A Trek to Remember: Makiling Traverse

According to the legend, Maria Makiling is the guardian of Mount Makiling and she is the one responsible for keeping its bounty and thus, is also a benefactor for the townspeople who depend on the mountain's resources.

True to this legend, our trek traversing the mountain entering Sto. Tomas trail to UP Los Baños was full of hurdles and challenges and sent out her army of leeches ("limatiks") to scare us away as if testing us if we could still go on or go back and just let Maria do her task of protecting her abode.

But we are such a proud and tough group that we were able to endure a 12-hour trek (well, almost).

I fell, i bumped, i shreiked, and i cried yet i was able to breathe the same air Maria Makiling is enjoying the whole time and savored its beauty even for a few hours...and then i smiled:)