“Mt. Tapochau holds a special place in my heart, not only for its religious significance but also because this is where my boyfriend, now husband, took me on our first date,” Maricel Gatdula told the Variety.
Coated in sweat and dust, she and her husband Ronald were smiling as they made their way to Saipan’s highest point.
“We have been making the annual trek since 2007, and we will be doing this as long as we can still make it up there,” she said.
Gatdula recalled that last year, the rain was “non-stop” on Good Friday.
“I didn’t know that I was already pregnant then, but luckily the baby held on and we all survived the long and slippery trek,” she said.
The hardships one encounters in the annual pilgrimage help strengthen one’s faith, too, she added.
For couple Samson and Bel Tan, the annual trek is part of their annual Holy Week tradition. Mrs. Tan said they have been on island for the past 17 years now.
She said they always feel “lighthearted” after each trek because they say their prayers while going up.
“It has become our tradition to go up and remember the sacrifices that God did for humanity,” she said.
The trek also gives them a chance to exercise and be with friends, she added.
For hundreds of other devotees who brought small children along, the trek up to Tapochau is much harder when the kids get tired and ask to be carried.
But for Arlene and Bernald of Chalan Kanoa: “No task is hard when you think of the sacrifices Jesus went through for all of us.”
