Summer nights

The summer heat has been unbearable the last few weeks or so. It's been quite impossible to go out on long rides just because thinking that the day will be scorching takes extra energy.

Then unexpectedly, I received a text. "Want to do a sunset ride?" It was a Friday and I had no other plans that day and for the weekend. I would gladly take any chance I could get to squeeze in a quality ride that did not invlove Manila's streets.

"Just one thing. It's a sunset ride up Shotgun."

Gulp. Despite my extensive riding experience (well mostly within Manila), I've never biked up Shotgun. I've gone up the Wall, I've ridden the trails of Maarat, and I walked/hiked Shotgun, but I've never gone up there by bike. There's always a first time.

So late afternoon we set off from UP and headed to Timberland.

I could quickly see the perks of riding late into the afternoon. The cool afternoon breeze (something sorely lacking during the day) was refreshing. It helped that as we went up, the road gradually disappeared into the night, so I had no sense of incline or of distance. All I knew at that time was to put one foot in front of the other and to listen to the steady pounding of my heart and my heavy breathing. Like the sunset, the city life gradually faded into the darkness.

 The road wasn't an easy feat. We were the only bikers heading up but similarly, motorcycles and dump trucks were heading up as well. I felt the hair rise up on my arms every time a dump truck passed us, always a silent prayer on my lips that we'd be safe.

Some of our rest stops along the way to watch the sun disappear.

By the time we reached the top of Shotgun, the trucks had freaked me out so much I couldn't think of going down that same route.

Halo belt. We watched the city lights flicker on.

"Let's go through the trail. That will take us back to the Wall."

You're crazy. But what choice did we have? The trail was fairly easy, may be a quick 2-3km stretch of dirt road, with occasional singletracks. I could imagine that this wouldn't be difficult at all during the day. But it was late, maybe 7 or 8 pm? Even with our headlamps and bike lights on, the trail was still rather demanding.  At one point, during a very short downhill, I had to unclip just because I felt a really nasty semplang coming if I pushed on.

We finally made it to the Timberland gate without any harm but with my nerves all shaken up. Thankfully nothing serious or paranormal happened. So would I do this again? Well, we ended up back there the following week.