The bread and butter section of PinayHakawati, here comes my hiking trips! My lifesaver, sanity check, and ultimately became an addiction-hiking and PinayHakawati go hand in hand.
Hiking grew fond of me in words I cannot describe how hiking kept me afloat. What was once a summer hiking trip became my go-to therapy when life hit hard.
When did my addiction passion start?
Nothing grand and dramatic, it was just a summer hiking trip with my high school friends back in 2012. On a short overnight hike in Batangas (Mt. Daguldol), I found solitude and happiness and it was then the first time I got an interest in blogging. Of course, as young and naive as I was, I didn't know how to take blogging seriously but I wrote about that experience on my then-WordPress account.
That one hiking experience was then followed by more and longer hikes. A decade has passed (gosh time flies) and within that timeframe, my hiking appetite grew after being exposed to different environments and terrains. But am I stopping anytime soon? Nah, not in this lifetime I guess. We're just starting baby!
Where am I heading and when will I stop?
After a decade of hiking, I haven't even transitioned yet into a 'mountaineer', because you know work-life balance and also um funds.
Also, after much deliberation and discernment of my goals, while Seven Summits is the desirable goal of everyone, I am NOT pursuing that for now. Instead, I will maximize my not-so-much savings on the lesser-known trails yet nothing short of magnificence.
During this phase, I am learning (and training) how my body adapts to high elevation and extreme weather conditions. So far, the sudden rain showers in the mountains (on a high elevation) are my biggest enemy because it can get pretty cold. And that is not what I am used to. I will overcome that for now while collecting more hiking trails around 4000 MASL and maybe I will go higher from there, as the travel fund permits.
But then again, God knows what challenges and opportunities will come knocking at my door, but one thing is for sure-I'm taking baby steps towards my goals. One of them is to summit peaks around the world, one mountain at a time.
Hiking Posts
Divided into different categories, read my posts on my local hiking trips around the UAE, my gear reviews, and my favorite (but the tedious ones to do), my hiking guides. May these resources help you at some point or at least inspire you to leave your couch and join the outdoor community, at your own pace.
HIKES WITH FOX.AE
Most of my hikes in the UAE were all organized by FOX.AE, an all-Filipino non-profit hiking group based in Ras Al Khaimah. Thanks to their knowledge, support, and kindness, I grew as a hiker and as a person after years of adventures with them.
GEAR REVIEWS
With my growing collection of gears, I started writing reviews to share my opinion upon using them. There is still a lot of catching up to do on my part (to write reviews on everything I own), but I will try my best to keep it up.
Disclaimer: Most of the reviewed gears are mine which I bought using my own money unless stated otherwise.
HIKING GUIDES
My cornerstone content, hiking guides are the posts that take time and effort before and even after the actual hike itself. Researching and cross-checking the information gathered is also crucial to make sure the content is correct, accurate, and up to date. So what does this offer you?
These guides offer you trailhead locations and instructions, trail overview, what to expect, and even logistics information (if available). Of course, photos are included to inspire you too!
Disclaimer: I try to keep my posts as updated as possible but I can only do so much. Please let me off the hook when I get something not applicable anymore.
Whatever decision you make, always remember to prepare beforehand, stay safe, and last but not least, enjoy the outdoors! #happyhiking!
With lots of love,
PINAYHAKAWATI 💗
AND AS A GENTLE OUTDOOR ETHICS REMINDER:
LEAVE NO TRACE!