Why People Climb Mountains

When I told my dad that I'd be trekking Mt. Pulag, he asked, not out of curiosity but more of incredulity, why I'd voluntarily put myself through the hardship of climbing not just any mountain, but the third highest one in the Philippines at that.

As we started our climb at two in the morning, hands numb from the cold and mind groggy from lack of sleep, I thought, "Maybe Dad had a point."





I held this thought as we trudged up the mountain's 2926 meters, legs becoming heavier and the air thinner with every step. Then the dark slowly gave way to the light, and little by little we saw Pulag the way God intended it to be seen, and it was glorious.

When the orange and blue light started creeping up on the horizon, and the area's famous sea of clouds became visible, I quietly muttered to myself, "Dad, this is why people climb mountains."

fellow pilgrims