"Can you be our guide?"
As long as we do it together!" A tricky answer to a tricky question.
I've never led a group of people in the mountains before but when Jeffrey, a close friend from high school, the one who guided us during our trek in my hometown, ask me to do so, I jumped with both fear and excitement at the back of my mind. I've been fond of the mountains since my early twenties. One could find me in the mountains every weekend, exploring mostly established trails, and meeting strangers who later on became friends.
I remember the fateful day of our climb; there were at least 20 people who joined us. Jeffrey invited friends who invited their friends and the next time I and Jeffrey knew, we had a huge responsibility of ensuring not just a fun trek but a safe one as well. The task wasn't as easy as it sounds for the mountain we chose that weekend was Mt. Kan-irag via Budlaan Trail. This trail is home to Budlaan Falls. If you haven't heard of this famous trail in Cebu, imagine wading through knee-to-hip-deep water in a secluded river, climbing rocky walls just to progress on the trail. and if you're lucky you need all the strength to resist slipping over muddy areas of the trail. Just to complete the picture, there was a part of the trail where we didn't have any choice but to climb a 6-8 meter high wall without any gear; all we had was our fighting spirit and the support we got from each other during the entire climb.
Long story short, I failed my first stint as a mountain guide; we got lost at the tail end of our climb. But nobody knew; I faked it. I wore all the confidence left in me until I found the right path out of the jungle right on time for sunset. It was one of the proudest moments in my experience as a mountaineer. I may have felt I failed when we wasted a few minutes circling around the trail but the moment I saw a concrete road, I felt success for those who continue difficult journeys is the inevitable result. They never learned we got lost; they were just enjoying the scenery and each moment we spent in the mountain that day.