*Usa'y Lubi: A Potential Hiking Destination in Sogod

Rose Sugar S. Callano
Mar 10, 2018
3 min read

Hiking is a popular hobby not just for sports enthusiasts all over the world, but also for people who love engaging in social activity or those who just want to commune with nature. This kind of activity, enjoying fresh mountain air is a part of mountaineering which includes walking, trekking, and climbing mountains. Aside from being an excellent way of recreation, it also brings many health benefits. According to healthfitnessrevolution.com, hiking tones the whole body, helps prevent and control diabetes, lower blood pressure and cholesterol, increase happiness levels and curb depression.

Now you might want to ask, where would you possibly have a destination for hiking to gain of its benefits? The people of Southern Leyte and neighboring towns need to look no further. Overlooking the whole town of Sogod is an underrated possible hiking destination. For Sogod locals, all you need to do is to extend your eyesight to the surrounding hills and mountains around town and you will see right before your eyes that distinct location, commonly called as "usa'y lubi". Usay Lubi in Bisayan rough translation means just one coconut tree.

Usa'y Lubi can be accessed through Brgy. Milagroso, Sogod, Southern Leyte as the jump-off point. You can go to this barangay by riding a "habal-habal" from the town's terminal and costs around P50.00 per person. Since the road going to the jump-off point is rough, travel time would be around 15-20 minutes. When you reach Brgy. Milagroso barangay hall, the trail going to usa'y lubi starts. When we first hiked it, there are no protocols to follow like registration in the barangay and collection of environmental fees - which most hiking destinations have.

From the start of the trail, it took us two and a half hour to reach the summit or usa'y lubi. The trail is estimated to be around 6-7 kilometers in constant ascent. Meaning, it is mostly going up. Along the trail, you can see vegetation cultivated by the locals. Healthy, lush green cogon grass abounds in the trail. Cogon grass is an indigenous plant used by Southern Leytenos as a roofing material for their houses. Harvesting cogon grass and selling it to the neighbors is one of the sources of income of the locals. Also, you may notice coconut trees planted along the trail.

The said hiking destination is yet not measured in terms of height in meters above sea level. But if I were to make an estimate, guided with my experience in mountain climbing, I think it would be around 600-800 masl. The trail has no coverage, meaning, no canopy or some sort that could protect you during the hike. So, personal protective gears like arm protectors, sunglasses, and proper outfit must be considered.

One of the most exciting part of this hike is when you reach usay' lubi or what I refer to as the summit. Cool fresh air keeps brushing your cheeks and your face at the top. It is so breathtaking because you'll get a full view of Sogod Bay. The view of the bay is so defined that you appreciate it for what it truly is. You may even get a glimpse of Limasawa Island on clear sunny sky. On the other side of summit, you would a continuing range of hilltops and mountains. These mountain ranges extend to the neighboring towns of Hilongos. The lush green cogon grasses are all over the summit, making it an ideal campsite for overnight visitors where they can pitch their tents and lay of the rest of the night.

I wanted to highlight the health benefits of hiking in making this post to introduce hiking as a hobby among young people and the not-so-young, as well. But along with it, is also my goal to introduce potential hiking locations like this one to promote Southern Leyte as a viable tourist destination. In our own little way, we can help boost the tourism in our respective towns and in our province, in general. By doing so, we can also help our community generate income by responsibly promoting the best of what we can offer to tourists and visitors.