It's been weeks since my last post here but now I'm finally back and excited to share my Licos Peak adventure.
During our Mt. Babag hike adventure, my friends had been talking about Mt. Licos of Danao City and planned to go there soon. But never I have thought that it will be much sooner, just a week after. So we planned it out, as we should, since Danao City is quite far from Cebu City.
I woke up around 5 AM, so I rushed since our meeting time was 6 AM at Sunvida Tower, across from SM City Mall. I booked an Angkas motorbike to take me to Sunvida Tower and paid 45 pesos for the fare, from General Maxilom to Sunvida Tower. When I arrived at the meeting point where public utility jeepneys pick up passengers for Danao City, I spotted some of our hiking buddies.
When everyone had already arrived, we immediately boarded a jeepney and got off at Sands Gateway Mall. Since we hadn't had our breakfast yet, we decided to have it at Jollibee and also bought food for our trail lunch. Afterward, we went to 7/11 for a quick purchase of trail snacks.
When everything was all set, the initial plan was to ride motorbikes to the base of Licos Peak, but it turned out we took a passenger black van with a fare of 1,500 pesos for all of us. There were 11 of us in total, so we divided the cost, resulting in each of us paying 136.36 pesos or 134 pesos. It was a great deal since we had a comfortable journey all the way to the base.
Finally, we had arrived at the base point of the peak. Some decided to refill their water bottles first and do a quick individual stretch since they mentioned that the trail is challenging due to its steep terrain. They even teased each other about who would lead the stretching, obviously in the end, no one took the lead. Hahaha.
Everyone began the hike with Alton leading the way. We had no worries because some of our hiker friends were familiar with the trails as they had been there before. @kev.incredible was the sweeper, and he walked next to me, so every time he took a photo, my transparent bag was prominently in the shot with Jollibee and Vita cubes inside Hahahaha. Kuya James and Kuya Alton guided and assisted our other hiking buddies along the way to ensure they safely navigated the trail, especially the challenging sections. While me, @mariasalve and Spencer were at the back also struggling but enjoying.
We took our time climbing the extremely steep trail up the mountain. It required a lot of effort and was quite physically demanding. However, we weren't in a rush, instead, we focused on how to maintain our footing on the slippery soil covered with fallen leaves. We also kept an eye out for loose stones that could tumble down like what happened to Spencer.
Then, a funny moment occurred later on. The sole of my newly thrifted Adidas hiking shoes started to come apart. Fortunately, Kevin noticed it before it completely detached from my shoe. So, I removed the loose sole and placed it in my bag, planning to have it sewn back onto the shoe soon.
When we reached the summit, some of us immediately started taking pictures. As for me, I decided to sit down first and enjoy a snack, which I also shared with others. Later, I took some solo shots. I had several unpaid photographers hahaha, including Ate Maria, Kuya Kevin, Kuya Alton, and even Kuya James. As a result, I ended up with a lot of pictures from different angles, which is actually a good thing because I had plenty of options.
We also took group photos, but since we didn't have a selfie stick or pole, and Kuya Kevin is afraid of heights, as he mentioned in his previous post, he volunteered to take photos of us. We took a photo of him as well, standing across from us, holding an umbrella in his left hand and a phone in his right hand. hahahah
After enjoying the view at the peak, Kuya James led the way to another trail for our descent. The trail was much better than the one we ascended, at least for me. We shared jokes and laughter, especially when the sole of my other shoe came off too. Hahaha. As a result, I had to be extra careful because my shoes no longer had traction, making me prone to sliding.
When we arrived back at the base, we decided to have our lunch. While having lunch, we discussed whether to head home and conclude our adventure or continue the hike and exit to Brgy. Guba. Everyone wanted to continue the hike, so we began our road hike right after finishing our meal. After a while, everyone decided to stick with the original plan, which was to visit the two nearby waterfalls.
We hiked approximately 12 kilometers to reach the waterfalls. Unfortunately, we weren't able to reach the 1st waterfall because we needed to cross the river, and it was too risky. We decided to proceed to the 2nd waterfall. To get to the other side of the river, we had to cross a bridge, but before crossing, we had a not-so-quick photo session (picture is life) hahaha.
We had to take off our shoes so they wouldn't get wet and followed the river until we reached the mesmerizing hidden waterfall. I had never seen a waterfall with such a unique and jaw-dropping rock structure or formation before.
We wasted no time. We snapped solo and group pictures, then, immediately dove into the cold water, enjoying the cascading water against our bodies – it felt like we were having a body massage. Everyone was having a great time, teasing each other and sharing both corny and funny jokes.
Before the sun completely disappeared, we wrapped up and got ready to say goodbye to the beautiful, unnamed waterfall (we didn't know its name, or if it even had one).
We rode a motorbike and paid 50 pesos each from the road near the river where we exited from the falls to Danao City Terminal. We had dinner before getting in line for a bus ride to Cebu City since it was already dark, and everyone was starving. I reached home around 10 PM in the evening.
I can't help but feel an overwhelming sense of happiness and gratitude. We journeyed through challenging trails, faced unexpected obstacles, but in the end, we successfully completed the day with smiles on our faces.
Thank you for reading, everyone!