CALL OF THE MOUNTAINS

By Friz Antonio

“The mountains are calling and I must go.”

          –John Muir

This is not a story of how I conquered Mt. Everest because I have not and I have no idea if I ever will. This is my love story; this is a story of how and why I fell in love with the mountains. Just like any other love stories, it happened unexpectedly.

You see, I am not the sporty type. I do not engage in sports activities nor do I regularly hit the gym. I am not fat but I am definitely not fit either.

So, how did it start?

It was one summer day in 2015 when my sister invited me to go on a short trip with her to climb a mountain. Since I was bored and had nothing to do, I said yes on a whim. I rummaged my closet to find the sportiest outfit I own and packed my comfiest pair of shoes. Ta-da! Just like that, I was off to my first hike ever. I thought that I will only try it once just for experience, but after a few weeks, I received an invitation to climb once again. I told myself that I will give it another try. After all, it was so fun! Reaching the top brings me excitement.

It was just a mere infatuation at first.  Or so I thought.

Little did I know I was already drawn into climbing; I kept thinking about it. I found myself looking for events that are related to mountain climbing and spent a couple of hours each day fantasizing about my upcoming weekend climb. I even joined hike gatherings I saw on social media to meet people with the same passion as I have.

So, why am I so captivated by the mountains?

Mountains are like an escape whenever I feel bombarded with the unkindness of “reality.” When I am there, I always receive an overwhelming positive energy from trees and plants as if they are greeting me with happiness and delight.  In the mountains, I feel that I have found a home.

Climbing mountains is not only about scenic views, majestic rainbows, and sea of clouds. Behind these instagrammable landscapes are stories of hardships and struggles to reach the summit. While it’s true that the best view comes after the hardest climb, it doesn’t mean that you cannot enjoy the journey.

Mountains remind me that, like life, every climb is not just about ascents; there will also be encounters of descents. There were times when I had to continue climbing even if I was not sure what awaits me on top – a picturesque view or a sea of disappointment. There were also dull and plain moments that made me feel like I was not progressing at all. But at the end of every climb, the moment I see the breathtaking view on top, I realize that the best things in life are achieved through hard work, patience, and endurance. There is beauty in experiencing adversaries. This is what the mountains have done to me. They made me see life in a more meaningful perspective.

I thought I was strong – strong enough to move mountains, until I ventured into climbing; it was the mountains that were strong enough to move me.

So, the mountains were calling.

And I did go.