Majestic Mt. Pulag

I crossed one off my 2012 bucket list last January 14-15, 2012: Climb a mountain.

I've always wanted to climb an mountain and go camping ever since I was a young kid. I finally did it. Granted that it wasn't as "roughing it" as real campers would consider but still.

Thanks to my adventurous and always game set of friends, next thing I knew I was already signed up to climb the third highest peak in the Philippines, and the highest in Luzon. (if you're going to do it might as well go all out right?)

For weeks I could not think of anything else but the trip. I read countless blogs of people who have gone before me, researched and re-researched packing lists, went on frequent shopping trips to R.O.X. and Park Square and packed and re-packed my backpack. No, I was actually dreading this trip and was totally unprepared for it. No, really. You see it was only after I signed up and paid for the trip that it hit me that I haven't even completed rehab on my knee which underwent ACL reconstruction surgery. I'm not even 50% done with therapy. So what the hell was I thinking planning on climbing a mountain?! I wasn't. All I knew was I wanted to do it, bahala na how. So for a little peace of mind, I "prepared" for the climb by taking the stairs to my 7th floor office everyday for two weeks. I do at least 2 round trip climbs every day. That was it. Oh and I stopped smoking the day we left for Baguio. (not much help there)

We had a quick breakfast stop near the DENR station. This was where we left our clothes for Baguio too. A short briefing at the DENR station and then we were off to the ranger station - a very bumpy 1.5hrs away by jeep. When we got to the Ranger station it started drizzling but nothing serious. And then we were off. This is it!

The trek was not easy. Who ever said that this was an easy trek did not consider out of shape sedentary city people like me. I think what made the trek a bit hard was the rain which made some parts of the path very muddy and slippery. It was like mixing and squishing chocolate batter, except that it wasn't chocolate. Right before you reach Camp 1 was the first real test of my endurance. It was a winding almost vertical (I am probably exaggerating here but thats how it felt so give me a break!) climb. Think winding staircase but no stairs and just rocks. It took as an hour to reach camp 1. We rested for a bit and ate some trail food then we were off. It took another 2 hours of muddier paths down the mossy forest before we reached the spring water, which was the sign that you are really near camp 2. There were many climbers that weekend so our group decided to pitch our tents at the "extension", which was a steep uphill climb up from Camp 2.

We were so hungry that after settling inside our tent we ate our left over brown rice from breakfast and vienna sausage baon. It was cold and drizzling outside that we fell asleep right after only to be woken up around 6pm because we were the only ones who haven't eaten dinner yet. We had "tent service" as it was too cold to eat outside. The adobo was really yummy and I decided to stuff myself to make it easier to fall asleep in the cold :-) And man was it cold! I had on 4 layers of tops, two layers of bottoms, thermal socks and two gloves and I was still cold. Before sleeping we prayed for good weather during the assault.



From Manila to Benguet

4am. 4 degrees. Time to go. It was pitch black but you could already see a steady stream of light from the hikers who already started the assault to the summit. My headlamp wasn't as bright as my bad eyesight preferred so I was moving at a snail's pace, being extra cautious that I don't slip and injure my still weak knee (and ankle). The thinning air made the climbs much harder for me. I'll be wheezing and panting after even short ascents. It helped I think that I was in the front of the pack so I had more time to rest in the guise of waiting for the others. After over an hour we could finally see the summit but to get there you have two options: the longer less inclined route or the shorter but way harder route. Because we were masochists that way, we took the latter route. I'm sorry I had to stall so many climbers because I kept stopping every few feet. I never pretended I was fit! We decided to wait for the sunrise at the saddle just a few feet below the summit. The summit was crowded, the saddle was empty. It made perfect sense. We were able to enjoy the majestic sunrise and the sea of clouds in relative peace. Indeed the Pulag gods were all shining upon us and made the entire trek worth it. Sobrang sulit ang ROI! It was breathtaking and better than I imagined. The biting cold could not distract me from the fact that I am witnessing something majestic and I felt blessed. Not everyone gets to witness something like this. I got lucky.

Amazing. Nuff said.

We stayed at the summit until all the other climbers left. It was a nice feeling to have the peak all to ourselves. The sun was up now and the warmth was a welcome feeling. The trek back to the camp site was my next favorite part of the trip. The weather was perfect, the view was amazing and there were hardly anyone left that it was okay for me to stop every so often to take in the surroundings and not worry about holding other people up. I took my time and it was great!

Reminds me of the rolling hills of Batanes. As I said, I took my time going back to the campsite. That's me almost at the back of the pack.

We were the last to leave the campsite as well. I guess mabagal kasi kami gumalaw. We took our time. It was hard to leave the place with the amazing scenery. The mountains and grasslands view was captivating. It reminded me of the mountains in Sabtang, Batanes where I went shutter crazy.

All good things must come to an end. By 12nn we started our trek back to the Ranger station. It wasn't as muddy this time but I still managed to track enough mud on my shoes and pants for a pig to roll over in.

3pm. Ranger station. I actually climbed a mountain! And was not airlifted back to the base! Woohoo!!

Will I do it again? Maybe not anyone soon but never say never right? Besides, sayang naman all the hiking gear I bought. Siguro it's about time I complete my knee rehab na noh? Let's talk after that.

Maybe I'll see you again next time.