Hive Philippines Travel and Nature Photography #1141 - by Allmonitors

#1141 - Shots During Mount Pulag Hike for Tuesday.

A joyful Tuesday our amazing Hive family everywhere! I hope this day finds you healthy and motivated. May your Tuesday be filled with inspiration, good coffee and friendly interactions. You are doing great so keep shining bright😉.

Now for our daily shots when the clock was 1 AM and the cold air bit at our skin as we started preparing for the big hike to Pulag. We were at the ranger station filled with adrenaline. My wife, my good friend Dandreb and our two other gay friends were ready.

We put on thick jackets, bonnets and gloves, all knowing that the temperature at the top would be colder. We made sure our bags were packed with water and snacks and our flashlights as we needed them to cut through the total darkness of the mountain from 1am til dawn.

As we stepped out of the shelter to start the ascent, the world was dark and black. The only things we could see were the small circles of light cast by our flashlights and those who were ahead of us. We walked in a single file.

The hike was steep and challenging and the air got thinner and colder. We were breathing heavily with our warm breaths creating small clouds. Despite the physical exertion, our friends were cracking jokes and keeping everyone's spirits high which helped push away the fatigue.

After several hours of trekking through the dark, we finally reached the summit of Mount Pulag. It was still dark with the sunrise was still a while away but we had made it. The feeling of relief was overwhelming.

However, as soon as we stopped moving, it was incredibly cold. The wind was strong and cutting right through our layers of clothes. We huddled close together, trying to share body heat to keep warm.

There were stars everywhere, scattered across the vast darkness like diamonds. We stood there in the freezing cold, shivering.

The silence at the summit broken only by the wind. It was a surreal moment standing on the peak of Luzon with my wife, under a blanket of stars while waiting for the sun to rise.

Follow me on my nature travels.
Shot taken in Kabayan Benguet, Philippines.