We don’t have to become friends.

Harsh, I know, but that’s what I told my fellow hikers while we were waiting for our turn to be briefed before we climbed Mt. Palay-Palay-Mataas-Na-Gulod, or more popularly known as Mt. Pico de Loro.

Hiking or climbing a mountain, for me, is about reconnecting the human spirit with Mother Nature. The journey to the summit tests your resolve to overcome physical limitations. Your knees hurt, you struggle with breathing, and in my case, my vision gets tested especially when the sun is burning straight ahead.

Your mental state will also get messed up along the trail. You constantly think of giving up, question your purpose, and wonder how far and high you still have to take.

I do it because I want to test my limits. It’s also a form of prayer for me. With every breathlessness, slip, stumble, cramp, and dizziness, I think of my love ones who are struggling with critical illness, emotional weakness, and spiritual challenge. From the jump-off point up to the summit and back down, I make a pact with the Lord. Give me pain and difficulty with every climb, but ease the suffering of those I care about.

Every time I reach the summit, I know my prayer has been heard. I keep the faith.

At Mt. Pico de Loro, I was one of the last ones to reach the summit as usual. But unlike my other climbs, my group cheered for me when I took that last step toward the summit. I felt their genuine happiness for me. In return, I gave them a big smile and a shout of triumph.

Still, I didn’t intend to make friends with any of them. I will welcome them if I see them again on my next mountain; but for me, this is about the people who could not join me.

Don’t get me wrong. I enjoy hiking with strangers. We laugh together, take breaks together, take photos together. I love that they volunteer to take my pictures for me. You just can’t ignore kindred spirits who love to climb mountains. But that’s it for me.

I do not, however, turn down anyone who will reach out to me after every climb. We may become friends eventually, or maybe not.

No expectations from anyone. Just me and my mountain. Myself and my purpose. Myself and my conversations with God.