Hive Philippines Travel and Nature Photography #1096 - by Allmonitors

#1096 - Mount Tabayoc Summit Shots in Kabayan Benguet for Friday.

Good morning and a happy Friday to us wonderful Hiveans across the globe! Wishing you a Friday filled with progress and nice conversations. Enjoy the day and have a truly refreshing weekend ahead😉! Cheers to you and the incredible spirit of Hive!

Moving now to our daily shots, once upon a time last September as the the mossy forest finally began to open up around eight in the morning, that was after a tiring hike that started at dawn around five, we had finally come through the last line of trees and reached the summit of Mount Tabayoc. At 2,842 meters it’s the second highest peak in Luzon.

It was not rocky up here but instead we found ourselves standing atop a unique, man made viewing platform built from joined trunks and branches of different trees, it was laid across the uppermost canopy like a giant treehouse. Our company local lady guide smiled and stayed just below the platform and gave us, me, my wife and our friend Dandreb our private moment of victory.

The expectation of a 360-degree view was against us this time. Only one half of the world was a breathtaking with some clear panorama of endless mountains and valleys of Kabayan, Benguet and the neighboring villages.

The other half was just some wall of thick clouds and morning fog that were swallowing entire views of mountains. Still, it felt like standing on the edge of beautiful creation between the seen and the unseen.

Our arrival at the summit was also extra special. That day was my wife's birthday also and we had carefully carried a small strawberry cake all the way up here in the summit. There, on top of the trees with the cool air, we celebrated, we offered our guide but she declined.

We sang a quiet happy birthday while her smile brighter than the sun. We shared the sweet cake and laughed with happy laughter that comes from our accomplishment and the shared joy. We took photos to capture the triumphant moments.

For about thirty minutes, we owned this rooftop. We rested our legs, relaxed in the quiet and simply enjoyed the extraordinary picnic spot we had earned with our sores calves muscles. After the cake was finished, we carefully began to climbed down from the wooden platform and joined our patient guide and began the long three hour journey back down the mountain.

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Shot taken in Kabayan Benguet, Philippines.