Wander Philippines

Descending from the Mt. Pulag summit.

It was one hell of a jeepney ride, almost 5 hours of rough, asthma-inducing, butt-breaking road trip. Kaya naman pala nag-uunahan un mga lalake na sa bubong ng jeep sumakay dahil sa tindi ng alikabok sa daan. All the while, I was thinking, “Ang init sa bubong”.

Arriving in Kabayan by 1PM, with our guide waiting on the shed, we promptly started hiking towards the registration area. It was hot, the air was dry and I almost didn’t make it to the registration office.

2:00 PM, We started moving, destination: Edette River Camp Site. We were told that it’s a 3-4 hour trek up but an easy one. We haven’t gone far when it started to rain. Thank God everybody was prepared for it since we were briefed about Mt. Pulag’s unpredictable weather.

The rain didn’t stop us; we just continued our normal beat. With Soriano leading the pack of 13 hikers and Daren at the end of the tail. Everybody seemed ok and jolly even, jeers and jokes continued until someone from the group said, “Oi naalala nyo sabi sa briefing? Inuulan daw un mga maiingay”, it hit a cord, almost everybody was guilty.

The trek continued until we reached a shed were the group decided to rest for a few minutes and waited for the clouds to clear up. The pissing contest resumed between Hurricane Badong and Snooty Bryan, with each guy trying to out-do one another. It was really amusing and the exchange was friendly.

After two and a half hour of trek, we finally reached the first camp. We were the 2nd group to arrive at the camp. Shortly after, we started setting the tents while others changed clothes because we got drenched from the rain. When everyone settled, the cooks; dominated the limelight. Meal for the night: the ever-famous Sinigang na baboy. San ka pa? Nasa Bundok na? Talagang lutong bahay pa rin ang pagkain namin.

That night we had a joyous feast, dining al fresco. Everyone got their respective decent share of the food. Though we haven’t gone far with the hike, the night was like an exaltation of the groups’ effort and perseverance. Naks, dahil lang yan sa Sinigang na punong puno ng labanos c/o Aris. By 9PM, most of us were already in the sack, but some of the guys stayed up late, why? For the simplest reason: Alcohol. Then by 12AM, you can here the peaceful sound of snoring.

By 6:30 AM we started moving. We got excited upon learning that we will be passing by a real hanging bridge. Angela who was 4th in line was mischievously shaking the bridge causing the others to take hold of the railings tighter. Of course we never forgot to take pictures at the area. And this time, the trek was not easy.

The steps heavier, trail steeper, temperature hotter. We started to sweat and the pace slower. Undeniable, the ‘killer trail’ had begun. But nobody complained. Only this time, everyone’s resting more often than the previous day. And the formation changed. Badong and Mark leading the pack with Jeo and Pia (that’s me!) following them.

We reached Marlboro Country in less than 4 hours. Wala dito si Marlboro man at lalong walang kabayo. Marami etchas ng baka. Though there were other hikers who passed us along the trail and reached the temporary camp ahead of us kahit nauna kami umalis ng Camp 2, it was no big deal. Hmmmp, talaga lang. There, we refilled our trail bottles with water, prepared and ate lunch (hot andn spicy tuna and soup), rested for a couple of minutes, took pictures then off we went.

This time, we were told that the hike would be easier owing to the fact that we already passed through the hardest part of the trail. Un lang ba un mahirap? Mah Gawd!!! (courtesy of Badong) Any rates, the trek towards Camp 3 had gone smoothly though it was a long trek, but for me I find it harder than the trek we did earlier.

The temperature had change, lower by a few degrees and it was literally a walk in the clouds (not the film, you dimwit!).

We got passed different ecosystem (wow, heavy word…. Ecosystem…. Nu ba ibig sabihin nun? Sabi sa Webster dictionary: An ecological community together with its environment, functioning as a unit) Mossy. Grassland and ano ba un isa? Kayo na lang mag fill-up nito ha. Since it was my first time to go up the mountain.

I was so amaze by everything I saw there. The colorful flowers, trees of different sizes, giant ferns, the moist air, the sounds of birds, the cow dung … COW DUNG??? What the??? Well, its all organic. = )

Each members distance got further from one another as we go along the trail, and the fact that Angela’s toe was hurting (due to an earlier injury) and Badong was in a hurry to reach Camp 3 to reserve a space for the whole team.

The Apexterra members got divided into two groups. Soriano, Badong, Jeo, Mark, Pia reached the camp by 4:00 PM. Immediately, the 1st team set-up tent while waiting for the others to arrive.

The temperature was terribly cold. I felt like a raw meat placed inside a freezer, “Ganito pala feeling ng manok sa loob ng ref.” And pin-like pain I felt on my skin was really annoying. Grabe, the clouds were just breezing through. That’s why the air was damp and freezing. The clouds were leveled to the camp. Pag ikaw ang andun, makikita mo un movement ng clouds. Amazing.

When everybody was settled, Angela and Ria went inside the tent to do the business of cleaning the ‘murdered’ toe, and the rest started preparing 2 kilos of Geay’s famous Mt. Batulao’s beef sirloin steaks for supper. After dinner, the others went in their respective tents due to the freezing temperature. And this time, I decided to follow my instinct, go inside the tent and wear all the clothes I could wear. Imagine this, a thermal blouse, sando, shirt, thermal jacket, arm warmer, leg warmer, 3 sets of socks, jogging pants, thermal gloves, magnanakaw-like bonnet plus the hood of my jacket.

By 4:00AM, we started moving towards the summit. We left our things on Camp 3 since we thought its best for everybody. We need to reach the summit before the sun rises. And off we go. It was a 30 minute trek. With darkness still covering the trail, we managed to reach the peak in time. Upon reaching the summit. Everybody became ecstatic. HIGH talaga ang feeling. It’s hard to describe what I felt when I saw the clouds below us.

It’s harder to fathom the fact that I was really there. I as a first time climber were able to reach the peak of Mt. Pulag using the Akiki-Ambangeg trail, the so-called ‘KILLER TRAIL’ with no injuries, no pain in my body, with complete facilities of my senses and didn’t caused any delay at all (… my greatest fear ) and best of all, the whole team was there. No one was left behind or seriously injured.

The scene was like from a movie, I guess most of you reading this shit had seen a waterfall. But who among you (except for the Apexterra people) had seen a cloudfalls??? Ha?! See?!!! That’s what I’m talking about. It’s hard to relate to a story if you haven’t encountered yet the things I am talking about here.

So what are you waiting for? Turn off that damn computer of yours and go take a hike.

After spending around 30 minutes up there, we started moving back to Camp 3. In fast paced, we prepared breakfast and ate in a hurry. Packed our things and move, this time… we again returned to the summit trail (hay, kapagod na to), but before we reached the summit, we took a different trail and started our descent.

Finally, we were walking in leisure. It was breezy, the trail was easy and all you can see from the landscape were bonsai bamboo.

With Soriano, Badong and Jeo leading; I managed to reach the 1st camp in OK form. That’s were we refilled our trail water and waited for others to arrive. When they arrived, we allowed them to rest while we moved again because we were trying to reach the ranger station by 4PM in fear of losing the only means of transportation out of Mt. Pulag.

Anyway, in the course of the trail, I was left behind, team 2 unseen behind me. I was already walking alone. But since they reassured me that there was only 1 trail visible along the course, there was no way I’d get lost. So I just walked on, what overcame was not the fear of getting lost BUT the fear of encountering that so called spirits and beings of the mountain. As I walked, I kept holding the cross I wore on my neck and prayed (himala talaga).

Remembering the tip of Jeo ‘to walk in your own pace’, that’s what I did. I walked cautiously, following the only trail visible and the shoe trail left by Jeo; I managed to reach Camp 2. There, the 3 guys were waiting for me. Natakot sila kase may lalake na naglalakad magisa, baka mapagkamalan akong enkanto eh itulak ako sa bangin. But upon seeing me, they were relieved (para silang nakatae). And dun namin naabutan un isang grupo na kasama namin sa sasakyan. But since balak yata nila magpaumaga dun, we moved along.

And again, naiwan na naman ako sa trail. Ok lang, the Apex Team 2 was always behind me naman and at least I was able to appreciate the scenery along the trail. And everytime I saw Two rocks on top of each other I know I’m still on the right track (un dalawang bato ginagawa nila Jeo).

After a couple of hours, I reached the Ranger station. All smiles of course. I finally did it. To cap my greatest achievement so far, I took a very cold shower (ice tubig) at the station. Hay sarap maligo. Now I learned to appreciate the normally ignored activities I do at home. Imagine, 3 days of no bathing. YUCK.

It was exhausting, fun and nerve-wrecking. But the adrenaline rush you felt upon reaching the summit was no comparison to any other experiences you will encounter unless of course you take Mt. Everest. Personally, when I realized that it was finally finished, I can’t help but felt proud (Ang ANGAS!). I’ve finally faced my fear. My fear of not finishing the trail and ending up injured.