Osmeña Peak has become Mainstream

In 2001, we had a disco at Osmeña Peak, powered by a generator. Young people from all the barangays of Dalaguete answered the call to celebrate an electoral victory. All disco equipment were tied and hung in bamboo poles, laid on shoulders of excited men, and carried through the dangerous trek. We were guarded by armed police that night. Fog descended early, and the party lasted until dawn. Shaggy's hits, "Angel" and "It Wasn't Me", kept on playing as we danced with friends and familiar Dalaguetnon faces. It was a night to remember.

I went to the Peak this afternoon and saw a great number of unfamiliar faces; cars were lined up in Lapa at the foot of the peak; Habal2s were everywere; and stores have mushroomed. The omnipresence of visitors have rendered the stones smooth and weathered. With all the activity, inch by inch, the Peak's height is reduced; taken away by shoes which trample the loosened soil and stones.

In 2001, going to the Peak would earn you extra bragging rights. The Peak was so mysterious, captivating, and deadly then. Only very few come there. During that time, it was real communion with nature. You have to walk on a dirt road from the market to the peak. Some would opt for the shortcut where there's that spring to refill water. Going up there was really an adventure, and the arrival at the summit, is the compensation for all the hard work.

Now, people just ride to the drop off point at the foot of the peak. The road is paved today. A tourist info center has been constructed, and the path of rough-edged boulders have been hammered and chiseled smooth. Then there are these handful of self-proclaimed guides and handymen to pester you upon ascent. The variety of garbage too have significantly increased. Truly, it has evolved into a true definition of a tourist spot. Hayyyyy.... And those shirts are ought to be banned.

It is very different now.