Our Philippine edition of the Swift Campout, well… I was expecting about a couple dozen folks like me, but not only it was my first time taking part, but also pleasantly stunned that more than 200 campers came from everywhere to participate in what I came to call a commune.
Left home at one in the morning with about 30kg of gear, expecting rain on the road, but it didn't materialize. Then some 45km later I had an early breakfast before forming up with the bulk of riders heading out at party pace in good weather.
Stopping by 73km, me and more than 150 or so of us — in many different kinds of bicycles, anywhere from fixies to cruisers to 30-year-old ATBs to bespoke bikepacking rigs — stopped for another coffee and toilet break at a McD, then left and only to find a wall of rain coming right on top of us, forcing many to take shelter for an hour or so until resuming our journey. Some nearly got lost if not for some helpful location-sharing and map-reading, then eventually made it in time for registration, lunch, unpacking and setting up tents, and sit down for the first event of the day, which was raffling off some swag.
Soon we were forming into small groups with their own encampments, and the campsite was generous in terms of food and amenities available, so practically flowing with food and booze as we started telling our own stories. Others have taken to swim by the creek to beat the heat, whip out their sketchpads, sell their merch, fix their bikes, or influencers roaming around with cameras rolling. There were some plan to group ride up to a nearby small mountain, but it didn't happen as we were all in too deep enjoying being momentarily away from the stresses of city life, so the party went on into the night, all without any sort of untoward incident despite many getting tipsy… well, except for very strong rain by 2am, forcing everyone to take shelter and finally hit the sack.
Next day meant we have to get ready to go home, so after breakfast much of the morning was devoted into packing up and tidying up, before we made some final gestures and group photos before leaving on our separate ways, with good memories and vibes, and found new friends and future rideouts, hoping also for a bigger, improved version of the campout next time.
BTW, this was our Komoot route as planned:
by sa547ph