My Ninth Climb- Mt. Banahaw de Lucban and Majayjay Falls

MounTrails # 9
Mt. Banahaw De Lucban
Lucban, Quezon
May 15-16, 2010
Groups: Take Five Hikers

Going in Lucban, Quezon has been so famous not mainly because of Mt. Banahaw or the well-known cuisine of “longganisa” but the annual festival known as “Pahiyas”. The Pahiyas festival is an ocassion for the Lucbanins composing of different varieties of fruits and other delicacies attributable to the place. The “Kiping”, a leaf preserved with different colors, and the “Pancit Hab-Hab”, a variety of noodle that has its own uniqueness because of the way it is eaten, in a banana leaf barely bring to one’s mouth to eat without the use of any utensils. But for our trip in Lucban, joining the Pahiyas is only a sidetrip; hiking Mt. Banahaw De Lucban is the major one.
We left 7-11 Buendia at 3:30 A.M on May 15, 2010, an hour late with our IT. For our Mt. Banahaw De Lucban trip, we joined with the group named as SPiMC. When we arrived in Sta. Cruz, Laguna before we ride a monster truck (a little bit bigger than monster truck in Mt. Pulag), the weather was fine and calm. Our group, the Take Five Hikers, together with Sir Dan of SPiMC opted to have a topload ride on the monster truck. The ride was one of the most enjoyable parts of the trail. We had views of different municipalities of Laguna and Quezon, the famous mountains such as Mt. Banahaw and Cristobal, and a local festivity celebrated by one of the municipalities in Laguna. We also had a view of Lake Caliraya. At 7:30, we arrived in Lucban and rode a tricycle to the market. When we reached the market, we noticed that the people there were so busy. Later as we went by, we discovered that it was the time for Pahiyas. We stopped for awhile to celebrate the festival with the locals. We took some pictures of the different designs and arrangements of fruits and Kiping and also tried the Pancit habhab.
After we bought our supplies and meals for lunch, we started our way to the Ranger Station of Mt. Banahaw De Lucban at 8:30 A.M. We passed by Southern Luzon University and to the local office of Department of Science and Technology (DOST). Before we reach the Ranger Station, the locals gave us a fruit known as Mirinda. This fruit is the one used to have the soda drink with the same name. The taste of the fruit was so yummy (as for me). At around 10:00 A.M, we were already in the Ranger Station, the campsite in Mt. Banahaw De Lucban. Sir Mario, the caretaker of Ranger Station, accommodated us. I noticed that in the Ranger Station, various kinds of flora could be found. The place was also maintained its cleanliness; a home where one could even meditate or relax. After we had our lunch, we started to trek up to the summit at 11:30 A.M.
The trail in Mt. Banahaw De Lucban was not easy. Aside from it being a major climb, the trail was also confusing and the need to hire a guide is highly recommended. Our guide, Manong Silver, reminded us to stay at a minimal distance to each other while on the trek to prevent any one of getting loss. When we were still at half way up the summit (we were trekking for three hours but we were only on the half part of the trail), our water supply was already consumed. Due to the cold weather and the thirst we had that time, we were forced to drink water with a brownish color. This was the only climb that we had where our water supply immediately consumed and dried us up; we had at most 7 liters of water that time and some trails foods, the only loads we had since we left our bags in the Ranger Station. I considered the Mt. Banahaw De Lucban as the most “ASTIG” trail that we had, not only for its so clean trail but also for having a difficult trail to the point that we had to crawl, jump and hop on some parts of the trail and it made us to consume our supplies so easily. We did not drink water for almost 7 hours (for the whole climb)! We survived the trail because of trail foods. At 2:45 P.M, we were on the summit of Mt. Banahaw De Lucban. Not much could be seen on the summit though, being it covered with towering trees and grass. I forced to climb a tree to take some pictures of Lucena City and some parts of Quezon. The rest of my climbing buddies, they were noisily sleeping, snoring here and there ^_^.
After an hour stay in the summit, we had our way down to Ranger Station, a sign that we will start to have a calvary again. Because we were already tired that time, aside from the fact that we were afraid to have a night trek (the trail was really difficult), we hurriedly our way down to have our rest. At 6:35 P.M, we were back in Ranger Station.
We woke up on the morning of May 16 at 6:00 A.M and started to prepare our breakfast. At 10:00 A.M, we started our trek down to Majayjay Falls in Majayjay, Laguna.
We arrived in Majayjay falls at 12:30 P.M. It was really cold to dip in; we had seen some red horse bottles in the waters were some locals put it there to make it cold. Some people also took a bath in the falls. After we had refreshed our tired body, we went home at around 6:30 P.M. Before we had another topload ride to San Pablo City in Laguna, we saw a rare scene in the night sky; Planets Jupiter and Venus up above the crescent moon. The scene was like smiling at us, greeting us for a successful climb we had in Mt. Banahaw De Lucban. The scene was yet another reward to us.



Kaisipan Pagkatapos ng Akyat
Ang akyat na ito sa Bundok Banahaw De Lucban ang nagmulat sa akin na maging handa palagi lalo na sa tubig at trail food. Sa mga nakaraang akyat ko, hindi ako halos nagbabaon ng maraming trail food. Sa akyat na ito, napatunayan ko na ang pagdadala ng trail food ang pangunahing nakatulong upang kami’y magpatuloy sa akyat at malagpasan ito.


_Cory_ Nov. 18, 2010

My Eight Climb- Mt. Pinagbanderahan, Bantakay Falls and Caves

MounTrails # 8
Mt. Pinagbanderahan
Bantakay Falls and Caves
Atimonan, Quezon
May 1-2, 2010
Group: Take Five Hikers


Quezon province, with its vast of outdoor destinations, is a place where one can opt not only to hike its famous mountains such as Mt. Cristobal and Mt. Banahaw but also to go beyond mountaineering such as beachineering and spelunking, among others. The beautiful falls and caves of Bantakay can offer the same challenge and amazement, if not equalize, as that of hiking destinations in Quezon.
Our group, Take Five Hikers, headed off to Atimonan, Quezon at around 5:30 A.M from 7-11 Buendia on May 1, 2010. We rented a van to lessen our travel time and transportation expenses. Although we were late as per our IT due to some lapses, we were still able to reach Atimonan before lunchtime. On our way to Atimonan Tourism Office, the jump-off for Mt. Pinagbanderahan, I was amazed by the dedication of locals on their job. Even though it had a heavy rain on that day, they were still on the road, particularly in Bitukang Manok (part of Old Diversion Road), to guide travelers along their way. The old diversion road is prone to accidents and without proper care in driving, one could face his death.
We started the trek to the summit of Mt. Pinagbanderahan at noontime. The trek was easy and very relaxing. The trail of Mt. Pinagbanderahan, being a part of Quezon National Forest Park, is covered by forest and a very clean one. It is also well-established, a cemented one. During our trek, we met a lot of climbers. We also explored Cueva Santa prior to Pinagbanderahan summit. On our way to the summit, we saw a snake’s skin.
We were able to reach the summit at 1:40 P.M. The views on the summit were very relaxing and awesome; perfect for picture taking. After staying for 20 minutes on the summit, we started to trek down to Atimonan Tourism Office. We reached Atimonan Tourism Office at 2:40 P.M and after staying for a few minutes, we had our way to Brgy. Sta. Catalina for Bantakay Falls and Cave (a very fun walk down to a place where a jeepney waited for us). Before we proceed to Brgy. Sta. Catalina for Bantakay falls, we had a short conversation with Sir Bebot, a member of Atimonan Trekkers. He told us their sentiments about a water company that uses big tubes to get the water from Bantakay falls for its business. He also told us the effect of this activity, a havoc that could destroy not only the Bantakay falls but also the source of water in Bantakay. After our conversation with Sir Bebot, we proceeded to Bantakay falls. Our trek to Bantakay falls was not easy. It was like we were having a hike to a mountain. At 5:10 P.M, we reached the campsite.
On May 2, 2010, we woke up at 6:00 A.M and prepared for our breakfast. After we ate our food, we immediately had our trek to Bantakay caves. We noticed the big blue tubes on some parts of the trail; maybe the tubes that use to get the water from the Bantakay falls by the water company that Sir Bebot told us. Inside Bantakay caves, the formation of stalactites and stalagmites amazed us. It was the first time that I encountered such beautiful formations! Albeit the way to the deeper part of the cave was not easy, one had to do some moves like in the movie “Matrix”, the views of stalagmites and stalactites were rewarding. Caution must be observed in doing a spelunking activity in Bantakay caves. If one will not wear a proper head lamp, chances are the sharp edge of stalactites could not be seen as well as the steep stones on the way to the deeper part of the cave. Also, a person who considered himself “chubby” must think and be cautious enough to go on the deeper part of the cave because there are parts of the cave where a “chubby” one could not fit into.
After we had a very challenging spelunking on the Bantakay cave, we proceeded to Bantakay falls. Upon reaching the falls, the wonderful views and refreshing waters of the Bantakay falls greeted us. We dipped into the cold water and had so much fun! ^_^. Although the falls is a little bit “dry”, it still has that capacity to catch everyone’s heart to enjoy and have a care for our nature.
At lunchtime, we had a “boodle fight” style. It was one of the funniest meals that we had. At around 2:00 P.M, we had our way back to Sir Bebot’s place to tidy up and go home-sweet-home ^_^.


Kaisipan Pagkatapos ng Akyat
Marami na kaming akyat na may “sidetrips” ngunit itong paglalakbay namin sa Bundok Pinagbanderahan at Kuweba at Talon ng Bantakay ang itinuturing kong ang “sidetrip” ang naging pangunahing lakbay namin. Ang pagpunta sa Bantakay Falls at Cave ay di hamak na mas mahirap kumpara sa paglalakbay namin sa Bundok Pinagbanderahan. Sa kuweba at talon ng Bantakay rin namin nakita ang unti-unting pagsira sa ating kalikasan ng mga tubo na humihigop ng tubig sa talon. Hindi lamang ang tubig sa talon ang unti-unting nawawala kung hindi pati ang mga likas na yaman na kumukuha ng buhay sa talon ng Bantakay. Kung ito ay hindi maititigil at patuloy na gagawin, darating ang araw na hindi lamang ang talon at kuweba ng Bantakay ang mawawala kung hindi pati na ang mga hayop at ang magagandang tanawin na ibinibigay sa atin ng Bantakay Falls at Cave.

_Cory_ Nov 17, 2010

My Sixth Climb- Mt. Maculot

MounTrails # 6
Mt. Maculot
Cuenca, Batangas
March 20-21, 2010
Group: Take Five
Hikers


A well-known hiking destination south of Metro Manila is the Mt. Maculot located in Batangas. Apart from the write-ups that I’ve read about this mountain, a friend of mine who used to climb this mountain together with her families also shared her climb experience to me and stories about their climbs as well as accidents occurred to other mountaineers (the death of a girl climber who climbed Maculot with her boyfriend using the Grotto trail. The girl slipped on one of the parts of the trail but her boyfriend did not manage to save her. A helicopter used to get the girl’s body ). I dreamed to climb this mountain since August 2009 where we went to Batangas and saw this mountain as the background of the house where we stayed.
After obtaining a good confirmed number of participants for our Mt. Maculot climb, we decided to meet up at 7-11 Buendia located near LRT Gil Puyat Station on March 20. We went to Buendia Bus Terminal and rode a bus bound to Lemery, Batangas at 6:30 A.M (buses bound to Lemery, Batangas passes at Cuenca, the jump-off for Mt. Maculot. This is advisable to save time and money than ride a bus to Lipa then a jeepney to Cuenca from Lipa). We arrived in public market of Cuenca around 9:30 A.M. After we had our breakfast and bought our food for lunch, we rode a tricycle to the jump-off of Mt. Maculot. We had a stop over on our way to the jump-off to register. Registration fee is Php 10/ head.
We reached the jump-off at 10:20 A.M and started the trek at 10:30. I noticed that monkeys, which are staying on some houses on the jump-off, can be found on the way to Mt. Maculot. The cool atmosphere brought by the forested trail of Maculot made our trek enjoyable. Along the trail, stalls selling various kinds of drinks and chichiria at a costly price were familiar sights aside from some trashes. I was dismayed at how garbage management handled on this mountain. Various kinds of trashes, from glass to plastics, could be found particularly on the stalls area. Some trashes could be seen along the trail.
The trail of Mt. Maculot (we used the trail to Mt. Maculot- Rockies) was, for me, generally made our trek easy due to its forest environment. The only part of trail that is exposed to the sun and needed extra care in trekking is the part approaching the campsite (almost 15-20 minutes trekking to reach the campsite along Rockies). This part of the trail has loose type of soil.
At 12:30 P.M, we reached the campsite. I noticed that there was a nipa hut (mountaineers called it 7-11) that was selling various types of drinks and food. This 7-11 was being abandoned at around 6:00 P.M, for its vendors to give time to rest and go home. At the campsite, it seemed that we were in a sauna room. It was really really hot that time. The campsite was exposed to the heat of the sun and shaded areas provided by trees were limited to a number of mountaineers (3 tents at most).
Around 4:30 P.M, we trekked down to Maculot Rockies. The views along the trail were amazing. At the Rockies, the views of Taal Lake and Taal Volcano were promising alongside the views of Tagaytay City and other parts of Batangas. We trailed down to what some called “Dila” part of the Rockies, a trail that is considerably steep and has sharp stones. When trekking the “Dila”, one should be vigilant enough because this part is prone to accidents. Just a slip on the “Dila” could cause serious injuries and maybe, death. When we reached the “Dila”, I was deeply amazed due to the serenity that brought me by the views. There was a spot in the “Dila” where we sat down and enjoyed the beauty in front of us. Though this spot is very vulnerable to accident because it is located on the tip of the Rockies and if someone will slip on this part, he/she will have her way down to Taal Lake. There was a story that a girl, who was so drunk, got her way on one part of the Rockies then jumped, causing her death (reason why she jumped: the girl was said to be brokenhearted).
At 6:00 P.M, we started to prepare our dinner then after that, our socials at 7:00. We were blessed with a good weather that time though it was cold at night. I was surprised by the number of mountaineers climbed on that date (could be almost a hundred). Another thing that surprised me was a certain group had prepared for a bonfire that night. We were worried because of its impact not only on the mountain but also to us. The campsite of Maculot was generally dried that time and having a bonfire can put the whole mountain on fire. We initially planned to snatch the lighter or matchstick that they will use to ignite the woods on the said bonfire (^_^). Plan B was to pray for a rain though rain did not happen that time. I did not know what really happened that time why that group did not continue the bonfire that they had planned. Good thing!
Next day, at 6:00 A.M, we went back to the Rockies for the sunrise. We met a group of mountaineers where one of its members played a flute (he played a song with lyrics “You feel up my senses… like a water in spring time... like a moon that shines above”- I don’t know the exact title). That was perfect to start a beautiful morning.
Back at the campsite, we had our breakfast at 8:00 A.M then start our way down at 9:30 A.M. Along the trail, we picked up as much trashes as we could but still not enough on the amount of garbage present that time. At 11:00 A.M, we were already at the jump-off and tidy-up at a sari-sari store.



Kaisipan Pagkatapos ng Akyat
Dito sa Mt. Maculot ang masasabi kong pinakamaraming basura na nakita ko sa lahat ng mga bundok na naakyat ko nung panahon na yun. Minsan, napapaisip ako kung saan napupunta at ano ang tunay na layunin ng paniningil ng registration fee sa pag akyat sa bundok. Ang unang ideya ko sa registration fee na ito ay ang pagpapanatili ng kalinisan sa mga bundok. Marami ng makabuluhang paglilinis ang ginagawa sa iba’t ibang bundok ngunit may mga bundok talaga na talamak pa rin ang mga basura. Kung magpapatuloy ito, marahil ang bundok na ating nakagisnang akyatin ay hindi na maaakyat ng mga susunod pang henerasyon at ang mga magagandang pagsasalarawan ng mga bundok at ang mga tanawin ng mga bundok ay hanggang pagsasalarawan na lamang sa mga panulat ng mga taong dati nang naakyat ang mga bundok na ito, kasama ang bundok Maculot.


_Cory_ Nov. 1, 2010

My Fifth Climb- Mt. Tagapo

MounTrails # 5
Mt. Tagapo
Brgy. Janosa
Binangonan, Rizal
Feb. 28, 2010
Group: Take Five
Hikers

Following another dayhikable mountain that is near Metro Manila area, after our ultimate dayhike in Mt. Batulao, is the Mt. Tagapo located in Talim Island of Rizal surrounded by Laguna De Bay. This mountain offers not only the scenic views on top of it but also a glance on the livelihood of the people living in Talim Island.
My friend Aileen and I arrived in EDSA Central Crossing to meet our companions at 5:00 A.M. We left EDSA Central at 5:30 and rode a jeep bound to Binangonan, Rizal. We arrived in Binangonan at 6:30 A.M then waited for a friend of mine, Myrish, who will also join our climb. At 7:00 A.M, we were already in a boat, ready for off to Brgy. Janosa, Talim Island (jump-off for Mt. Tagapo), but the boat left Binangonan port at 8:00 A.M. The boat usully leaves the port when it is already full of passengers.

At 9:30, we reached Brgy. Janosa and met Sir Archie, our guide. After our registration in brgy. hall and managed our meal for lunch (Sir Archie offered us a very delicious meal at a friendly price), we started our trek to Mt. Tagapo at 10:00 A.M. The trek to the trail, considerably dry at that time, of Mt. Tagapo was not easy due to the heat brought by the sun. Unlike in some mountains, Mt. Tagapo is not covered by forest and resting areas are available on some parts of the trail, making mountaineers to apply sun protection as well as bring extra load of water. Trashes can also be seen along the trail, a major concern to our environment. Present were also some burnt cogon grass and woods, mainly because of the heat of the sun as what our guide told us. During our climb, we met a group named Haliparot who was doing a clean- up drive (thumbs up for this ^_^).
At 11:40 A.M, we were already at the campsite of Mt. Tagapo. At the campsite, we saw some trashes but these trashes could not even amount the views that can be seen. After a short break in the campsite, our group had its way to the summit. Due to our excitement, we ran along the trail on our way to the summit. When we reached the summit, the views were wonderful. We saw the fish pens in Laguna De Bay, the major living of the people of Talim Island. Mountains such as Mt. Banahaw and Mt. Sembrano can also be seen. At the summit, some trashes were also present and so as some burnt woods and cogon grass. After a short stay in the summit, we were backed in the campsite.
At 1:00 P.M, we trekked down to brgy. hall of Brgy. Janosa. Along the trail, we picked as much trashes as we could. At 2:10 P.M, we were already in Sir Archie’s house in Janosa where a very delicious meal, composing of bighead fish and a big tilapia, waited for us. Yum! ^_^. We left Brgy. Janosa at 4:00 P.M and reached EDSA Central Crossing at 6:30 P.M.

Kaisipan Pagkatapos ng Akyat

Hindi katulad ng ibang bundok na malapit sa Metro Manila, ang pagpunta sa bundok Tagapo ay nangangailangan ng pagsakay sa bangka na lumalayag sa Laguna De Bay. Ang mga bangkang ito ay may oras ng una at huling pagbiyahe papunta sa Brgy. Janosa at sa Binangonan Port. Kung hindi balak na magpalipas ng gabi sa kampo ng Mt. Tagapo o bahay ng kakilala sa Brgy. Janosa, mas makabubuti na lumulan sa biyahe ng bangka sa ika-lima ng hapon upang masaksihan din sa Laguna De Bay ang napakagandang paglubog ng araw.


_Cory_ Nov. 1, 2010

My Fourth Climb- Mt. Daguldol

MounTrails # 4
Mt. Daguldol
Brgy. Hugom, San Juan, Batangas
Feb. 5-6, 2010
Group: Take Five Hikers

After a successful Mt. Batulao climb, our group, Take Five Hikers, led its way to a formidable climbing destination in Batangas. Brgy. Hugom in San Juan, Batangas gained its popularity to local and foreign tourists mainly because of its pristine beaches. Popularly known among its resorts is the La Luz Beach Resort. Another exciting activity to this not-so easy to reach place (rough roads and limited time of transportation for public utility vehicles make it a difficult place to go) is mountain climbing on Mt. Daguldol.
My friends (Lanie and IC) and I met the other members of Take Five Hikers (Mike and Ken) at 7-11 Buendia near LRT Gil Puyat station around 6:00 A.M on Feb. 5, 2010. We then proceeded to RRCG Bus Terminal and rode a bus bound to San Juan Public Market in San Juan, Batangas. We arrived in Petron Gas Station near San Juan Public Market at around 9:00 A.M. We immediately had our way to find a carinderia where we can have our breakfast and be able to buy foods for our lunch. After our final preparation, we rode a jeep bound to Brgy. Hugom. The jeep usually leaves the San Juan Public Market when it is already full of passengers. In our case, we left the Public Market around 10:00 A.M. We arrived in Brgy. Hugom at 10:40 A.M then we immediately secured our guide (Guide’s name: Manong Romeo) and paid necessary fees including registration fees and guide fee. We started our trek to Mt. Daguldol at 11:00 A.M.

The beginning of our trek was not easy. We trailed the beach of San Juan under a scorching heat of the sun. Aside from the dizzying heat brought by the sun, the type of the beach’s sands made our trek difficult for us, a type of sand where someone’s feet need to resist its coarseness. On the lighter side of it, the views on the beach could be treated us rewards to us. We endured that trekking for 30 minutes before we arrived in bunch of houses with lots of trees. After that very tiresome walk, we were greeted with lushes of trees and greetings from locals.
After our short rest on a nipa hut near a sari-sari store, we resumed our trek to Mt. Daguldol. We entered to a forested area of the trail. We noticed that there were so many people passing the trail to Daguldol. We later learned to Manong Romeo that he knew these people and Manong Lizardo, a popular guide in Mt. Daguldol, is his uncle.
At one point of the trail, there’s a spot where a huge rock can be found and perfect for picture taking having its background the pristine beach of San Juan. This spot also offers a relaxed feeling to everyone because of the cool wind that can be felt under a mango tree. There are some parts of the trail that exposed to the sun making it difficult to climbers and for them to have additional water intake to the body. Along the trail, Manong Romeo pointed to us the trail leading to Naambon Falls where we could have a side trip on the other day.
Our first major stop, aside from “take five” rests along the trail, was on the house of Manong Romeo at 12:30 P.M. We had our lunch here. Before our lunch, I immediately proceeded to Manong Romeo’s comfort room and be able to do a “major” thing (^_^). This “major” thing really made my stomach seemed like with full of butterflies inside that made me rushed to the comfort room (I almost ran along the trail to make it and left my companions). During our lunch, I had a short conversation with some members of Metropolitan Mountaineering Society. MMS also had their climb in Mt. Daguldol on the same date. The conversation opened me to the latest updates about their group as well as their series of planned climb for year 2010. Seeing these members made me reminisce my first climb. They cordially invited me to climb with them again and at that point, I was hoping to join them soon. Aside from the lush and clean surrounding at Manong Romeo’s place, I also noticed a bird on the cage that can be found outside Manong Romeo’s house. It has a dark color though I don’t know its name.
After our lunch, we resumed our trek at 1:30 P.M. We passed by Mang Lizardo’s house and met him. We also had a short break to a chair of bamboo underneath a huge mango tree. The views on this rest area were very relaxing. We took this break to take some pictures and resumed the trek afterwards. On another resting area, a group of kids with a horse with them carrying a load of coconuts offered us some fresh buko juice for Php 10 and we availed immediately. These coconuts were freshly picked on the other side of Mt. Daguldol and usually transported down on the trail of Mt. Daguldol using the horses as the medium of transportation.
At 3:25 P.M, we were able to reach the campsite near the water source. The views from the campsite were beautiful and even so at the time of sunset. We took a lot of pictures! ^_^.

At dinner time, we noticed a lot of fireflies. This was the only climb and mountain where I encountered such numbers of fireflies. There were so many of them that I indulged myself to some firefly watching. Some fireflies even got to my clothes. I really enjoyed that moment. They say that fireflies are evidence that the air on that place can be considered clean. Aside from fireflies, the starry night and crescent moon up on the sky made our trek truly worth the sweat. That night was also cold but not as cold as what we had experienced in Pico. Before we sleep, we secured our foods, hang them in the trees, for there were dogs that usually snapped foods from the climbers.

We had our wake-up call at 6:00 A.M of Feb. 6, and immediately took some pictures of sunrise. After we had our breakfast, we then breakcamp at around 7:30 A.M and started our trek down to jump-off at around 8:00. On our way down, we encountered a group of locals. They greeted us and we greeted them also. They told us that they will visit a house on located on the side of the mountain for the traditional “pamamanhikan”. I was amazed how this tradition still observed nowadays. We visited the Naambon Falls. The waters on the falls were almost dried, mainly because of the approaching dry season (summer season) that time.
We reached the sari-sari store around 11 A.M, the same store where we had our stop over after a long trek on the beach yesterday, then had our lunch and ordered some halo-halo; delicious halo- halo. After our lunchbreak, we trekked again to the beach before we reached a stretch of small cottages after La Luz Beach Resort. We also took some pictures when we passed by La Luz. At the beach, we indulged ourselves for some dip in to the so clean beach! A very rewarding trip after a climb at Mt. Daguldol. After this very relaxing side trip in the beach, we hurriedly fixed ourselves to catch up the last jeep ride from Brgy. Hugom to San Juan Public Market at 1:00 P.M.

Kaisipan Pagkatapos ng Akyat
Ang pag-akyat sa bundok Daguldol ay kinokonsidera sa “minor level” ng mga namumundok. Datapwat sa aking pananaw, ang akyat namin sa bundok na ito ay nangailangan hindi lamang ng preparasyong pisikal kundi ng ibayo ring pag-iingat. Ang init na dulot ng paglalakad sa tabi ng dagat ay higit na nagbigay sa akin ng kondisyon na mas mahirap na paglalakad kesa sa paglalakad sa sementadong kalsada. Madalas na lumulubog ang paa ko sa buhanginan at nagdudulot rin ito ng mainit na pakiramdam sa aking mga paa. Dahil dito, ang karagdagang proteksyon sa init ng araw ay napakaimportante at ang pagpapanatili ng tamang antas ng tubig sa ating katawan. Dulot nito ay ang pangangailangan ng mas maraming tubig na dapat na baunin.


_Cory_ Oct. 31, 2010

My Third Climb- Mt. Batulao

MounTrails # 3

Mt. Batulao
Nasugbu, Batangas
Jan. 23, 2010
Group: Take Five
Hikers

For a kick-off climb of year 2010, I chose Mt. Batulao. Our purpose for scaling this mountain was primarily because it is near Metro Manila and its accessibility from Tagaytay City, a well-known place for vacation. This climb is also special to me because this is my first organized climb, for a freelancer like me, together with other people who are freelancers as well. And from this climb, a group known as Take Five Hikers was born.
My friend Lanie, from Ilocos, and I went to bus terminal beside MRT Taft Station in Pasay City to meet our fellow climbers and friends at around 7:00 A.M of Jan. 23, 2010. After having breakfast in Jollibee, we proceeded to bus terminal and rode a bus bound to Nasugbu, Batangas and left the terminal at 8:00 A.M. We asked the bus conductor to drop us on Evercrest Golf Course in Nasugbu, the jump-off for Mt. Batulao.
We arrived in Evercrest Gold Course at 10:30 A.M. After we met our other companions, bought food for our lunch and secured a guide (guide’s name: Francis), we started our trek to Mt. Batulao at 11:00 P.M using the old trail. Though the sun was scorchingly hot, the views along the trail were rewarding. These views are perfect for picture taking. Sun was at its highest but we wore jackets for some purposes, sun protection and windy yet cold atmosphere of the Batulao trail. I think one of the best reasons for climbing Mt. Batulao, apart from its scenic views, is the cool feeling that it offers to climbers along the trail. I observed that there were several stores in the trail, offering climbers some refreshments at a little bit costly price. I also observed some trashes along the trail. We picked as much trashes as we could. Such trashes may not be considered a major destruction to the environment of Mt. Batulao as of that moment but if not given much concern, time will come that these trashes will destroy the mountain’s beauty.

The old trail of Mt. Batulao have signs for campsites, marking the mountaineer’s nearness to the summit, having camp 10 as the highest located in Mt. Batulao’s peak. We reached camp 1 at around 12:00 noon and camp 8 at around 12:45 P.M. After we had our lunch in camp 8, we resumed the trek to camp 10. We reached camp 10, Mt. Batulao’s peak, at 2:40 P.M. The views from the summit were wondeful. Actually, the views from the trail between camp 9 and 10 made me scream because of the wonderful views I’ve seen that time. It made me realized that I want to see more wonderful views not only from Mt. Batulao but also from other mountains. This realization made me crave to climb more mountains. Although the trek between camp 9 and camp 10 was not easy (we used ropes), we made it to the summit and took some pictures there. After 20 minutes of staying in the summit, we started to descend using the new trail.

The new trail was not as challenging as the old trail but still, it offers the same coolness as the other trail. Descending using the new trail, a mountaineer will have to pay Php 20 for registration. I don’t know if this could be considered an exit fee as the other trail, the old trail, requires a payment of Php 20/ head for registration too. If a mountaineer opts to use a single trail only (e.i. old trail or new trail only; in our case, we used the old and new trail that’s why we paid a total of Php 40/head), then he/ she wll only pay Php 20. At some point, we enjoyed running along the new trail. Yes! We ran as fast as we could, though this could be tiring but very enjoyable. One thing to watch out to this trail of Mt. Batulao, among others, is the extreme wind. Whenever we encountered an extreme wind along the trail, we stopped and sit for us not to be swept away (^_^). We felt that we could be carried away by the extreme wind and had our way along the ravine that will result to the fastest descend of our lifetime and possibly, our death.

After we reached the Nipa Hut around 5:00 P.M in Batulao where we stopped for some buko juice (buko juice is one of the popular drinks in Mt. Batulao aside from softdrinks and halo-halo), we had some chitchat with the locals. We gave the cookies that we did not consume to children. We also left our trashes and the trashes we picked up along the trail on the Nipa Hut with the owner’s permission.
At around 6:30 P.M, we went to our sidetrip, Tagaytay City, to reward ourselves of a relaxing sleep after the Mt. Batulao climb.

Footnote:
I woke up at around 6:00 A.M of Jan. 24, 2010 to enjoy the view outside our room in Lakeside Resort where we stayed in Tagaytay City. I was amazed by the beautiful scenery of Taal Lake.

Apart from Taal Lake’s beauty as well as its surroundings, the cool weather added to my momentum of thinking the next destination for mountain climbing. After we left Lakeside Resort, we indulged ourselves to a popular cuisine in Tagaytay City. BULALO! Yum! ^_^



Kaisipan Pagkatapos ng Akyat
Sa akyat na ito sa bundok Batulao nabuo ang grupong Take Five Hikers na hanggang ngayon ay patuloy na gumagawa ng ingay sa komunidad ng mga mamumundok (^_^). Paano ito nabuo? Heto ang salaysayin: Sa Camp 1 ng Mt. Batulao kung saan kinakailangang isulat ang grupo na kinabibilangan ng mga mamumundok para sa rehistrasyon, si Sir Mike, isa sa mga kasama namin sa akyat ay nagtanong kung ano ang pangalan ng grupo namin. Dahil lahat kami ay tinuturing na “freelancers” o mga mamumundok na walang kinaaaniban na anumang pormal na samahan ng mga mamumundok, ay naisip nya na tawaging Take Five Hikers ang grupo. Nakuha ang pangalang Take Five Hikers mula sa mga salita ni Sir Ken, isa rin sa kasama sa akyat, sa tuwing kami’y magpapahinga. Sinasambit nya lagi ang “Oh take five muna” na ibig sabihin ay limang minutong pahinga na kadalasan ay lumalagpas pa sa limang minuto (^_^). Sa mga salitang yan nakuha ang Take Five Hikers.



_Cory_ Oct. 31, 2010

My Second Climb- Pico De Loro

MounTrails # 2

Mts. Palay- Palay Range
(Mataas Na Gulod)
- Pico De Loro
Ternate, Cavite
Nov. 21- 22, 2009
Group: Singles for Christ


Pico De Loro had been capturing my attention since it was told me by someone and the feedbacks were so great that I immediately grabbed the chance to trek this mountain with the group Singles for Christ or better known as SFC to their clean up drive. From then, I invited my friend Lanie, from Ilocos, to join me on this climb.
We woke up so early at dawn of Nov. 21, 2009. We arrived in front of Heritage Hotel in Pasay to meet the members of SFC and other climbers. Though we left in Pasay too late according to our itinerary, I was a little bit surprise on the number of participants who joined the Pico De Loro climb. We were nearly 50 participants and we rented out a bus to Maragondon, Cavite at 5:30 A.M.
We arrived in Maragondon at around 8:00 A.M. From there, we took our breakfast and bought our packed lunch. We left Maragondon and headed to DENR Ternate, the jump-off for Pico De Loro. At the DENR Ternate, we registered and paid Php 20 per head. After coursing some short reminders to us and had a prayer, our group started to trek at 10:22 A.M.
During our trek, I noticed some trashes along the trail. But I liked the trail in Pico. It soothed me probably because it was covered by forest attributable to Mts. Palay- Palay range as protected area by DENR. Trekking was easy, cool and fun. We reached Basecamp 1 at around 12:00 noon, had our lunch and paid another Php 20 for registration (I wonder why climbers obliged to pay twice of same amount for registration for the same trail). At Basecamp 1, the environment was clean. Trash bags were there; could be attributed to trashes gathered along the trail or consummated in the Basecamp 1 itself. Usually, mountaineers left their trashes in the Basecamp 1 or in DENR so as to avoid messing up in the mountain.
Around 12:45, we left the Basecamp 1 and headed to campsite. There were parts of trail that can cause confusion to mountaineers and will end them up losing on the right track. For this, I remembered an advice from a MMS member, “when going up in Pico, just turn right and when going down, just turn left”. At one of the confusing forks, if a person will not keenly observed the sign boards, losing on the trail is possible. For that, going up to Pico, we followed the sign board and turned right. The other side, left side, will lead to the so-called Pico falls. The trail before the campsite was also confusing. If the left side will be followed, a trail leads to a bamboo place which was not established although this trail will end up in the campsite and view of Parrot’s Beak is visible. The other side, right side, leads to an established trail and will be able to reach the campsite in less than 15 minutes. In using this trail, a compost pit with a lot of trashes greeted us. At 2:57 P.M, we reached the campsite.
At the campsite, we indulged ourselves to roam around. Scenic views, those that I usually saw in movies and pictures, were the ones that made our trek rewarding. I really enjoyed the views; at that time, beauty defined what I’m seeing. Around 4:30, we trekked to the summit. If views in the campsite were beautiful, it was ten times at the summit. Awesome, amazing, beautiful, wonderful; maybe it was redundant but it simply defines the views in the summit of Pico.
At 6:00 P.M, we prepared for our dinner. Eggs with tomatoes, chicken- pork adobo were included in the menu among others. After our dinner, we started our socials. Our socials had a good start because of starry night and beautiful moon in the sky that time but we were interrupted by a strong rain. We rushed inside of our tents but to no avail because of the rain. Several tents were “flooded” inside. Only our tent, the one where Lanie and I stayed, only survived such “flood”. After the rain, some haven’t had their sleep. It was a chillin’ night, aside from the fact that we were in top of the mountain making it naturally cold, the rain worsen the weather. Lanie couldn’t sleep at that night because of our condition but I was on the opposite (^_^).
At 6:00 A.M of Nov. 22, we had our wake-up call and prepared for breakfast. Breakcamp was done at around 9:30 A.M then had our way down at 10:00. Around 11:30, we reached the Pico falls and had some fun there. We saw some trashes on the trail along Pico falls and picked it up. On the falls, an accident occurred. Drey, one of the SFCs, slipped on one of the stones located in the falls. It wasn’t that bad though and she still made it to the jump-off. The falls was beautiful. We were the only group at that time and we took our time to enjoy in swimming the cold waters of the falls.
Around 1:00 P.M, we continued our trek down to DENR Ternate. At 2:05 P.M, we reached the DENR Ternate and refreshed our tired body. We also had our lunch and took some pictures. After we prayed to give thanks to our Lord for the safe climb He gave us, we left the DENR to have our way home at around 5:30 P.M. Then at 7:00 P.M, we took the last bus bound to Manila from Maragondon.



Kaisipan Pagkatapos ng Akyat
Ang pangalawang akyat ko na ito ay sa ibang grupo ulit. Ang una sa Mt. Kalisungan kasama ko ang Metropolitan Mountaineering Society. Isa ito sa pagpapatunay na ang pakikisalamuha sa isang grupo na wala kang personal na kakilala ay hindi dapat pangambahan basta pipiliin at pakakaiingatan ang grupong sasamahan. Ito rin ay nagbigay sa akin ng oportunidad para dumami ang aking kakilala at magkaroon ng panibagong mga kaibigan. Ito rin ay nakadagdag sa aking karanasan para matuto pa sa mga aspeto ng pamumundok. Kasama na rito ang pagiging handa sa hindi inaasahang pagpapalit ng lagay ng panahon. Sa lahat- lahat, ang kasiyahan na dulot nito sa amin. Naisip at naramdaman ko rito na ang kasiyahan sa pag-akyat ng bundok ay hindi lamang nakasalalay sa preparasyon, sa bundok na aakyatin bagkus ay sa mga kasama rin sa bundok. Dahil ang kasiyahan sa pag-akyat ay nagiging puno ng tawanan at kasayahan dahil sa mga kwento ng bawat isa at sa mga postura na kung anu-ano pag may kamera nang kasama ^_^.



_Cory_ Oct.31, 2010

Mt. Paldingan Climb- My First Exploratory Climb

MT. PALDINGAN
Binalonan, Pangasinan
Major jump-off: Brgy. Sta. Catalina, Binalonan, Pangasinan
LLA: 600-700 MASL (Still to be determined)
Hours to summit / Days required: 2-3 hours / 1 day
Specs: Minor Climb, Difficulty 3/9, Trail class 1-2

Rising above the Pangasinan with the other mountains is Mt. Paldingan. Travelers to Benguet and nearby provinces get a glimpse of this mountain on the right side of national highway before the Sison Bus Stop. People from Pangasinan usually flock on the side part of Mt. Paldingan on Holy Week for the Station of the Cross or just unwind on the picnic area during their leisure time.

The usual jump-off point of Mt. Paldingan is Brgy. Sta. Catalina. From here, vast ricefields and views of mountains including Mt. Paldingan will greet the hikers. After the ricefields, hikers will enter a forest. Trails are not established at this point. There is a clear path that leads to housing area and a fence marked with barb wires that leads to Mt. Paldingan summit. From here, the challenge begins which includes barb wire crossings and assault trekking. After the short hike in the forest comes an open space with loose soil. From this open space, magnificent views of Mt. Balungao, Pangasinan and La Union towns will welcome the hikers. After the open trail, the remaining parts of the trail is forest covered with presence of rattan-like vines, spiked palms, other itchy plants, ants, mosquitoes, butterflies and other insects. Part of the forested trail is a path leading to picnic area, the only water source. Going to picnic area is optional as the way to this area does not lead to the summit. From the picnic area, it will take 1 to 1.5 hours to go to the summit. After the forested trail is the grassland area that leads to the summit. Here, spectacular views of Mt. Balungao, Pangasinan areas and La Union towns as well as other mountains (probably the Caraballo mountains) including San Roque Dam could be seen. A traverse to other mountains from Mt. Paldingan is possible but as of the moment, this is not recommended as guides familiar to the trails are needed for this traverse. Since trails to Mt. Paldingan summit is not established, guides usually cut towering grasses and wild plants to make a way to the summit. Waterfalls could be a sidetrip but this is located on the other side of Mt. Paldingan and a traverse is needed to visit the waterfalls as well as guides who know the terrain of the traverse.

ITINERARY
(from Manila)

0330- ETA Victory Terminal (Pasay)
0400- ETD Pasay
0800- ETA Flying V Gas Station in Binalonan Crossing; ride tricycle bound to Sta. Catalina
0830- ETA Sta. Catalina; courtesy call to brgy. official; secure guides
0900- Start trek
1030- ETA Picnic area
1100- Resume trek to summit
1230- ETA summit; lunch
1315- Start descent
1515- ETA Brgy. Sta. Catalina; tidy-up
1700- Back to Flying V Gas Station; wait for bus bound to Manila
2200- ETA Manila

Special Concerns:


TRANSPORTATION: To get to Binalonan crossing, ride a Victory bus bound to Baguio City. Ask the conductor/ driver to drop you off in Flying V Gas Station. Fare from Pasay to Binalonan crossing is Php 270. From Flying V, there are tricycles bound to Sta. Catalina. For tricycle to Sta. Catalina, fare is Php 100 for a group of five.

PERMITS AND GUIDES: No permit or prior registration is required although a courtesy call to brgy. Official is recommended. There is no fixed guide fee in climbing Mt. Paldingan but P300-400 is reasonable as guide fee.

CELLPHONE SIGNAL: Signal is present on most parts of the trail.

OTHERS: Snakes could be seen on the area, please prepare accordingly. Aside from snakes, itchy plants, ants, mosquitoes, butterflies and other insects, there are no other concerns for Mt. Paldingan. It is recommended to wear long-sleeves and leggings and bring first-aid kit and off lotions.

CAMPSITE: As of the moment, there are no campsites in the summit or in grassland. Towering grass and wild plants must be cut first to establish a campsite for tents but the ground soil usually have big stones and lumps. The most feasible campsite and only water source is the Picnic Area which is 1 to 1.5 hours away from the summit.