“I’m not here for long. Catch me or I go Houdini”, says Dua Lipa in her 2023 hit Houdini. In the song’s description on Apple Music, she explained that “sometimes you just have to pull a Houdini and leave a situation that’s no longer serving you.” This was my ear worm the entire time I was huffing and puffing to reach the summit of Mt. Espadang Bato in Rodriguez, Rizal.

I was a monkey

I’ve seen photos of hikers at the tip of the sword-like peak of Espadang Bato (sword of stone), and I thought, “I can take that!”. As a child growing up, I was always first in the playground to climb anything that begs to be climbed. I particularly liked the monkey bars and just hang there upside down, letting my arms drop until I feel my head swelling from the position.

At home, I would climb the guava tree, sleep on a Y-shaped branch that fits my small frame perfectly. That tree rose right next to our rooftop, so I would use the branches as leverage to get on the roof and stay there until my mother starts looking for me, or until I get bored, whichever comes first.

So, yeah, Espadang Bato should be easy-peasy. While climbing the peak itself was indeed easy for me, it was the trail going up and down this part of Bgy. Mascap that humbled me.

A humbling experience

Never underestimate a mountain that you’re meeting for the first time. That much, I know; but coming from a trilogy hike in Nasugbu just five days earlier, I thought I had enough energy and training for this one. After all, it’s “just” around 455 MASL. Mild ankle sprain be damned!

It didn’t feel like it as we scaled the trail (difficulty:3/9), especially at the rockies part. It was ascent after ascent, and the sharp rocks made everything even more difficult. Apparently, according to one of our guides, their measurement is different from the one on record. Theirs was about 700 MASL. I’m inclined to agree with them, but who am I but a mere old hack still trying to hike like it’s the 80s.

If climbing was difficult, the descent was even more grueling because of the rain. As someone who loves hiking in the rain, I wouldn’t have minded it at all. I didn’t bring a raincoat because the weather was fine at the start (note to self: the weather is unpredictable, stupid). It wasn’t a heavy downfall, though, and it was kind of refreshing to just get wet during the hike.

Until we got to the part of the trail that got soft and thick from the rain. Needless to say, we walked 10x slower, and my shoes got heavier and almost got entirely covered with mud. Some of us took off their sandals because it was easier to walk barefoot in the mud. Some hikers fell butt-first — several times — because of the slippery mud. We all laughed it off.

The long wait at the top

We were a big group of 22 hikers, so we waited for at least four hours until everybody (including the other group who came before us) got their turn in photo ops at the top of the peak. It was during this long wait when I got to munch on Dua Lipa’s song.

It’s been tough financially at work this year, and the burden is heavy on management. If I were half as old as I am now, I would have packed my stuff and looked for the next company that would take me and my ideals and dreams. I’ve been there, and I’ve had my share of bad decisions. I’ve pulled a Houdini at least a couple of times before because of horrible bosses and unhealthy work environments. Heaven knows how much bucket of tears I’ve cried just trying to survive the corporate jungle.

Now, I’m here, and I’m not about to do another Houdini act. I’m finally with a team of managers who are willing to bend backwards to help the younger members build a career. Money matters may be wanting at the moment, but the prospects are promising. I can wait. This is still serving my purpose.

The wind started to grow stronger, clouds turned grey, and my small intestine seemed to be eating at my large intestine out of hunger. A fellow hiker, a young single mother of a five-year old (who joined us in this hike), went around feeding us with her packed lunch. I took a spoonful of rice with tocino, disregarding the fact that the spoon had been inside other people’s mouths. Hunger can do that to a person’s hygiene principle.

By the way, the mild ankle sprain I had been nursing since the day before miraculously disappeared during this hike. Cold and hot compress worked. To God be the glory!