mountains of Southern Leyte - Hinunangan

These photos were taken on March 28, 2013.

I was tagged along by my sister and her friends to climb the mountains of Hinunangan. Since it was Holy Week, we expected  a lot of religious people to go up the mountains and reach the top to lit a candle for what the locals believed as a miraculous image of a saint also known locally as San Francisco de Javier.

The trail is wide and not too steep which makes the climb easier than expected.

We've been here a couple of times already, but the view continues to amaze us. 

 Came across some dogs during our climb.

and when you start walking on a cemented path, you'll know you're halfway from reaching the top :)

at the top we climb 

The chapel hasn't changed at all. This is how it looked like when I first came here several years ago.

an area beside the chapel where people lit their candles.

almost halfway down the trail. I swear my knees were shaking during the descent. 

 

Yay! After almost 3 hours of pure sweat, we made it through! Now we're ready for the next destination! :)

Happy Feet at Osmeña Peak

It has long been part of my bucket list to climb Osmeña Peak so when I got an invitation from a friend, I said YES without any hesitation. :)

 happy feet

Osmeña Peak is said to be the highest peak in Cebu City, rising 1013 meters above sea level. I was thankful enough that my knees and feet didn't give up on me when we started the ascent.

evergreen

Upon reaching the campsite, the group decided to prepare the tents first while we're waiting for the sunset. The minute we were able to finish setting up our camp, we hurried our way to the peak to see the sunset. The peak was just a few steps away from the campsite so it wasn't really difficult to reach there.

at the top we climb

Finally reaching the top, the view was just so spectacular. It was overlooking the Western Coast of Cebu and we were lucky to see Negros Island from afar. 

 camping site

We also met other campers who came to spend the weekend in the mountains. We stayed their and waited for the sun to completely set.

  sunset at Opeak

It was getting dark and so we decided to go back to the camp site. It was freezing cold since we were at the highest point in Cebu. I'm glad I brought enough gear to keep me warm.

hello sunshine

We decided to leave the following morning. I cant help but look back and appreciate God's masterpiece. I realized it was a great accomplishment for me to reach the highest peak.

success: check

This is my first mountain trek and certainly NOT the last. :)

I can do it!

A very memorable trek. Just by simply looking at the view gave me a piece of serenity and peace. I'm glad I was able to make it. I consider this as my first step towards location independence and I'm looking forward for more adventures to come. :)