![]() The Group I got a message from Lynn, asking kung anong magandang bundok na akyatin dahil meron siyang ka officemate na mahilig din umakyat. I suggested Mt. Pico de Loro bilang eto din ay matagal ko ng pangarap maakyat. I've seen Mt. Pico de Loro mula sa summit ng Mt. Batulao, Mt. Talamitam and Mt. Marami kaya sobrang naexcite ako when Lynn and his colleague agreed to climb the said mountain. 10 kami in all and majority ng group ay kaofficemate ni Lynn, Thyrone brought his friend and sinama ko naman si Robbie. New set of friends new possible hiking friends in the future.
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A week after my first solo climb....... I decided to took another chance na ulitin to. Surfing the net for next possible summit to conquer. Mt. Marami caught my attention due to its unique peak view. According to many bloggers who wrote about Mt. Marami, a lot of diversions.. warning ng karamihan.I decided to push the said climb yet will not jeopardize my self so I hired a guide. Thanks to Sir Gideon's Directory for Guides.
Mount Tagapo, also known as "Susong Dalaga" is located in Barangay Janosa, Binangonan, Province of Rizal. Rated 2/9 as its Difficulty and considered as Minor Climb. Why Susong Dalaga? sabi ni wikipedia :Two huge mound of conical hills resembling the female breast, which are the highest peak of the Island. Mas makikita mo ang form neto pagnasa Mt. Sembrano daw. ![]() Me.... My Solo Climb Matagal ko ng gusto magSolo Climb kaso wala lang akong "guts" na gawin eto dahil sa possibleng mawawala ako along the trail. Although marami na akong naakyat na mga Bundok, minsan naliligaw pero iba parin ang feeling pagnaligaw ka na ikaw lang magisa. Pero nagiba ang ihip ng hangin the day prior sa akyat na to. June 2 when I received an sms from P.A.C.K.E.R.S na mareresched ang Cristobal Climb (June 3 ang original date) due to Typhoon Ambo. With that, medyo dismay sa news because it's been a while na din na hindi ako nakaakyat. So I went online, googled something about Solo Backpacking and Solo Climb and luckily I was routed to Batang Lakwatsero's blogsite. ![]() He wrote about his first Solo Climb sa Mt. Tagapo and how he successfully conquered the summit. Challenged and inspired by his entry nagplanned na ako na by Monday (06.04) I will conquer that summit (papalipasin ko lang Typhoon Ambo). It was 10.30 in the evening of June 2 when I decided na imove ang akyat ko to an earlier date, the next day. Baba ng unit at punta ng pinakamalapit na 7/11 para bumili ng Trek food at Gatorade. Got my "daypack" backpack at nilagay ang isang pair ng damit, extra shoes (dahil alam ko na maputik), hydration pack at si Chocobo. I left Manila around 4:45am para mahabol ang 6:00am na bangka. Note: To get to Binangonan Port, ride a jeep sa EDSA-Crossing kung saan ang terminal neto for 40.00 pesos only. IT was Sunday so walang traffic at madaling araw kaya lumilipad ang nasakyan kong jeep. Dream ng bawat bagohang mountaineer na maakyat ang Mt. Pulag via Killer Trail dahil sa katangitanging challenge na trail neto at isa ako sa mga nangarap neto noon. February ang buwan na magandang akyatin ang Pulag dahil ang temperature neto ay baba sa 0 degrees (expect na magyeyelo ang paligid). ![]() "All my bags are packed and I'm ready to go" Yes indeed, ready na ako para sa another major climb na to. To fight the cold temperature sa Pulag, I bought an Omni-Heat Columbia Jacket since it was design for cold weather and pair of gloves. I was with my StormChasers friends and 5 mountaineers from GameNest, 2 groups 1 Goal. It started with some mishap because walang nakabili ng ticket ng maaga, so we have an option na sumakay sa 3am na trip ng Victory Liner - Taft or magiging "Chance-Passengers". Dahil hindi pwede ang 3am trip dahil malalate kami sa itinerary. In short, habolan kami ng iba pang possible Bus line na may route papuntang Baguio. Good thing may Route ang Genesis Bus line. We met the rest of the group and our hired jeep sa Baguio around 7:00am, we ate the ever famous strawberry taho then off to Benguet. We took pictures muna sa may Indian Veiw Deck then nag breakfast Jang-Jang Eatery. While we were eating, looking outside the window, may napansin akong hanging bridge sa likod ng bahay. Out of curiosity, after eating I went out and crossed the long bridge. Bago pa yung bridge based sa mga railings neto, hindi pa kinakalawang. By the time na pabalik na ako, I saw the rest of the group approaching kaya ayun, natagalan kami dahil sa PhotoOps. Sinumpa ko na tong bundok na to after ng unang akyat ko na never will I return dahil sa sobrang kapagod ang traverse to Silanguin Cove. I guess nagkamali na naman ako, same sa Mt. Arayat na binalikan ko din after few weeks.
The reason why I joined this climb primary for 2 reasons: The Itinerary was tempting and This time I'm with PACKERS. It's been a while na hindi ako nakakasama sa mga climbs ng group na to....... 'kinna miss these peeps. Dahil medyo may idea na ako sa trail kaya I packed light, light because this time may dala na akong tent. Hindi na ako nagdala ng trail food and focused more on water and Gatorade. This time, hindi na ako nagshorts and nagfivefingers. The usual route, sakay ng Victory liner sa may Edsa-Taft then baba sa Victory Terminal - Olongapo. We waited para sa hired jeep and the rest of the team. By the way, majority ng sumama dito ay first time ko nakasama sa climb, namely Elyn and Ryan (Nakasama ko from Manila to Olongapo) then sina sir Edwin, sir Jo and mam Neg.
Up until now, Hindi pa ako nakapag Mt. Pulag kahit Amba-Amba trail man lang. Every mountaineers knew that Mt. Pulag offers a fantastic view of "The Sea of Clouds", however I am not yet physically and equipment ready so I tried choosing other mountain, Mt. Damas. ![]() 3 teams, 25 participants, 1 summit Few of my fellow climbers mentioned that this mountain offers such view kaya am excited for the climb. 5 of us. from Stormchaser Group, joined 20 other participants of the said climb which was hosted by Green Advocates for Mother Earth - Nature Explorers Society of Tarlac (GAME-NEST). Gearing up for the climb, I prepared 2 packed meals (breakfast and lunch), 2 liters of water, 2 liters of Gatorade and 1 500ml of Powerade. I also bought my first Apexus Tadpole Tent, Trek Pole, 2 pairs of clothes and my climb body Chocobo. This was my first time to participate on a climb wherein I have no idea what's instore for the 2 day activity since I did not received any itinerary. We left Manila via Five Star Bus (Cubao Terminal) around 7.30am heading to Camiling, Tarlac. No idea about the distance, we were a bit shocked because we paid 200+ for the fare, indeed it was a long ride.... no wonder ganoon kamahal ang pamasahe. Mt. Talamitam Nasugbu, Batangas Jump-off point: Sitio Bayabasan, Brgy. Aga, Nasugbu (KM. 83) LLA: 14.1158° N; 120.7577° N; 630 MASL Days required/ Hours to summit: 1 day / 2 hours Specs: Minor climb, Difficulty 3/9, Trail class 1-3 with steep assault (100m) (Source: www.pinoymountaineer.com) - Mt. Talamitam, name derive from Talamitam Trees used to grow on the area. ![]() Me, Grace, Franz, Justin This is a Sabit Climb. Sabit ako sa group nila Grace. Grace was a former office of mine, matagal na namin plan na umakyat noong nasa previous company pa ako, hindi nga lang mapush thru dahil hindi tumutugma schedule namin noon. She invited me sa akyat na to since matagal na din yong group nya hindi nakakaakyat ng bundok, kaso marami nagbackout kaya we ended up 4 ang natuloy. Grace, Franz, Justin and Me. Hindi ko masyado nadocument ang lakad na to kaya hindi magiging detailed ako.... hehehehe. ![]() tinding exposure sa araw Mt. Talamitam is sometimes called Sister mountain of Mt. Batulao dahil sa open-field type na trail. Clue na natin yan na maghanda ng pananga kay haring araw. We took a bus, yung terminal sa may MRT-Taft (Likod ng McDo), bound for Nasugbu, Batangas around 7.30am drop off point is KM 88. We paid 25 pesos each for registration. Since the four of us were new sa Mt. Talamitam, we hired a guide for 300.00. ![]() Registration After registration, pinakilala kami nung guide namin kay Sir Ted (caretaker ng Mt. Talamitam). He gave us a short orientation about sa area, on going ang reforestation sa area ang currently there are 800 seedlings planted and needs adequate water supply. What Sir Ted and his group does is, aside sa regular akyat nila para diligan ang mga seedlings, nagrerequest siya sa mga mountaineers na magdala ng water (mineral water na container). Bubutasan niya yung cap (serves as the sprinkler once squeezed) then he let the mountaineers left it sa taas. Nice idea, isn't it?! ![]() Lyn and Me Just a few weeks after my first Mt. Arayat Traverse, nasundan kaagad eto. This time I'm with my 2 former akyat buddies, the last time we climbed together noong nagMt. Cristobal pa, sobrang tagal na noon. I led the group paakyat since fresh pa sa isipan ko ang trail. We left Manila around 3.30am para magkapagstart ng maaga since we wanted na by the time magtraverse na kami around 11:00am - 12:00pm namin gawin to avoid to much exposure sa araw, iba na kasi ang temperature nowadays, sobrang init. Luckily, hinatid kami mismo ng Bus sa SM San Fernando, then hired a tricycle going to Jump off point (Bgry, Ayala, Magalang). This time hindi na ako nakipaghaggle ng price kasi when the driver asked for PhP 400.00 na fare, I said fair enough since 400.00 din naman yung hiningi sa amin noong unang climb ko. ![]() To the left, papuntang Police Station Madilim pa noong narating namin ang Jump Off point, good thing nagdala si Anlyn ng "malaking" lamp because Thyrone and I forgot to bring our headlamps. (tsk tsk tsk) The usual, kailangan magregister sa may Police Station, unluckily we need to call their attention para magising sila..... mga 20 mins din kami naghintay para magising sila. By the way, hindi na kami kumuha ng guide (dahil sa mga reasons 1. dahil hindi na kami dumaan sa Brgy. Hall 2. Brgy. Hall opens around 8:00am 3. Fresh pa naman sa akin ang trail going up kaya ako nalang ang Guide sa group) This time malaki na ang progress ng mga "Stations of the Cross". I think hindi nila eto mahabol for this year's lent since marami pang major construction. During the first 2 hours ng hike, marami kami nakasabay sa daan (cemented pavements), may mga nagjojog at nagbibike. Mt. Arayat - Magalang Traverse (3,385 feet above sea level) An inactive stratovolcano located between the town of Arayat and Magalang in Pampanga. ![]() 6 people na walang magawa for the weekend. A climb prior joining the Balloon Festival in Angeles City. We hopped a bus (Victory Bus - Pasay) going to Pampanga but accidentally missed our 2.30am trip due to some schedule mishap. We left Manila at around 4.00am and our supposed to be drop off was SM San Fernando but due to miscommunication with the Bus conductor we missed SM and dropped ourselves off to a nearby Chowking Store. Tricycles were all lined up waiting for some passengers then a driver offered his tricycle to bring us to the Jump Off point (Brgy. Ayala). There were haggles for fare and we ended up paying Php 400.00 for 3 people per tricycle. Going to Brgy. Ayala possibly covers at least an hour due distance. We headed to the Brgy. Hall for registration and hire a guide if available, however the Office was closed and only opens at 8.00am. The group decided to pursue the climb without any guide at all. 5 of us were first timers for Mt. Arayat so we solely put our fate to 1 member, hopes as high as Mt. Arayat if she can still remember the trek.
Major jump-off: Sitio Cawag Settment, Subic LLA: 14° 47' N 120° 9' E, 881 MASL Days required / Hours to summit: 2 days / 6-7 hours Specs: Major climb, Difficulty 3/9, Trail class 3 Source: www.pinoymountaineer.com ![]() Brgy. Hall I got another invite from Sir Kevin, Ma'am Andrea and Ma'am Sirikit (met them sa Bakun Trio Climb) through Facebook for a weekend climb @ Mt. Cinco Picos. I gave my "GO" signal to join the said event few hours bago ang climb dahil sa "Tent" reason. Hindi pa ako nagbili because am saving one for Coleman or TNF, since my feet were very much eager to climb I tried contacting Sir Erwin if pwede ako makahiram pero due to heavy traffic hindi na kami nagmeet, I even texted Sir Terry (Apexus) pero late na yung reply nya kaya hindi ako nakapunta sa bahay nila para bumili. Luckily, Sir Kevin (Organizer ng climb) offered to adopt me sa tent nya. 10.3o pm was our call time and everyone was already waiting sa Victory Line Bus Terminal - Pasay and at exactly 11.00 pm we left Manila (Fare: P218.00). 2:40 am, we arrived at Victory Line Bus Terminal - Olongapo, bought food para sa packed Breakfast and Lunch, wherein these will be consumed during the trek. ![]() Our hired Jeep was already waiting outside Chowking and by 3.31am we left the terminal. FYI: Climbing to Mt. Cinco Picos requires a Letter of Intent that will be submitted to the Brgy. Hall (secure at least 2 copies). First stop, Brgy Hall for the letter of intent, waited for few minutes since madaling araw kami nambulabog sa office then off to the Registration Center (Sitio Cawag). Paid our dues, P40.00 per head then punta na sa Jump off point. Sa Jump off point may separate na registration na naman (P20.00), I dunno the exact reason why.... I was sleepy when the Former Chieftain explained it. :P ![]() Camp Site I used my Fivefinger Vibram Trek Sport to test its durability and how comfortable this foot wear would be. At around 5:30am we started the trek...... Cogon grasses were all over and possible 6 ft tall.... few hours palang ang nakalipas dami ko ng blade cuts. Aside from Cogon grass na kalaban mo trail, mabato din eto. Most of it were sharp-edged stones kaya double ingats pa ra hindi masugatan. Kunti lang ang mga assault na part going to the Peaks and mostly "a walk in the park" trail lang. Walang masyadong magandang tanawin compared sa Mt. Kabunian but still Mt. Cinco Picos offers unique views. We reached the Camp Site around 10.30 am, rested for a while then nagvotation pa kung aakyat sa dalawang Peak na available for climb. Many voted na akyatin ang Peak 1 since malapit lang naman yet may naginsist na aakyat sa Peak 2 din (Ako yun!). ![]() @ Peak 1 Out of 14 participants, 9 were able to conquered Peak 1....... then I started my hike going to Peak 2, then sumunod si Ma'am Sirikit then followed Sir Kevin. Peak 1 to Peak 2 was just an easy trail, kunting flat then assault, about 15 mins nasa Peak 2 kana. According sa Guide namin (Mang Joseph) Peak 3 is currently closed kasi ang trail ay delikado while Peak 4 and 5 ay wala pang trail na naestablished. ![]() background: Mt. Balingkilat The three of us headed back sa Camp Site, took our lunch then by 12.30 or so start na kami magtraverse papuntang Silanguin Cove. Although from Camp Site palang makikita mo na ang Silanguin Cove and Green Island. Mabato and dried Cogon grass were every where sa trail na if hindi ka maging careful... slide ang abot mo kung maapakan. What makes Mt. Cinco Picos climb exiting is the River-Crossing............ actually Rivers. ![]() Maraming rivers and stream na madadaaan, yun nga lang sa climb na to dry ang mga rivers kaya boulders and boulders lang ang aming nadadaan at nasasaksihan. Naiimagine ko nalang kung may tubig ang mga rivers, mas mapapabagal ang lakad namin and seeing the rocks, gaano kaya kalakas ang rapids... 12 hrs in full pack............... 2 Peaks conquered in 1 day hike. ![]() My Fivefinger Vibram Trek Sport did not fail me, indeed it was very comfortable and light kaya hindi ko nararamdaman na nacocompress ang mga toes ko compared pagnakaboots o na ka trek shoes. Although masarap sa paa ang Fivefingers, hindi ko eto inaadvise na gamitin sa mga trail na mabatong mabato, just like Mt. Cinco Picos, dahil sa medyo manipis although may spikes naman ang Trek Sports since design to for trekking talaga. All in all, hindi ako nagsisi na binili ko to (P5950.00) based sa performance na pinakita neto kahit na mahabang lakaran sa mabatong trail hindi eto bumigay. |
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