Guiting-guiting Exploration - Our Thanks

The tale of our adventure will not be complete without expressing our gratitude to all those who made it possible.

at the house of Kap. Bibo (photo: L. Orticio)

Guiting-guiting Expedition Day 8 - The Long Walk (Part 2)

(conclusion of Part 1)

Good Friday, 2:30 PM - I started walking down, ahead of the others. Now the real fun began. As I reached the lower elevation, I started to miss those shrubs and underbrush lashing my skin. At least with those I got relatively secure footing. The trail opened up at the forest line, and from here on in I was walking in wet, muddy, and slippery ground.

Even with my trusty trekking pole, I was no match to the virtual friction-less terrain. I was lord of the trail slide. The back of my pants is now laminated with a film of mud. I couldn't afford to be distracted by some errant thought while walking lest I miss my footing and slide again. Isong overtook me in due course, and it was hopeless to catch up to him no matter what I tried.

Further down, the dry riverbed we walked through is now sort of alive, and slimy. The rainwater from days before mixed with the moss covering the rocks created a Teflon coating scared the hell out of me, that I slowed to almost a crawl. I was surprised at the length of the riverbed that was part of the trail. A week ago it didn't feel we walked here very long.

Without a watch, it seemed I was walking for days on end. We went pass the long descent where the last water source can be found; now a bubbling brook. After which came the hard climb before we got back to the contour of the ridge. The forest added a dark and eerie feeling to the trek.