was about to come on our climb.

We reached the end part of the field and saw an old and broken motorbike at the side of the road under the Acacia tree. I had another picture of me taken while riding the old bike. Char!

My student told me that we were at the foot of the mountain already. We paused for a while and refilled our water bottle at the deep well we happened to pass by.

Taking some stops after a water refill.

The climb🌄

We started ascending the mountain. By the look at it, I could say that the mountain didn't require a hard walk since there was the presence of some pathways. I wonder if people were living on the mountain before as I didn't see any houses on the perimeter.

Along the climb, we saw a lot of trees and rocks, however, the trees were not that big and tall. There were plenty of bushes that made the trail lush and green. I was thankful that the trail was not that difficult to walk and climbed. I was worried for my students because a lot of them were 1st-time climbers but they assured me that they can climb mountains better than professional climbers because they were used to living in the countryside.

The overall trail going to the mountain was more on the soft hike and climb. The hard part was only 10% of the whole climb, that was when we reached the steepest side of the mountain. The pathway along the rocks was so narrow and slippery. Other than that, the rest of the climb was easy and full of fun. (Unfortunately, I couldn't retrieve my photos in this part of the climb because the phone I used at this time was already broken. huhu. I just downloaded some available photos from my FB account.)

At the top. 🏔

I hold my breath by the time I stood on top of the mountain. I couldn't believe the beauty that was revealed before my eyes. The mountain has a majestic view on top!

I saw nothing but the rolls of this giant mountain beholding its beauty! What a magnificent view.! I hear nothing but only the breeze of the wind and the whispers of these proud mountains. I believe we were all starstruck. I know at that time I found solace. My heart was singing with the mountains.

I was like watching a basin down below, and above I saw the clouds as if talking to me saying " I told you, you would be in awe of the view". I spend about 30mins. Or maybe more than sitting on top and admiring the view.

The climb was more than worth it. If given the chance to come again, I'd climb 10x over.

As I watched my students I saw how wide their smiles were. I knew that by the time we go down from the mountain, they will be better individuals than they were - carrying the lessons and experiences of their climb.

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I was one of the luckiest to be able to explore this virgin mountain. I had one of the most unforgettable adventures. This mountain had called me, and I didn't regret answering its yearning.

We had a great adventure and a bonding with my class. I was happy that I was able to share my love of mountains with them.

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Another humbling experience I had facing these mighty mountains.

🥾⛰️🚶‍♀️🌄🍃