Recon Hike Entry: Akyat Eskwela Project 2023

Climb for a cause are very close to my heart as well as to my hiking group, FOX.AE. While the previous events were the yearly Cancer Awareness Climb and the last 2021’s Climb for a Cause, this time is yet another meaningful initiative. Not the usual hiking guide, this is my personal entry of the recon hike for the climb for a cause, Akyat Eskwela Project 2023.

Akyat Eskwela Project 2023

Basbasanan to Goynawa to Balakayo, is a public school in Bukidnon, Philippines with just 127 students of the Tigwahanon-Manobo tribe. The Akyat Eskwela Project 2023 is to support the school in finishing their makeshift classrooms. FOX.AE gladly supported the meaningful cause and has organized a fun and fulfilling outdoor event last September 30, 2023 as an initiative. For big events as such, a recon hike is essential, and yours truly is finally present!

Hike Proper

A very familiar trail for most of the hikers in the UAE, it is Wadi Litibah is the jump off of the famous Stairway to Heaven Trail. The hike to the campsite lasted longer than expected due to the fact that everyone is carrying more than they could carry – ropes, gears, helmets, extra supply of water, you name it.

It is also still the month of September which means the humidity comes and goes. It can betray you at any point in time. Fortunately, the humid during the hike was bearable. Not hell-ish kind of humid. The campsite was a little different though, it wasn’t cool as we expected. Your sleepy writer (ehem that’s me) was the first one to doze off though and so I just heard this piece of news from others who had a difficult time getting a proper sleep.

The group hiked some more to reach the ‘arena’ where the fun stuff will happen. Finally, all of our loads got lighter since all the heavy stuff are out. A dry run of setup for the event, everything were tried, tested, discussed and planned. A recon hike, after all, is a hike to assess the trail, the campsite and everything that can be a factor of success (or failure) of the upcoming event.

When all is said and done, we packed up and started to descend. The sun is still out when we reached the parking lot and I started to reminisce when was the last time we finished a hike this early.

Recon Hike Reflections

Unfortunately, I was not able to join the actual climb since I was traveling on the day of the event. However, I was in high spirits, to be part of the recon hike especially for this particular Akyat Eskwela Project 2023.

Gone are the days when I used to have a lukewarm relationship with ropes. Doing the actual activities (rock climbing & rappelling) and setting up the anchors were not my thing back then. I’m still the person who’s satisfied enough to watch others do the activities though. However, this time, I pushed a little more – the magic 1%.

Watching the team set the anchors up, familiarizing myself with different knots and gears, surely I’m still a bystander. And I can’t even remember some of it by now (3 weeks after the recon hike). However, curiosity, in and itself, is an igniter of anything.

My biggest takeaway from this hike is that as I always say, 1% isn’t much today. And will probably not be much after 10 tries within a year. However, when combined in this lifetime, it’s enough for me to be a better person than yesterday. I’m then one step closer to become the kind of person I wanted to be.

Unsure whether it’s the birthday blues, but I was feeling sentimental and introspective throughout the hike. Giving back to the community, a collective team effort, being with some of my outdoor friends and even a push of 1% outdoors. Indeed, the perfect start to celebrate my 30th birthday. I’m now off to write the other birthday events that happened next.

Thank you for reading this entry about the recon hike of the Akyat Eskwela Project 2023 and see you on my next post. Ciao!