Darkness might provoke in us the fear of the unknown, fear of not knowing what lies ahead in that gray area of our lives, and fear of losing control over the things that matter to us the most. But most of the time, which sometimes entails always, we just have to let go and surrender to the One who is in control.
Trudging our way towards the most anticipated part of the tour, we expectantly moved to the leading of the tour guides. Personally, I was looking forward to the cave and a little bit worried at the same time. It was the cave we were talking about, after all, I had watched movies and television shows to know what might happen inside the cave.
The heat from the morning sun still fried us as we kept up to the pace of the rest of the pack. The cave was not too far from the area where White Rock was situated. Tallgrasses were on both sides of the trail, some green, some already dried up. I still had my shawl as a protective gear from the scorching heat of the sun.
As we reached the entrance to the cave, there was a mix of excitement and worry inside me. Fear and anticipation of the unknown. As we began to enter the cave, our pack was giddy, yet the tour guides were on guard and consistently reminded to be careful. We were on the lookout for any rock formation that might hit our heads or any parts of our body. We went up and down as we overcame the boulders and climbed to reach our endpoint.
Inside the cave was total darkness and it was our bad that our group of four did not have any flashlight. Good thing, others from our pack were gracious to share their headlight with us and lit our way as we struggled from almost blindness. One of my friends also used the built-in flashlight on her phone to aid our eyes to the best of its ability and capacity, and we knew how limited a built-in flashlight could do.
We did not get the chance to take photos inside the cave since we were so occupied conquering our fear of the darkness and overcoming the obstacles towards the exit of the cave. Unlike the time, when we went to Marinduque and sported caving, we had few photos taken inside the cave.
Upon exiting the cave, we were in for a surprise. We were welcomed by a breathtaking view of rock formations. I concluded that the formations formerly catered water, the area must have been a river based on the markings on the stones as if waves hit them over and over again. Another dry area, I thought. It appeared to me like a barren place, thirsty earth, yet rich with history I might never learn. It also reminded me of the canyoneering we did in Cebu upon reaching the Kawasan Falls for the resemblance of their structure.
The sad part was there some vandals on the rocks, a part of its past when tourists were frequent in the area. But the good part, in the broad daylight, self-imposed photoshoots were possible.
Our last stop of the tour ended at the Malangaan spring. It was not clear as I expected it to be. My friend mentioned its greenish color, and that stopped us from enjoying the water from the spring. I was looking forward to clear water, yet I found none. I did not pursue my wants to try the water, we were already tired and hungry, and salivating for our prepared lunch with halo-halo on the side.
Mt. Secret adventure led us to the places we did expect, yet it brought us to realization and experiences beyond our expectations. We never forget the past, we cave into the past when the need arises and learn from our past.
Photos credit to Arra A.
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