Hiking the Holy Mountain: Our Family Tradition at Bala-an Bukid ⛰️✨

Hello, @worldmapping community ❣️

Today, I want to share a very special trip my husband, my daughter, and I took.
We decided to hike a famous mountain in our town called Bala-an Bukid.
In our local language, "Bala-an" means holy, and "Bukid" means mountain.
Bala-an Bukid or The Holy Mountain. 😊

☀️ We started our adventure early at around 6:00 AM.
Even though the sun was just waking up, the foot of the mountain was already packed!
There were so many people at the foot of the mountain.
From young kids to older folks, all were heading to the top.

For our family, this isn't just a walk, it is a tradition.
We hike this mountain every summer during Holy Week.
We started doing this when my daughter was only 6 years old.
It is our way of renewing our faith and spending a great time together.
My daughter loves it and looks forward to it every year 😊

💪 Hiking Bala-an Bukid is a real workout!
It takes a lot of courage and leg strength.

A few years ago, the path was very rocky and steep. You had to be very careful and wear the right shoes. I could still remember how sore my feet were after stepping on the rocky paths. I used to grab on grass and weeds for support 😆.

And now, the path is much better!
Most of the parts are now flattened.
It is still steep, but they added bamboo handrails to help everyone stay safe, especially the elderly and the kids.

I love this last photo.
You can see people in front of us, old and young.
Trees on both sides provide shade and a cool temperature.
You'll also notice the blue sky above.
We are already near the peak.

Here, the path is almost no longer visible.
When you think that the last photo gives you relief, since the peak is just a
few meters away, well, you are wrong. 😁
The path is way worse.
We need to climb on the rocks to go up.

Even when we get tired or sweaty, we keep going. Why?
Because the view from the top is amazing!
Looking down at the world from the peak makes all the hard work worth it.

It was a beautiful day for family bonding and a great way to feel closer to nature and our faith. If you love a good challenge with a reward at the end, this is the place to be!