I had the privilege to join one of the ambitious trekking destinations in Cebu with my officemates when I was still working for E-Telecare (now Stream) in a Dell account. We had this climb last July 5, 2009. It was a memorable moment for me. That was the first time in my adult and professional life that I had been so in touch with nature.

Osmena Peak is known to be the highest peak in the province and Island of Cebu. Base on actual GPS altitude, it stands approximately 1000 meters above sea level. Osmena peak is located in the vicinity area of Mantalungon, Dalaguete.

The clanky bus ride; the steep back ride on a motorcycle and a strenuous climb to the peak didn’t really take a toll on me. It was fun going off the trail with a bunch of outgoing people who were buying the time with chit-chatting and joking around.

It was already night time when we arrived at our base camp. There wasn’t a single light around except the ones that we have brought with us. We probably had rooted 6-7 tents on the base. We pretty much huddled together after we made our tents for a night of talking and hanging out as though we didn't have enough of it during the climb. Our time outside had been cut short when it rained.

I had to share a tent with two of my colleagues in the borrowed tent. All three of us were poorly equipped. We went there without the trekking gears. We had to endure the night of back pains and the night of horror. There were some tales of horror that night, a sort of apparition that I would rather not share. Let’s just leave it at that.

All the amazement had to wait in the morning. We were not able to see what lay ahead of us since we already arrived at the peak after dusk. We woke up with all the burst of unimaginable colors in the sky completed with a rainbow. The terrain and everything around us was a surprise for me. I couldn’t believe I actually spent the night on top of the most scenic place I could possibly see. It was unbelievable.

The rock formations were amazing. They looked like they were carved out perfectly. Somehow you couldn’t believe they form naturally. Nature at its best.

The sore legs complete with rashes had been worth it. The 6 hours of trekking and traversing to the other side of Cebu and ending the whole journey in Kawasan Falls, what else could I ask for.