Last April 16-17, IFW spent time at the highest peak in Luzon: Mt. Pulag. They have been regulating travels lately, so each travel that they sneak into their schedule should be somehow unique.
Mountain climbing you say? It’s not new for Jecoy and JC. But it was definitely new to Cess; and together as a group as well. However, there were only three of them available; Dene and Gene were away, giving a shot at Singapore (which by this time is already a success – Congrats guys!).
Cess who was still to experience a real mountain climb, only had Sagada as a previous hiking experience. Among their past trips, that has to be the closest one to a real mountain climb. Admittedly, she got tired from that trip. So she was hesitant to go and experience exhaustion again. They actually had a different place in mind before Pulag – and yes, it’s another beach. But along the way, as the schedule of the trip kept moving, Jecoy suddenly missed climbing, and JC liked the idea of trying something new as a group. And after some convincing Cess finally agreed to get on with the trip. But she was still hesitant up to the last minute, haha!
JC already went three times to Mt. Pulag. So, he made the arrangements for the trip.
Three days before the trip, Jecoy purchased tickets from Victory Liner Cubao to Baguio. This was to ensure that they leave at the desired schedule at the appropriate time. But he misjudged the right time of departure. He purchased 7 PM tickets. To those who have organized a trip to Pulag before, you know that’s too early! After learning from JC that 9PM was best, he went back the next day to ask for reschedule. It can be done, as long as there are slots available. But, there was an additional charge for that – 10% of the ticket price, which was to be paid to the bus conductor on the day itself. There were no slots left for the 9PM trip so he just settled with 8PM. It was better than 7PM still, since all of them will come from work.
Came departure day, April 15 and the group met at the bus station. It was summer in the Philippines, so a lot of people scheduled trips to the province. The media usually cover busy days of travel and this day was one of them. They boarded the bus 15 minutes prior to departure, with the media cameras and bright lights pointed at the bus door. Should they wave at the cameras? Nah!
The bus ride was their only chance to sleep, as they know all to well in this type of trip. So as soon as the bus started moving, they started to relax and dialed Hypnos’ number.
April 16
Dawn at Baguio and the group waited for a Jeepney that will take them to the jump off. The challenge for this trip actually was to look for a group they could join and share the Jeepney with. Since there were only three of them, it wasn’t practical to rent one just for them. Good thing Kampay – a group of mountaineers, who were also headed to climb Mt. Pulag, accommodated them. Kampay was joined by ABNG, another group of mountaineers. Together they rented two jeepneys and one still had room for a few more. So team IFW gladly joined them for the ride and the climb.
One stopover prior to the climb was Pinkan Jo Eatery – where climbers can eat breakfast and take out food for lunch. Another stopover, a side trip actually, is Ambuklao Dam.
After picture taking at Ambuklao Dam, they headed to Mt. Pulag National Park.
Every climber has to register at the Office of the Protected Area Superintendent. Mt. Pulag is a DENR protected area and the said government arm is doing its best to ease the impact of tourists to the mountain. It is important to call the superintendent first before going to Pulag. They allow only up to 120 climbers at a time. Also required is the orientation that includes a video presentation and lecture from a DENR representative.
After that one, the group then traveled some more to the ranger station – the jump off for the climb. They were to take the Ambangeg trail, the most common trail for climbers. After prepping up, they then started the ascent at around 10:45AM. Several minutes into hiking, and they already noticed something different in the air. Think about it, Baguio is already at high altitude. And the national park is at even higher altitude. Going to the ranger station from the DENR office is another climb up. So you start climbing already with thin air. And that’s tough, especially for first-timers who are not used to that altitude.
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| Ranger Station |
After about an hour they reached camping ground 1. Most of the climbers ate their lunch here aside from having a prolonged rest. The IFW guys decided to just take snacks and continue on with the climb.
After an hour and a half, they reached camping ground 2. They pitched tent right after they found a spot at the campsite. Then they waited for their lunch. One guide who was at the back end of the group was carrying their lunch, so they had to wait up to half an hour before they could eat. Well they're used to late lunches on trips anyway, so it wasn’t too much to bear.
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| Rest at Camping ground 1 |
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| Tents at camping ground 2 (extension) |
The itinerary as commonly practiced was to climb up the summit very early next day to catch the sunrise up the mountain’s highest peak – talk about trying to capture a great view! With that arrangement, they were able to take their time in preparing dinner, aside from having time to relax.
Kampay, ABNG and IFW gathered around and ate dinner together. Customary to climbs, nighttime is allotted for socials. Groups eat together, share stories and a lot drink as well. This group did the same. Although, IFW, not really accustomed to drinking especially on the first night of a trip excused themselves early out of the socials. And oh, they are used to sleeping early as well ;)
About the tent, JC owns one, but it isn’t apt for mountains where winds can be strong and the temperatures are low. They were not able to find one they can borrow, so during the trip they were wishing it would not rain. And good thing it didn’t! The temperature up Mount Pulag gets really cold! Even with layers of jacket, they felt uncomfortable at times. At 11PM, the three had their sleep cut due to the cold temperature – it woke them up!
April 17
Very early the next day, around 3AM, they woke up to prepare for the ascent to the summit. They wanted to eat partial breakfast first before they started. So fighting off the cold, they shakily prepared hot chocolate, noodles and consumed them together with cold leftovers.
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| The moon around 4AM |
At around 4AM hike towards the summit commenced. It was about an hour climb, which Cess found to be quite a challenge. She almost puked along the way. But she was fine ;)
There’s a reason why it was good to catch the sunrise. And we can only describe it through these pictures:
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| This view of the horizon at dawn is popularly captured by tourists. |
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| The sun by this time already appeared. |
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| Take a 180 degree turn and see this. |
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| Climbers take pictures and savor the moment |
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| The sun's rays bathed us in yellow. |
After enjoying the view and congratulating themselves for reaching the summit, it was time to descend. The trip had reached its climax. It was an achievement for Cess, who threatened the guys that she will not be nice to them if she gets really exhausted. She was nice most of the time! It was also a dream come true for Jecoy, who had his mountaineering days cut only a year after joining a club.
Back at the camp site, they prepared again for the next installment of breakfast. Then, they started breaking camp. At around 8:30 AM, the 3 groups started their descent.
Fast-forward and the group arrived back to Baguio. IFW parted ways with Kampay and ABNG as the they wanted to go around the city before leaving. They did not have to buy return tickets as they already did when they arrived the day before. And they chose a schedule that would allow them to spend some time wandering around the city.
Jecoy was craving for strawberry taho, and boy was he delighted to see one vendor – the large cup please! Mmm, yummy! They passed by the church, ate dinner and bought “pasalubong” before going back to the bus station to await their schedule.
They left Baguio at 9 PM, arrived to Cubao at 2:30 AM, and slept a few hours once they got home. It was Monday already, and they had to wake up early and report to work! Now that’s pushing oneself to the limit!
-IFW
P.S.
Somehow, they found the climb easier than they thought. Jecoy in particular was expecting an 8-10-hour ascent. He based it on what he heard from mountaineers several years ago. Apparently, a considerable portion of Ambangeg trail became accessible to automobiles. It was all good though, no complaints!
