Taking the Torch: 40 Mountains Project (part 2 of 4)

So here's the second installment of the 40 mountains project, which, as stated in the first part,
(you can find it here: http://bentambling123.blogspot.com/2014/02/taking-torch-40-mountains-project-part.html) is my little contribution to the preservation of these wonders, through photographs (well, and a brief description of each).

Life begins at the mountain. Here's mountains 11 to 20.



#11. Mt. Amuyao (2,702 MASL)| Barlig, Mountain Province

Home-bound. Took this pic as we descend from the summit camp site. The condition was like this since we started the climb the day before. Wet, cold, and with minimal to zero visibility.

For the record, this has been the most challenging climb I've experienced so far. There were only six of us and we opted not to get a guide because as others suggested, the trail is straight-forward and very established that there is very minimal chance of getting lost. So yeah, we got lost before we even found the trail head. HAHA! We had to scramble through Barlig's rice terraces (which, looking back, is an awesome experience) for over an hour and a half before a local elderly woman with her awesome dog found us struggling and helped us find the trail.

Shit hit the fan when we started to ascend the steep slopes (ranging from 60-80 degrees incline), with misty/drizzling conditions all throughout the climb with very minimal visibility. We were expecting "Cordillera's best sunrise" as a reward, but yeah, we got an all fogged up, wet and cold summit as a prize. That's a hard-earned unrewarding climb right there. haha! Lesson learned: the best time to climb Cordilleran mountains is during summer time, as you can see in mountain #20.

Update: On the Holy Week of April 2015, we decided to make a take 2 of Mt. Amuyao, this time via the Barlig-Batad Traverse. There was some sort of hidden vendetta since we didn't part in good terms with this mountain last 2013. We made sure that the weather is great, thus, the summer holy week climb. But a major party pooper was on its way - Typhoon Chedeng. Well, luckily, we were already in Batad chilling our tired muscles when what's left of the typhoon hit us.

The trail. As usual, the first day was a buffet of assault, ready to test your mettle. Great view of Barlig's rice terraces - along with that of Pat-yay, Cambulo and of course Batad's amphitheater-like rice terraces. In the summit, it really lives up to its moniker as the best sunrise in the Cordilleras as you see the sun rise amid the towering mountains of the Cordilleras. It was clear, cloudless sunrise - it was sweet revenge.

The trek was not that easy at all. The tricky descent from the summit to Pat-yay and the mountain-crossing ascent and descent leading to Cambulo was just the icing on the cake. Trekking the rock-laden, narrow pathways (one small slip and you're doomed) leading to the settlement in Cambulo in pitch-black darkness was the real deal - your headlamp is your best buddy. As a summary, we clocked in 9 hours trekking time in the first day, 13 hours the second and 3 hours the third - reaching the campsite at 10pm both at the first and second day (majority of the team reached the campsite at around 8:30 to 9pm the first day. As a sweeper, I had to stay and ensure the last man was accounted for). So, here's just one of the epic rewards from Amuyao:

Woke up with this. The great Amuyao sunrise.

 #12. Tarak Ridge (1,130 MASL)| Mariveles, Bataan

Mahangin ba sa labas? OO. P*TAH.

This was the last climb I joined for 2013 and it capped of my 12 mountains in 12 months conquest. Surprisingly, this was quite a chillaxin climb because we even had siesta time at Papaya River before ascending the campsite at the ridge line. Oh boy, dipping at the Papaya River sure is refreshing! One thing to look out though is that the wind speed at the ridge is quite crazy so better gun for the campsite which has tree cover (the one you can see at the picture). On a clear sky, the view is astounding, you can even see the pollution covering Manila from this vantage point. haha!

#13. Cinco Picos (881 MASL)| Subic, Zambales

Eyes on the prize: Silanguin cove as seen from the descent through Cinco Picos.

Summit-to-sea adventure? Check. That's what we did for this climb. We traversed Cinco Picos and ended up in Silanguin Cove. Quick tip: start your trek very early. VERY. EARLY. There tree cover is minimal to none for the most part of the trail. So you would not want to be exposed at the peak of the heat of the mid-day sun. As most climbs, this is exhausting, but don't worry, waiting at the end of your adventure is the welcoming sands and relaxing beach of Silanguin Cove. This is one of the coves in Pundaquit, Zambales, along with the more popular Anawangin and Nagsasa Coves. Being the farthest one, chances are, you will have this place all for yourselves! Comparing the three coves, Silanguin, in my opinion is much better (just watch out for jelly fishes!).

Apparently, there is an urban legend that a big-balled man-ape that resides in one of the 5 peaks. Talk about Pinoy ingenuity, if other countries have Big Foot and Yeti, we have here Tuling - a man-ape who has balls big enough that he has to drag it. Cool sh*t!

#14-16. Mt. Pack (2,290 MASL) Mt. Purgatory (2,080 MASL) Mt. Komkompol (2,329 MASL)| Bokod, Benguet

Trekking above the clouds: afternoon at Mt. Purgatory. 

Actually, based on the brochure given to us by the local government, there are actually around 7 mountains all in all in doing the Mt. Purgatory-Mangisi traverse, but the three enumerated above are the 'major' ones. We managed to climb Mt. Pack and Mt. Purgatory on day 1's grueling 10-hour trek, then Mt. Komkompol on the next day. Mt. Pack's summit boasts a picturesque mossy forest which is overlooking the surrounding mountains and communities at the foot of the mountain. Mt. Purgatory on the other hand, has a cabin surrounded by bushes, which, at a good time on a day is perfect for sea of clouds spotting (as can be seen at the background of the picture above). Mt. Komkompol on the other hand has a ridge which is a perfect vantage point in viewing Mt. Purgatory on one side and Mt. Pulag on the other, but we were not lucky enough to enjoy this because the site was fogged up when we reached it. Again, what did we learn in mountain #11? HAHA!

#17. Mt. Cristobal (1,470 MASL)| Dolores, Quezon

Sunset watching at Mt. Cristobal.

They call this the "Devil's Mountain", I think those who coined this is just misinformed. Well actually it's just a naming game since this mountain is adjacent to Mt. Banahaw which is considered by some as a "Holy Mountain". Mt. Cristobal has a perfect spot for viewing San Pablo, Laguna and its 7 lakes below, as well as the surrounding mountains (as can be seen in the photo above). On a clear day, sunset and sunrise watching is simply awesome!

#18. Mt. Kinabalu (4,095 MASL)| Sabah, Malaysia

The picturesque South Peak at sunrise.

SO.FRIKKIN.AWESOME. haha! Sorry, I just can't contain it. This is my most unforgettable climb so far - my first international climb. Climbing this mountain, seeing and setting foot at its rocky peaks and reaching the summit is a surreal experience. Mt. Kinabalu is almost 1,000 meters higher than Mt. Apo (Philippines' highest) - pretty much like stacking Mt. Makiling on top of Mt. Apo. Mountains 13-17 were actually done on 4 consecutive weekends prior to the Mt. Kinabalu climb as a preparatory training. I was actually dreading for Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) or High-Altitude Sickness in particular because this is the first time I'll be climbing a mountain above 3,000 meters. The training was good for physical conditioning actually, but at around  3,500 meters during the ascent to Laban Rata, I experienced a throbbing pain on my head, much like a migraine on steroids. Well, good thing, it went away by the time of the assault to the summit, all thanks to paracetamol and advil plus awful lotsa water.

Our total trekking time was around 24 hours in just 2 days. This broke my personal record of approximately 22 hour-trekking time during the Mt. Apo Kapatagan-Kidapawan traverse, which we did for 3 days. The second day (assaulting the summit) started at 2am and ended at around 6pm, since we did the Messilau Trail on the descent. For this climb, we had 2 certificates, one for reaching the summit, and another by taking on the more challenging (and excruciatingly longer) Messilau Trail. This one's for the books!

#19. Mt. Talinis (1,903 MASL)| Dauin and Valencia City, Negros Oriental

Casaroro Falls: One of the eye candies of the Apolong Trail.

Found in Negros Oriental, Mt. Talinis is my first Visayan mountain. This is alternately called 'Cuernos de Negros' or Horns of Negros because of its numerous conspicuous peaks towering over the province. As a dormant volcano, it has a number of lakes on it which are once part of its caldera. Notable lakes are Balinsasayao and Danao Twin lakes, and lakes Yagumyum and Nailig (which serves as the main camping ground).

During the climb, we were lucky enough - and I am being sarcastic here - to have a low pressure area hovering near the province (they said it's gonna be summer! haha!) so the trail was helluva slippery and we were fogged up in the campsite. We did not push through in climbing the summit due to zero visibility. Since the trail was frikkin slippery, we started counting how many times we slipped during the climb (we were a 5-man team by the way), with Deo, our team leader bagged the Epic Slip Award when he slipped at the side of a ridge while texting (don't worry, nothing lethal). Texting while trekking = bad idea.

Most of the highlights of the trek was on the Apolong trail on our descent (we did a Bediao-Apolong traverse). Here you can find the Kaipohan Sulfur vents (which is reminiscent of a battle ground from the Lord of the Rings with its bleached rocks and dead trees), the refreshing twin falls, pristine rivers, and finally the majestic Casaroro Falls.

Don't forget to take a dip along the trail!

#20. Mt. Napulauan (2,642 MASL)| Hungduan, Ifugao

Overlooking Mt. Pulag from a distance from the summit of Mt. Napulauan.

Again, what did we learn in mountain #11? The best time to climb Cordilleran mountains is during summer. That we did for Mt. Napulauan. We did this during the Holy Week holiday and it was awesome. Although it was drizzling on the first day, we were rewarded by very great clearing on the summit the morning of the 3rd day. You see, Mt. Napuluan is like at the heart of Cordillera, you can see Mt. Amuyao (mountain #11) on one side, as can be seen on the picture below and Mt. Pulag (mountain #1) on the other, as in the picture above.

Mt. Amuyao, basking in a sea of clouds.

What I like about this mountain is its pristine trail. The seemingly random growth of the moss-covered bushes and trees along the trail on the descent gives you a sense of awe as you trek - which is awesome. You also get to trek along the rice terraces of Hapao on the last part of the descent - which is also awesome. Plus, the clearing was damn great - which, again is also awesome. So, what did we learn so far? I repeat: the best time to climb Cordilleran mountains is during summer. Get it?

--Side Note--

Just this month, there was a National Mountain Clean-up Day, well, since this is my blog, here's my two cents:

National Mountain Clean-up Day. Actually, there's no need for this if only:

1. Mountaineers and "mountaineers" fully grasp the concept of Leave no Trace (LNT) and apply it faithfully. 
2. DENR, LGUs and Barangays (even private land owners, at which the trails pass through, as in the case of Pico de Loro and Tarak) spend effectively the environmental fees, climbing fees and whatever-that-shit-is fees that mountaineers pay for the preservation (daw) of the mountain.

Well these are also applicable to other tourist spots, especially those that fall under eco-tourism. Seems that sustainable development for these sites are just that damn hard.

Just sayin'.