Lyceans’ Trail: A trip to Explore the Unexplored
by: Jay-r Miape, BS Tourism Management
I am the kind of person that does not usually do adventures such as exploring hidden destinations or hiking through the middle of the forest. I find it too tiring and scary. Not until my high school classmates invited me to visit a hidden destination in our province, called the Prakatahan River. I can say that it was one of the most terrifying yet exciting trips I have ever done.
It was already a tradition by our group of friends that every semestral break, we will visit a place or resort just to have fun and relax. In November 2018, my former classmates and I planned for a reunion because most of us were already in the city studying, while some of our classmates were in the province. There were many suggestions on what place to visit, but most agreed to visit the Prakatahan River for adventure. Prakatahan River is located at the upper part of Tandang Sora, Governor Generoso, a municipality in Davao Oriental. It is a far-flung area so cellular phone signal is hardly available in that place. After reaching Tandang Sora, we headed to the Prakatahan River, passing its 16 tributaries while carrying our victuals. It was a blazing hot and tiring hike, but we made it fun by recalling some of our memorable experiences in high school.
When we finally reached our destination, the sparkling green water, and mesmerizing rock formations greeted us. The two-hour hike under the scorching sun was so worth it because we were amazed by its beauty. The river was so peaceful and calm, the water was still unspoiled, and the presence of nature was so relaxing. It was a hidden paradise, unexplored, and hypnotizing. After eating all our victuals, we then had fun by jumping off the cliff and swimming through clear and green water. Since my friends love adventure, we then headed to the other part of the river to see the Falls. We were climbing and passing through the giant rock formations to reach the graceful and medium-sized falls and was fascinated by its scenic view. It was almost dark when we prepared to go home. While on our way home, the three of my friends and I were left a little behind as we were busy chatting, and so we did not notice that most of our companions were already far ahead. It was dark already, and we didn’t know where we were. In the middle of our hiking, we met two men, and they were trying to deceive us as to the right trail to take. Luckily, we were found by our other friends. We don’t know what their real intentions were, but we were thankful that we were saved. I highly suggest that you prioritize your safety in traveling. You should research more about your chosen destination, and if you can start early, you should.
At present, more and more people are visiting the Prakatahan River. Even though we experienced something unfortunate on our way back, I know you will not undergo the same thing and enjoy it even more with proper planning. This trip made us value our friendship more, and even though the road was so challenging, it had given me memories that I will cherish forever.