The Journey to 100 Mountains (Part 3 of 6)

This batch of 10 mountains will bring you to the icy peaks of Japanese central alps, the hidden treasure of Davao Oriental, Cebu's popular peak and various mountains of Luzon.

70 down, 30 more to go!

I hope my knees would still hold up until then.

#61: Mt. Tenglawan (1,943 MASL) | Bakun, Benguet

It was June 12, and I was actually holding up a Philippine flag there. 

As part of the touted Bakun Trio, Mt. Tenglawan is known for its Carrot Peak. An imposing monolithic rock outcrop few meters from the summit. The trail towards this mountain will lead you to communities nestled at the mountain side, offering you views of vibrant green rice terraces as well as imposing waterfalls during rainy season (we climbed this in June by the way). Doing the Bakun Trio (Kabunian, Tenglawan and Lubo) has been popular among mountaineers in the advent of easier access to rentable transport. But in our case, we chose to travel to this area via local transport – which can only be accessed via public bus in La Trinidad only once a day (bus leaves at 6am). Travel time to Bakun Poblacion can range from 6 to 10 hours, depending on road situation – parts of the route are prone to landslides and can impede transportation and can sometimes force you to walk for the rest of the way, which happened in our case.

The vibrant slopes of Bakun.

One destination in Bakun which is more spectacular during rainy season is the Tekip Falls. Considering that in taking the public transportation going to Bakun, you would reach the Poblacion most probably early in the afternoon. A trek to the Tekip Falls can help you freshen up and prime you for the early morning trek to Tenglawan the next day. 

Awesome during rainy season, meh during summer. This is Tekip Falls.

#62: Mt. Balingkilat (1,100 MASL) | Subic, Zambales

We were originally planning to do a 2-day venture into Sitio Cawag’s peaks but instead had to abort and only cover a circuit around Mt. Balingkilat due to the threat of heavy rains and most notably lack of water supply. Scarcity of water supply in Balingkilat is the main reason for its notoriety – especially during summer.

 

At the summit of Mt. Balingkilat, overlooking parts of Subic and the lahar trail of Mt. Pinatubo on upper-left.

Fit for a dayhike, one variation for a climb up Balingkilat is a traverse towards either Anawangin, Nagsasa or Silanguin Coves. In doing a traverse or a circuit, you get to pass through an exposed ridge reminiscent of Guiting-Guiting which can be challenging once the wind picks up. Actually, we were surprised Balingkilat had that section!

Towards the ridge, Cinco Picos looming at the horizon.

#63: Mt. Marami (552 MASL) | Magallanes, Cavite

During those times that Rizal Mountains were not as popular as it is now, CALABARZON Mountains were the destination of budding mountaineers – Mt. Marami being one of them. Along with the historical Mts. Buntis and Nagpatong as well as the iconic Pico de Loro of Mt. Palay-Palay, this mountain is one of Cavite’s gems.

 

It can get pretty crowded at the summit.

The mountain’s summit is mostly composed of stone outcrops, at which, the most popular spot being the ‘silyang bato’. During a clear day, you can have a clear view of Pico de Loro from a distance. A hike up this mountain can pretty much be a good day’s worth of warm-up.  

#64: Mt. Pigingan (1,328 MASL) | Itogon, Benguet

Nestled in the ranges of Itogon, Benguet, Mt. Pigingan has steadily gained popularity among hikers. Due to its accessibility from Baguio, it has become an alternative destination to Mt. Ulap. The trail transitions from an easy incline to steep assault up to the summit. Most of the trail is pretty much exposed and can get very hot during the day. Tree cover starts once reach a rolling ridge almost 30 minutes before the summit.

 

At the summit of Pigingan with Mt. Ugo imposing at the background.

The main feature of this mountain is a short ‘knife-edge’ ridge segment leading to the summit, at which, a quick scrambling needs to be done. Additional challenge arises once the winds pick up and you are caught in the ridge, you just have to cling for dear life and ascend slowly but surely. At the summit, you get to have a view of Mt. Ugo and the Philex Ridge (Mt. Ulap) on the other side.  

#65: Akagi Nozaki Saddle (2,616 MASL) | Yatsugatake-Renpo, Japan

Akadake, literally translated as the Red Mountain - got its name because it turns red once it starts to be illuminated by the rising sun. 

The Central Alps of Japan is quite popular among mountaineers due to the amphitheater-like formation of its formidable peaks. Among the numerous peaks, three peaks remain popular – Iodake, Yokodake and Akadake. A traverse through these three peaks is one of the Alpine climbing challenges among the Japanese (either from Aka to Io or the reverse). In my case, I chose to approach it via Iodake. For those that has time, a full traverse of the Yatsugatake ridge can also be done in 4-5 days.

  

Yes. It's THAT cold.

 This particular climb takes the cake at being the most memorable for this list as this was the first time I did a solo, unassisted climb. To top it up, in a foreign land at that – in winter. It was really challenging and to be honest quite lonely. I had to start trekking 3am on the second day to push for the first peak (Iodake) and to my horror, the wind started to peak up and I was caught at the ridge face. I had to soldier on to reach the saddle only to be exposed to hip-deep snow and even stronger winds. I had to abort the summit assault and prioritize safety and had to go down - with the summit of Iodake in plain sight.

Iodake's summit as seen from the ridge. Strong winds can easily bring down temperatures by 10-15 degrees - to think that the base temperature at the time was -15 degrees Celsius.

This had been my second winter ascend after Annapurna, and although it was quite traumatic, I think I would consider doing winter climbs again in the future – NOT solo

definitely.

#66-67: Mt. Lubog (955 MASL) & Mt. Balagbag (777 MASL) | Rodriguez, Rizal

This area in Rodriguez, Rizal is quite popular among trail runners, mountain bikers and even dirt motorbikes. So it is not really surprising that peaks surrounding the area has seen increasing numbers of hikers that ventures it peaks.

  

Mt. Lubog in Brgy. Puray is mainly characterized by its karst summit with limestone outcrops forming rigid patters that are quite interesting to see. At the summit you get to have a view of the more virgin parts of Sierra Madre in the jurisdiction of Rizal Province. Highly characteristic of limestone-dominated mountains, caves are also present near its foot and is a welcome side trip after venturing its summit.

Our guide standing atop one of the rock formations of Mt. Lubog's summit.

Connected by existing routes, you can head to Mt. Balagbag (one of the most popular mountains in the area). It can however be noted that there’s quite a scarcity of tree cover along the trail which can get pretty hot in the afternoon during sunny days and can get very muddy during the rainy season. Mt. Balagbag’s summit can offer you a view of the sunset overlooking the Metro Manila’s skyline up to the Manila Bay. Seeing the metropolis steadily light up in the transition of sunset to early evening is also quite an interesting sight. 

Metro Manila's evening night lights

#68: Mt. Hamiguitan (1,620 MASL) | San Isidro, Davao Oriental

The first time I caught wind of this mountain was during the releasing of Philippine Eagle Pamana in its slopes. Sadly, it did not end well and the Eagle ended up dead supposedly from a gunshot wound. A documentary was produced for this mountain, I think before its closure in 2010. There I saw vast pygmy forest which was quite other-worldly and there, I thought it would be awesome to climb this mountain one day.

 

Descending the slopes of Hamiguitan.

I just had to wait because it was closed off for rehabilitation purposes in 2010 and that was seeking to be inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In 2014 it became Mindanao’s first and only UNESCO World Heritage Site (bringing it at par with Mt. Kinabalu) and also an ASEAN Heritage Park. It has reopened late last year and it has been a surreal experience to be able to climb it and see for myself the famed expansive field of pygmy forest, some of which are already century-old. It hosts a number of endemic flora and fauna and that it is one of the last habitat of the Philippine Eagle and the Philippine Cockatoo.

#69: Mt. Labalasan/Osmeña Peak (1,013 MASL) | Dalaguete, Cebu

It gets really foggy at Brgy. Mantalongon in the morning.

Brgy. Mantalongon in Dalaguete, Cebu is dubbed as the Baguio of the province owing to the relatively cold climate and its high altitude. This area is teeming with agricultural produce reminiscent of the Cordilleras like cabbage and sayote, among others. The most prominent peak in the area is the Osmeña Peak – which overlooks the seemingly sharper cousin of the Chocolate Hills. Standing atop the peak, you can have a glimpse of the other side of the Cebu shoreline in the municipality of Badian, which hosts the equally popular Kawasan Falls. 

Atop the Osmeña peak, overlooking the shores of Badian.

The trek to this peak is an easy 15 minute incline since the area is already paved and the jump-off point can easily be accessed via habal-habal. One variation to this trek is a complete traverse from the peak towards Kawasan Falls, but for those who just want to chill out, after the quick trip to the peak you can ride a habal towards Badian for an easy one and a half hour ride.

#70: Mt. Mal-Ac (637 MASL) | Rodriguez, Rizal

The slopes of Mal-Ac, mostly exposed and it can get reaaallly hot especially in the afternoon.

Located in the hinterlands of Rodriguez in Rizal province, this mountain is one of the peaks that overlooks the Dumagat community of Sitio Quinao which is situated at the river-side valley below the imposing mountain. This destination has just been recently opened to hikers and the barangay is hopeful that it would pick up the interest of hikers and would be a staple destination in Rizal like Balagbag, Lubog and Daraitan, among others – so the local community (especially the Dumagat) can have an alternative source of income as mountain guides because the primary source of income of the population presently remains to be charcoal making which entails the slashing and burning of patches of forest in the area. This source of livelihood is not only unsustainable but also detrimental to the nearby water sheds that are the main source of potable water for Metro Manila.

Basketball never stops. Even for the Dumagat tribe of Sitio Quinao.