Tirad Pass, Ilocos Sur

Trek through mist

Ascent to Tirad Pass

We started our ascent on a rutted road early noontime. It was so hot, we had to stop from time to time under a canopy of a tree. The road ended to be replaced by a winding trail. As we went higher, the sun hid from us and a blanket of fog started to descend on the trail.

Soon, we saw the marker where the young General Gregorio del Pilar , a war hero, fought and died. It's where he defended the pass from the Americans to delay their pursuit of Aguinaldo who was then fleeing to the Cordilleras. Goyo's statue on a horseback was shrouded in fog, half in darkness and half in light, which made me think of the moment when he was on the abyss of life and death.

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