⚠️ Warning: This 2015 mountaineering blog post is a total throwback—back to the time when I proudly thought of myself as a seasoned, well-experienced mountaineer. I made a few tweaks here and there to balance the grammar, but the story (and the spirit) remain the same. I’m laughing at my past self, but I still love her.

Quick Trail Recap
📜 First penned in 2015. Still true in 2025.
📍 Mt. Manabu, Sto. Tomas, Batangas
🗓️ Freedom Climb | June 12, 2015
🕓 Day hike only (we started early and went home before sunset)
🥾 Trail difficulty: 2/9 – Beginner-friendly
☕ Highlight: All-girl workmates-turned-climb buddies + rain nostalgia + coffee in the forest

⛰️ A Mountaintop Reflection

Every year on Independence Day, I make time for a freedom climb—a personal ritual of sorts. It’s not just about summiting a peak; it’s about movement, silence, and reclaiming space. In 2015, my wanderlust crew planned a day hike to Mt. Manabu. I didn’t hesitate. Day hikes meant leaner budgets (Php500.00 covered the private van from SM Mall of Asia to Sulok, plus the registration fee), and this climb felt both timely and soul-sparking.

It was another mountain to check off my list, yes—but also a quiet step toward something bigger: the elusive major climb I’d been dreaming about. I couldn’t name the date, but I knew what it was. Mt. Pulag. A bucket list beast whispered often by my mountaineer friends, wrapped in mist and legend.

🥾 Starting Small, Dreaming Big

I was still a rookie—a wannabe mountaineer hungry for experience but respectful of the process. So I chose the minor climbs first. The ones that wouldn’t chew me up yet would teach me how to stand firm. Mt. Manabu, from all accounts (thank you, Pinoy Mountaineer), was ideal for beginners. Its name? “Mataas na Bundok.” Tall Mountain. Aspirational enough.

The jump-off was at Sulok, Brgy. Sta. Cruz in Lipa, Batangas. We joined a bigger group—some hiking overnight, some, like us, heading back by sundown. To manage the crowd, we were split into mini-teams of six. Group 1 got the head start (that’s us!), with the group president in tow. Post-lunch, we began our ascent—trail stories shared, packs adjusted, bonds forming with each uphill breath.

☕ Trail Stop: Tatay Tinio’s Forest Café

Halfway through, a familiar landmark emerged: the hut of Tatay Tinio, nestled quietly along the shaded trail. It’s legendary now—mentioned by hikers and bloggers alike for one thing: his free brewed coffee. And true enough, we arrived to find mountaineers gathered, sipping tin mugs, swapping adventure tales.

There’s something magical about coffee served under a canopy of leaves. No baristas, no price tags, just warmth and community. It’s where strangers become kindred spirits, bound by sweat, laughter, and shared climbs.

🌄 A Summit Worth Sitting In

We resumed the hike, legs lightened by caffeine and camaraderie. At the summit stood a large white cross, silent and proud among guava trees that looked like a wild orchard. Had we stayed overnight, it would’ve been a dream garden campsite.

From there, we spotted several peaks: Malipunyo summit and Susong Dalaga were closest, with other beauties in the distance—Mt. Maculot, Mt. Makiling, Mt. Banahaw, and Mt. Cristobal. The mountains felt like old souls waving at each other across the landscape.

We began descending at around 3 PM, hearts full, legs weary in the best way. Just meters from the jump-off, the rain fell—soft at first, then steady. We took shelter in a hut we’d passed earlier. And as always, I felt that familiar blessing: rain during a freedom climb. Not inconvenience, but affirmation. Not just weather, but ceremony.

It happened before, too—back at Mt. Batulao, during my first freedom climb. A heavy downpour, a Php20.00 shower at the jump-off. Baptism, travel-style.

✍️ Reflections

In every freedom climb, there’s more than a trail. There’s proof. That we’re free to walk, to pause, to ascend. Free to be with kind strangers, to sip forest coffee, to sit in rain-soaked silence, and to believe in the mountain again.

Mt. Manabu gave me that. It wasn’t just a beginner’s hike. It was a page in the story of who I climbed with, and why I love to be with this troupe.