I do not want to ride the bandwagon, posting stuff about Tado (and 13 others) and the tragedy that befell that Florida Bus in Benguet, I just wanted to say my well-wishes to him quietly as he makes his way to paradise. But one thing just caught my attention as I browsed through my morning dose of news (http://www.rappler.com/nation/49972-comedian-tado-among-dead-in-mt-province-bus-accident). This one:
There's something magical about mountains, really. That's what draws us, mountain enthusiasts (I would not even consider myself a mountaineer) to sacrifice physical comfort to bask in the beauty of the mountain. Actually it's just a very basic concept of risk and rewards. Right from the start, I just wanted to enjoy the mountains and did not want to count how many I've climbed (Ayokong magmukhang mayabang. Climbing many mountains is in no way something to brag about). I did not want to be a peak-bagger. But on hindsight, I think Tado has something in mind in doing this project. I may never know what it is, but trusting his uncanny wit, I decided to just go with it.
Anyway, I think this project of Tado is interesting and downright noble. So to pick up where he left off, I will make my own contribution to this 40 Mountains Project. My objective is simple, let people have a peek at the beauty of the mountains through my camera's lens. It is my fervent hope that I can share with you my admiration of the beauty of nature and somehow contribute to its conservation and an overall awareness for the environment. I may not be able to justify the beauty of the mountains through my photographs, but I do hope that this small contribution can instill in you, the readers, the need to conserve these wonders. Hey, capturing them in photos is in one way preserving them, right?
I'll be posting 10 mountains per post so be patient as I complete this project. I don't have a concrete time frame on when to complete the 40, I just enjoy the company of the mountains as opportunities arise. The mountains are posted on chronological order, on when I first climbed it.
Life Begins at the Mountain and my journey starts here.
#1. Mt. Pulag (2,922 MASL)| Kabayan, Benguet
Mt. Pulag - Ambangeg Trail has been increasingly becoming popular with local and foreign tourists alike. By tourists, I mean even those that do not have mountaineering experience can climb this highest mountain in Luzon and third in the country - including me. This was my first mountain which I climbed with 5 others last 2009. This may be a leisure climb, but please, if you are planning to climb this for the first time, kindly prepare accordingly. The temperature can plunge to single digits. Plus, seeing "mountaineers" climbing with skinny jeans and a hoodie is a big eye sore. Also known as the "Playground of the Gods", Pulag is known for the Sea of Clouds which you can witness at the summit. However, to those who wants to climb Pulag in search of serene and quiet escape to meditate, you may opt to find other Cordilleran mountains. The summit can become pretty crowded, thanks (or no thanks) to its popularity. Another awe-inspiring that you should not miss is the clear starry night sky at Pulag ala planetarium. Plus, there's even a phone signal at the campsite!
Update: In December of 2014, we finally got to try the Akiki-Ambangeg trail. This was dubbed as the 'killer' trail by some. But I think, compared to the other local mountain trails that I have been through, this is by far the nearest that comes close to the trails of Mt. Kinabalu and Mt. Yushan (well, although by comparison to these 2 international summits, the Akiki Trail has a long way to go). The trail is clean and well-kept and the campsites of Eddet River and Marlboro Country has a clean toilet and clean water source. As compared to the dilapidated latrine of Camp 2 or the dirty toilets of Babadak Ranger Station in Ambangeg. The climb up the saddle camp was steep but manageable. Sadly we hadn't had a good time in the summit as well as in the saddle camp because the wind was blowing hard, it was drizzling and we are wet and cold. We could not even get out of our tents! Well, here is picture in the grasslands as we are nearing the Saddle Camp.
#2. Mt. Maculot (Rockies - 706 MASL)| Cuenca, Batangas
Maculot is one of the popular dayhike-able destinations in Batangas, along with mountain #3, Batulao. After having the experience of hiking Pulag, I was quite sure that I will just breeze through Maculot, considering it was just a dayhike. As the popular saying goes, "Never underestimate the mountains.", I was in for a slap-in-the-ass from mother nature. The trail was composed of around 40 to 60 degree steep inclines for the most part so in no time, I was already experiencing leg cramps, the year was 2011. So when the chance came in the last week of March 2013, I came with Victor Ayson with three others to do my personal revenge climb. This mountain claimed the life of my friend Victor a week after we did the climb (http://bentambling123.blogspot.com/2013/04/tribute-to-victor-joel-ayson.html).
The main attraction of this mountain is the Rockies, as shown in the picture. This will provide you a beautiful vantage point to the scenic Taal Lake.
#3. Mt. Batulao (811 MASL)| Nasugbu, Batangas
For a person with Acrophobia, this mountain gave me all sorts of shivers. Some parts of the trail is composed of "knife's edge", meaning you'll fall off the ravine on both sides of the trail which can normally accommodate a single file of hikers. This is also a unique climb for me since this is the first time I did a night trek. We traversed the Batulao Ring, from new trail where we camped, up to the old trail. Aside from the "knife's edge", another highlight of the trail is the 90-degree rock wall where you need to rappel all the way down. We climbed Batulao with only a three-man team, led by Victor Ayson in January of 2013.
#4. Mt. Romelo (240 MASL)| Siniloan, Laguna
Hidden in the jungles of Famy, Laguna, you can find this gem - the Buruwisan Falls. You must first climb Mt. Romelo and some trekking all the way to this wonderful falls. Actually Buruwisan is just one of the numerous falls in the area. Although the mountain is not that high, the trail is composed of challenging steep inclines, which may be increasingly difficult during rainy seasons because of mud which will make the trek slippery. Also be always on the look out for the limatiks, those worm-like leeches. These sneaky little bastards will suck the blood out of you without even noticing it. Luckily, I did not fell victim to these little assh*les, it took mountain #8 for me to realize how irritating these limatiks could get.
#5. Mt. Gulugod-Baboy (525 MASL)| Anilao, Batangas
Funny enough, this mountain is called Gulugod-Baboy because it looks like a pig's spine - an evidence of Filipino's uncanny imagination. Well, luckily I was not the local who named it as such because if it's me, I will call it Mt. Mountainception - it is like a mountain on top of a mountain. And climbing it on summer is quite a bad idea because as you can see, the grassy hills are as bald as the man in the picture (haha! Sorry I just have to attribute it) and it can get very hot. So as a side trip, you can go snorkeling in the nearby Sombrero Island (which we did) to cool yourselves off.
#6. Mt. Daguldol (670 MASL)| San Juan, Batangas
Actually this climb was one for the books. We did a beach camp before doing a dayhike to Daguldol. In that beach camp, I was so drunk that I fell asleep on the sand and it took a dog sniffing my head in the morning to wake me up. haha! So yeah, most of us were already running on fumes at the early part of the climb because we all drank one too many alcohol the night before. More than reaching the summit, I think the highlight of the climb is the seaside trail, which is unique - and awesome.
#7. Mt. Manalmon (196 MASL)| San Miguel, Bulacan
Climbing Manalmon is just one of the attractions in this part of Sitio Madlum in Bulacan. The sight is one to behold as you climb the summit. You can see the lush green surroundings which you will really think that "damn, this should be protected." Going in Madlum is not complete without traversing the Monkey Bridge as well as challenging yourself with a spelunking adventure on the caves nearby. You can also try cliff diving on the river, but make sure first that it is deep enough to support your plunge - safety first.
#8. Mt. Makiling (1,090 MASL)| Los Baños, Laguna
In my four years' stay in UP Los Baños as a studious iskolar ng bayan, I did not have the chance to climb Mt. Makiling because, again, I am studious and I spent my free time studying... among other things. haha! Actually parts of the Mt. Makiling forest reserve is still part of UPLB's sprawling campus, making it the largest university campus in the country at 14,665 hectares. What I like about the trail is its lush green vegetation and wood trees which gives you a refreshing eye candy. But as what I've said earlier, this mountain is teeming with sleek limatik bastards - an indicator of a healthy ecosystem. Three of them managed to penetrate my socks (one on my left foot, two on the right) and I was already bleeding for the most part of the climb without feeling anyting. While on your way, you can actually do a side trip to the mudspring or take a dip at the Flatrocks which can be found at the UPLB part of the Mt. Makiling trail. You can read more of it here: http://bentambling123.blogspot.com/2013/07/a-date-with-maria-makiling.html
#9. Mt. Pico de Loro (664 MASL)| Ternate, Cavite
Parrots Beak. 'nuff said. It looks like a freakin' parrot's beak! How cool is that? http://bentambling123.blogspot.com/2013/10/in-photos-mt-pico-de-loro.html
Update: I just have to admit, when I was writing this part 2 years ago (I'm updating this presently, at 2016), I was already lazy at that point. So I just linked my previous entry about Pico, which was also a half-assed written blog. haha! Anyway, we went back in Pico de Loro March 2014 to do a dayhike. It was a lazy Sunday afternoon, perfect time for a stretching.
As one of the easily-accessible mountains (from Manila), it is also one of the dirtiest. The former campsite was so, messed-up and there's trash all over. This is the same situation Batulao and Maculot is in. There are vandalism in most areas along the trail, including the monolith. Also, there were surge of people climbing at the mountain, considering that there's no crowd control (just as any Philippine mountains and natural parks). During our first climb up Pico, we were able to climb the monolith. But this wasn't the case a year after. We weren't able to climb the monolith because there was a freakin' long line of people!
Because of the complicated situation of land ownership in the area, the old trail was closed and that a new trail was opened starting at the DENR premises. I think this was late 2015 or early 2016. And because of the surge of people and the damage it brought to the mountain, it was also decided the monolith be closed to "mountaineers". But being crafty Filipinos as we have always been, the compliance on that ruling has been more optional rather than mandatory - there are still people climbing up the monolith. When the time comes and that monolith is gone, we can never call Pico de Loro as it is.
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| This is Pico de Loro during summer. |
#10. Mt. Apo (2,956 MASL)| Digos, Davao del Sur and Kidapawan, North Cotabato
Actually this is my favorite shot during our Mt. Apo climb. Taken around 15minutes below the summit, en route to the camp site. I was hesitating to take this shot because it was freakin cold and I was under-dressed. I just wore a rash guard plus a dry-fit shirt on top plus shorts. This was around 3pm in the afternoon and the temperature was hitting 10-15 degree Celsius. My hands were shivering, but then I thought, "nah, f*ck it, I'm here anyway, let's capture this one!". The highest mountain in the Philippines, the grandfather of Philippine mountains: Mt. Apo, everyone! http://bentambling123.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-pimp-daddy-of-philippine-mountains.html
...So yeah, stay tuned for the next parts as I try to accomplish the 40 mountains project. leche naman Tado, andami daming numero kwarenta pa napili mo! kamusta naman yun 'pre, basag tuhod aabutin ko neto! HAHAHA! pero relax ka lang dyan. pahinga ka lang ng maayos. makukumpleto ko din 'to.
wasak.
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