Travel Footprints

Shotgun Trail, named by a mountain-biking group because of a horseback-mounted guard of ex-Mayor Roxas who tried to turn them away with a shotgun (it’s now biker-friendly though!). It’s the bike trail I dreaded the most but there’s really no point in delaying the inevitable with our Nepal trip fast coming up. So early Saturday morning, we were headed once again to face off with the mountains of Maarat on our bikes.

While Mr. Rono is a veteran biker of the (in)famous Shotgun, it is MY first time to actually go through it last Saturday. So the moment I look up and see where we’re headed, I get easily intimidated by the long uphill climbs on our bike. -

Mr. Rono distinctly remembers how much harder it was to bike this trail when it was still a slim singletrack and was later developed to a wide fireroad. And now a full-fledged highway it seems -

This was really one tough uphill stretch! With the el nino heat beating down upon us, it really felt like the Lenten Season has already began and we are on our own personal, uhm, hell Some parts of the trail had me pushing my bike already, the ride was exhausting! It even got me singing -

‘Ain’t about how fast I get there
Ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side
It’s the cliiimmbbbb…’

And I mean it literally!

Mr. Rono and I were virtually the only bikers taking on Shotgun trail that day. The only company we had on the trail were bikers going down the trail, construction workers by their rest station and the occasional dump trucks going to and from the sanitary landfill up in the mountains of Rizal.

We’re not too happy about the dump trucks passing because we always get a lung-ful of dust! This does not figure well with our heavy cardio exercise while we go up the mountain on our bikes. But we’re still glad that they share the road with bikers at least. This shotgun trail was a test of both perseverance and patience. And a great eye-opener when we finally reached the top! This was the first time I ever saw the sanitary landfill of Montalban from a near distance.

The trail eventually connects to the main Maarat trail where Mr. Rono and I have been biking in the last couple of weekends. Though rather than connecting to our usual route, we opted to start our way back then (fortuntately it was much much easier going back). Had a quick stop near the TImberland Gate for some Goto and Mountain Dew

It was a tough ride, but I can honestly say I feel a good sense of accomplishment, and actually blurted out I wouldn’t mind doing it again.

Mr. Rono only smiled.

[Btw, this scene with the landfill was reminiscent of how we started with mountain-biking. Back in 2002 on a holiday in Boracay, I wanted to see where the highest point of the island is. The locals told us of an overlooking point somewhere on top of Mt. Luho. We didn't want to go there on a tricycle and we certainly weren't up for a long hike up a mountain. Luckily, we passed by some bikes being rented out for around Php50/hour only. Mountain-biking in Boracay was definitely a fresh experience for us! It was a tough climb and we were severely disappointed when we saw the unpleasant sight of a garbage dumpsite on the way to the overlooking point. Garbage dumpsites in mountains really is an ugly truth in our country, eh?]