A young Cebuano hiked the entire island of Cebu in 15 days, recording 357.66 kilometers of data on his Strava account. Kevin Maglinte, 31, from Talamban, Cebu City, walked the length of Cebu from Daanbantayan in the north to Santander in the south.
Strava is an app used by runners, cyclists and hikers to track the distance of their runs, bike rides or mountain climbs.
In the latter part of June and early weeks of July, Maglinte set out on another solo adventure for his hiking journey.
On the first day, he managed to start his hike in the mountainous areas of Northern Cebu, covering more than 40 kilometers.
The worst I experienced was reaching 9 p.m. on that first day because I overestimated myself. And everything was so far,” Maglinte shared in an interview with Superbalita Cebu.
In his subsequent hikes, he experienced difficulties and realized he couldn’t handle the mountainous terrain, so he followed the roads instead.
Carrying his 15-kilogram backpack, Maglinte described the challenges he faced aside from the rain and the places he passed through.
Dogs, the dogs in the north are really aggressive. They’ll chase you. I almost got bitten,” the young content creator said with a laugh.
Another experience he won’t forget was when he camped by a lake in Pinamungajan town, which he described as a horror-like experience.
I thought many people would camp there since it was Friday. I ate, rested and lay down. Then there were footsteps. I thought it was just leaves or animals. Then something seemed to throw something at my tent. I was surrounded by grass.”
Maglinte couldn’t sleep there and experienced fatigue the next day during his hike because he didn’t rest. However, he didn’t stop and continued his hike. From camping and sleeping in barangay halls to booking expensive resorts, he did it all because he had no choice.
“For me, it clears my mind. I don’t know if others can relate, but it’s like a form of meditation because you don’t have anything to think about, or you just let your brain think on its own.”
His advice to those who want to try this is to train properly. Aside from that, invest in proper trekking shoes.
And would he do it again?
“Absolutely. But training is needed. I want to go through the mountains next time. I want to experience what I want to experience.”
Some of the mountains Maglinte has climbed include Mt. Guiting-Guiting in Romblon, Mt. Apo in Mindanao, Mt. Kalatungan in Bukidnon, Mt. Pulag in Benguet, Mt. Mantalingahan in Palawan and Mt. Ijen in Indonesia.
Due to his content about his adventures, his Facebook following has reached 80,000, with thousands more on YouTube.