Mt. Pulag: a test of character (conclusion)

day 3: 3 am, wake up call.

no one woke up on time, and yes, we were able to sleep despite the continous pounding of the wind as if someone's knocking on our tent.

and it did not rain, though it felt like it did.

4:30 am, i don't know what's up with me, but again, just like in day two, i was the first one to wake up. and unlike in day two, i did not make any big movements to wake up the others. i open the tent and peek outside but can't see a thing! goodness, the fog! i looked for my headlamp and my clumsy movements woke up my tentmates. ooops, i did it again hehehe.

moments later, while they're still scrambling inside, i stepped outside and the light coming out of my headlamp can only penetrate a few meters of darkness, the fog looks everything blurry! and the wind to be honest was a bit scary.

from the looks of everything, experiencing the much awaited sunrise and the famous sea of clouds in pulag summit is getting dimmer and dimmer by the minute, like the fog's burying them. i am starting to lose hope, i even reserved two pairs of extra batteries just for that, and now, this. sigh.

since we cannot do anything about the weather, and we have an itinerary to follow (and we're already at least an hour behind it), we have to go on with life (drama hehe). we did our assigned responsibilities, i did the tent and them the cooking. we tried to move as fast as we could but the fog, which was similar to a drizzle but it's not, was slowing our movements and the wind was like playing on our things. i had fun chasing anything blown by the wind (ambabaw ko no?) but had a hard time with the tent. hay naku, ilipad ba naman habang tinitiklop ko?!

and everything that was exposed to the fog was wet!

our breakfast of hotdog, porkchop and fried rice were like wet hotdog, wet porkchop and wet friend rice, and our coffee was hot on the first sip and then cold on the next. the good thing about the fog? libre hilamos na hehehe.

some of the senior members went ahead to the summit to prepare for the induction rite. after we made sure everything's okey (no trash around, no garbage, nothing and no one's left), we let our excited feet run-walk towards the summit. but running is not advisable (ewan ko ba naman sa amin hehe) as you will run out of breath because of the elevation and the fog and the wind.

a few minutes later, i am just a few steps away from the summit, and the senior members are there waiting for us, clapping and congratulating us. i dashed the remaining steps and from there, the feeling of satisfaction was evident with all the smiles plastered on everyone's faces!

WE MADE IT!

it feels like we won something! "yes!" was the most abused word for the day, and why not? if there's a word that describes what we feel that moment aside from "we made it", then it's yes! yes, indeed!

as the celebration subsided and the endless jubilant pictorials mellowed, we were inducted. how? secret. hehehe. welcome to the mountaineering community.

the celebration would have been orgasmic had there been a clearing, but fog is all we see.

and from the summit to our way down, save from some view, fog was all we see. but aside from not experiencing that supposedly wonderful sunrise, we have nothing to complain and in fact we're all smiling and satisfied with what we accomplished, the compliment from our guide that we did a very good pace for Akiki-Ambangeg trails puts a little yabang in our hearts.

as i walk to the sides of the mountain, i look back at mt. pulag and promised myself that i'll be back. it was hard and tiring and all other adjectives that described exhausting, but no matter what, definitely, i'll be back.

Mt. Pulag: a test of character (continuation)

November 3: day two.

Our wake up call was 4 am, i woke up at 3:30, not that i wanted/intended to but because i can feel the cold moist on my feet, damn! whoever's the last person to come inside the tent last night must be out of his mind to just half-closed it. medyo nabasa tuloy yung medyas ko.

And since i am fully awaked already, papayag ba akong ako lang ang gising? hehehe i made big movements inside the tent that woke up my groupmates, and since i am the only one wearing a watch that time, i told them it's 4:30 already, ayun, ambilis nilang bumangon hehehe. i am so bad. :)

The four of us were the first to come out, and with the noise we made, others followed suit ("ang aga-aga pa ah", "wala pang 4, ano ba?", "saan pwedeng umihi?", etc...). We just re-heat our breakfast since we already cooked them the previous night, we also packed our lunch for the day since it will be more convenient. The coffee that was piping hot a minute ago also needs re-heating, ambilis lumamig!

In between sips of coffee, i started dismantling the flysheet, then the tent, set aside our things for repacking, and have to do all of the above in the dark with only our headlamps as the source of light (the buthane-powered lamps are being used in the "kitchen"). We agreed beforehand to have a heavy breakfast, and those that will not eat two cups of rice will be forced, joke lang. :) We ate our breakfast of danggit, tomatoes, hotdog and leftover adobo, more re-heating of coffee and more laughters. After which, kanya-kanya muna kami and pack, unpack, pack, unpack, pack were the next scenes. Our loads were lighter this time, and the empty containers were all stuffed inside the bag cover, they look bulky but not heavy. :) We almost forget the bag of garbage so I just slip it also inside the bag cover, i'll share it with them later on (remember: pack in, pack out).

6 am, everyone's ready, and after our prayer, we started the assault. This is it!

The moment we passed the hanging bridge crossing the Eddet River, it will be assault after assault after assault.

The wind is blowing cold but i am sweating like the sun is up, it was like a never-ending zigzag road and on every turn, one has to stop to catch one's breath, walang nagmamadali because this is not a race, but we also have to keep a good pacing, not very fast but not leisurely, too (and we need to smile in the picture hehehe).

The established trail was steep, with nothing to hold on to except for some grass, the tall pine trees are on each side but they're a bit far and strangely not on the trail, save for some. The steep trail did not stop me from admiring the awesome view, it is not everyday you get to see and experience this.

I am not sure if it was mostly 50, 60 or 70 degrees, but the trail was steep, did i say it's steep?

In one of our stops, we caught the tail of the other mountaineering group who left the campsite one hour earlier than us, and it was here that our local guide told us that our pacing was fast, very fast actually, and we're among the fastest he had in his long years of being a guide! cool! now we can smile at something. hehe.

Our "take five" are really take five, as we only allot only five minutes to ten minutes maximum of rest. And we climb and climb and climb again. It was really steep, and a heavy bag can pull you down with one wrong step so careful, be very careful.

And as you go higher, the view's more and more breathtaking.

We made one major rest (around 20 minutes) at the Marlboro Country (not it's official name, mountaineers called it such as the view, in a way, has some similarity with the cigarette commercial's view, whatever). And who are we to say no to another photo opportunity?

Oh, the cellphone signal never fails pala, so all the time, i was texting and was able to call lyn on this stop.

After the marlboro country, it's another steep climb, and this time a bit slippery as we are nearing the mossy forest (dyan-dyan-dyarann). The forest was eerie, it feels like we're going to Mordor with the Hobbits, trees were covered with moss and some insects were, well, "different." I don't know what's wrong, but i never have a good picture taken inside this windless but cold and a bit wet forest (wet forest, hehehe).

We didn't stop until we reach the clearing where we'll have our lunch, and there we found the other mountaineering groups having theirs, we shared the space, enjoyed our lunch (i need more rice, and begged the others to give me some more hehehe) and the view was, wow! Welcome to earth!

This is also the last water source so we took the opportunity (and the unlimited water supply) to clean ourselves and load on our drinking and cooking water, which means, our loads will again be heavy. We need to do this as the next water source will only available the next day on our way down.

So for the day's final assault before we reach the saddle, my load was heavier by three liters of water, and this part, i think, was the most exhausting! We enter again the mossy forest, and man, the weight of my bag slows me down! nakakapagod! di lang yata hingal kalabaw, hingal elepante na ako! hehehe.

But seriously, this was the toughest part, i think. With a heavy load, a never-ending assault, an eerie surrounding, a tired body and with the thought that you're near, one needs more than water and trail food, and this is where one's determination is most needed. So in every 10-15 steps i made, a 20 second rest is needed, and almost everyone in the group do that, and still, we caught the other mountaineers/lunchmates who went ahead 30 minutes earlier than us!

And finally, we're out of the forest, and we can feel the cold wind in the open. ahhh.

"Malapit na tayo", we were told, "mga tatlong akyat na lang."

HA??? O.K. and there, out in the grassland, with a few trees and a very foggy environment, we rested and wait for the rest of our group. Had there been a clearing, the view from here is surely spectacular. There were a few glimpse of some of what it has to offer but these were immediately covered by clouds/fog. And from where i am seated, i can see that the mossy forest is eerier with clouds covering some of the trees, the leaves looked very dark from here. Me mga engkanto kaya dun? hehe.

As we saw the tail group emerging from the forest, we made our final push for the last three hills and as we reached the last one, it was now downhill, and to the left was the summit. OH.MY.GOD!!!!

Exhausted, we made it to the saddle before 3 pm. Though foggy, the summit of Mt. Pulag was visible and it was enchanting! The mountain was covered in grass and from the saddle, it looks very smooth and the trail in the middle was a graceful addition. A couple of boulders somehow put some ruggedness on its bald-like appearance. The view from the saddle was worth all the sweat. Astig!

We set camp here and enjoyed the fast-dropping temperature, the view, the mountain that changes color from green to yellow (because of the setting sun). We also hoped that it will not rain as the wind, we observed, was somehow stronger (little did we know that typhoon Kabayan is coming).

The night was supposedly our induction night but it was very cold so the induction rites will be done the next day at the summit.

We just had a few hours of socials (the only exposed part of my body were my eyes and my nose, and i have three layers of clothing including two jackets and two pants, hehehe), and i retired before 10 pm for our wake up call of 3 am.

As the night goes deeper, the temperature's dropping further and the wind is blowing wilder, stronger... will there be rains? makakatulog ba kami?

TO BE CONCLUDED...

Mt. Pulag: a test of character

The Akiki trail.

"Treacherous," that's how the DENR facilitator described the trail. We were forewarned way before the climb that it's gonna be hard, tiring and all other adjectives that describe exhausting. And all Pulag veterans in our group agreed and they assured us that it will be, on the least, a whole day assault, all the way, meaning get your knees, and your back, and your body ready.

Was I afraid? No, because I mentally and physically prepared for this. Perhaps I was a bit nervous, but it was excitement that drove my stomach nuts days before our climb. I even wonder why i didn't have any dreams about it, nananaginip kasi ako kapag sobra kong iniisip ang isang bagay. Oh well.

November 1. While a lot of people are in the cemetery, we choose to be in the Victory liner terminal for our 11 pm trip to Baguio. We arrived very early (yeah, like 9 pm?), and with nothing else to do, we tried everyone's bag and my oh my, mine is among the heaviest! They joked that i bought with me the entire house, i told them "No, only half of it." They asked if I can carry its weight all the way to the summit, i replied "yeah, because I will still be unloading in Baguio and will distribute some of its contents to my groupmates because our groceries and fruits and tent and groundsheet plus my personal things and lots of trail foods are all in it! I am not a superhero, you know hehehe." kaya naman pala, they chorused. :)

oh, i also have two 2 liters of water, which by the way, is wrong, as there would be enough water sources on our way to the saddle, ewan ko ba naman, OA kasi ako pagdating sa tubig. And add another liter for my trail water. I have five liters in my bag, that explains why it's heavy. Oh, don't worry, afternoon the next day before the start of our trek, i already consumed three liters so the weight is not that much. I am not a superhero, you know, only always superthirsty. :D

We arrived in chilly Baguio in one piece, some of us (including me) unpacked our bags and distribute the goods to others (so our loads will be lighter hehe). The supposedly one hour break before we push for Kabayan, Benguet was stretched to three long hours because of "some inefficiency" with coordination between the person in-charged to contact the jeep we hire and the jeep owner himself. Boredom makes the group consider going to Sagada instead, but the kontrabida in me told them "No way, it's Pulag or Pulag, ganun lang." joke lang daw, hehehe.

when boredom sets in

Finally, the jeep came. I thought the jeep runs very slow (paakyat kaya?) so i just sleep and only woke up in one stop-over to pee and buy chicharon with siling nilagyan ng sukang puti! weee. i didn't sleep after that. We passed by Ambuklao Dam and spared a few minutes taking pictures.

We had our lunch on some eatery and we have to eat fast as we need to be in camp 1 in Eddet river before it gets dark. As it maybe the last store, the "provisions" for the next two nights were bought from here (one box of gin to be exact, in other words, di na naman ako iinom nito).

At around 1 pm, we're already in DENR, reserved some Pulag t-shirts, watched the 16-minute video and undergone a very brief briefing (the facilitator summarized everything as she points out that we need to be in the Akiki jump off before 3 pm, otherwise, hello darkness). She emphasized the need to respect the mountain and the environment in general as well as the water source as thousands of people, even us, are dependent on it.

A few more minutes on a Sagada-like highway - dusty, snakelike, narrow yet with a panoramic view of a very tranquil surrounding - we finally stopped at the Akiki Jump off point.

Silence.

"Eto na." I told myself twitching with a nervous smile. And i unload once more, i gave away pears as trail food (they're a good trail food only heavier compared to jelly ace) and i put some on the side pockets of my trekking pants for easy access, tucked my beltbag on, put my arm warmers, secure my camera and drank more water for an even lighter load. Oh, erased that last part, as I was handed down a plastic full of vegetables, "Your share of the load" I was told. sigh. :)

Before we can start with the trek, we need to register once more and the registration house is up there, one steep climb from the jump off. I don't know if it was just for five minutes or ten minutes but when I reached the house, I am sweating, them too. hehehe.

whew, warm up pa lang pala yun. but when i looked around, wow.

I joined the lead group, and I found out that one of our two guides was the same guide they had the last time they scaled Mt. Pulag. He has a lot of stories and never runs out of patience even if we continually ask him "Are we there yet?" hehehe.

the summit's covered by clouds

The trek we took that afternoon was just an easy one, as there was only a few assault and as we come nearer Camp 1 in Eddet river, it was mostly downhill, pwede pa nga raw tumakbo. :) The view of mountain ranges was amazing, it's as if pine trees were arranged to look like green cottons on an otherwise brown mountains. galing.

And a few more minutes, campers are already visible below, me mga nauna na palang ibang grupo sa amin and the campsite was full of activities: cooking, setting up of tents, etc.

And this where we will spend our first night, with a cold breeze and under the stars with the moon above...

TO BE CONTINUED...

Mt. Pulag

this is it pansit!

the climb that i've been waiting for the last three months, the highest peak in luzon and the third highest in the philippines.

Mt. Pulag as describe by waypoints.ph:

...is considered the 2nd highest mountain in the Philippines, next to Mt. Apo of Mindanao with only a few meters difference. It is considered as one of the most beautiful National Parks in the Cordillera Area. Mt. Pulag is typically different from the rainforest mountains in the Philippines because of its open area (no trees mountain). It also has its distinct characteristics of changing color on different occasions and season. During the dry season, Mt. Pulag is brown similar to the chocolate Hills of Bohol. During the Rainy Monsoon season, it will vary from light green to rich dark green rolling plains, almost similar to a well maintained golf course. Local People believed that is was, and is a play ground of the gods.

well, officially, pulag is the 3rd highest with an elevation of 9,610 ft, next to Mt. Apo (9,689 ft) and Mt. Dulang-Dulang (9,637 ft). whether its the 2nd or the 3rd, not really my concern this time, basta, aakyatin namin sya. :)

we'll be leaving tomorrow night for Baguio, then to Kabayan, Benguet, to Ambuklao dam, to DENR and then to Akiki jump off point. we will be traversing the Akiki-Ambangeg trails (the killer trail, so they say, so help us God). hopefully we will be on the saddle November 3 at around 3 pm where we are going to set our camp and enjoy the frost! we'll go down the next day, november 4, so good luck to us. :)

(photo borrowed from yapak mountaineers)

hah! i am excited and nervous, also a bit worried about the freezing temperature up there (will four pairs of camera batteries be enough to last the entire climb?) and hopefully there wouldn't be any rain.

heard from abaniko that about a hundred more will be joining a fun climb organized by the kabayan tourism office and aside from the other mountaineering groups who'll be doing their own climb, fiesta ito!!! so this weekend, Mt. Pulag is the place to be!

*excited!!!*