I'm back from my super-duper tiring Mt Pulag journey. It was the most challenging physical activity that I ever did. I really did push myself to overcome and conquer Mt. Pulag and it was all worth it. Climbing the third highest mountain in the country was not simple.
with my friends on top of Mt. Pulag
Photo courtesy of Mike
Mt Pulag is the highest mountain in Luzon and third to Mt Apo of Davao and Mt Dulang-Dulang of Bukidnon, stands 2,922 meters above sea level (that's according to wiki). It boasts with its diverse biodiversity and since the mountain is in high elevation, expect the climate there can get really cold. Rainfalls occur especially in the afternoon.
To get to Mt Pulag, one needs to ride a 6-hour bus ride to Baguio (from Manila). Another 4-hours via the Monster jeep to the DENR office for orientation and registration (a must!), and to the Ranger Station, the starting point of the climb. It's better to join group package so that others will organize it for you. We joined Trail AdvenTours and we're happy we did.
We started our hike around 2pm. God bless our way with rain. Yes, it rained as we climb and that means it was wet and muddy. According to our team leaders, Robbee and Agnes, the trail from base camp to camp 1 is the most difficult part. But I think, from the beginning to the summit, it was all difficult. Bringing our stuff while climbing was not easy. Good thing you can hire porter for Php250 (one-way). I've opted to carry my bag since it's my first to experience camping. Yes, I've never tried Girl Scout, sorry!
The trail was getting muddy and slippery that you must hold on to something to avoid tripping. As you get higher, it was hard to breathe since the air is getting thinner. We had several stop-over to rest and recharge our body. We were the last group in our team to get to Camp 2 which was our resting place for the night. We got there around 7pm. We hiked for 5 hours!
We made a mistake in renting a tent. We were five in the group so we thought of renting a tent which is good for 4-5 persons. We forgot we were bringing huge bags. We ended up sleeping sideways since sleeping on the back means eating up more space. However, it rained during the night so our tent was wet. We end up of no sleeping at all!
Wake-up call for the hike to summit is 3am. Make sure you have a headlamp or a flashlight because it is dark going to the summit. This is what everybody prepares for in Mt Pulag, to catch the sun at the peak of the mountain. Amazing sight to behold!
At the Victory Liner waiting for our bus to Baguio
Inside the Monster Jeep
photo courtesy of Vladimir
At the DENR Station
photo courtesy of Mike
We started our hike around 2pm. God bless our way with rain. Yes, it rained as we climb and that means it was wet and muddy. According to our team leaders, Robbee and Agnes, the trail from base camp to camp 1 is the most difficult part. But I think, from the beginning to the summit, it was all difficult. Bringing our stuff while climbing was not easy. Good thing you can hire porter for Php250 (one-way). I've opted to carry my bag since it's my first to experience camping. Yes, I've never tried Girl Scout, sorry!
The trail was getting muddy and slippery that you must hold on to something to avoid tripping. As you get higher, it was hard to breathe since the air is getting thinner. We had several stop-over to rest and recharge our body. We were the last group in our team to get to Camp 2 which was our resting place for the night. We got there around 7pm. We hiked for 5 hours!
We made a mistake in renting a tent. We were five in the group so we thought of renting a tent which is good for 4-5 persons. We forgot we were bringing huge bags. We ended up sleeping sideways since sleeping on the back means eating up more space. However, it rained during the night so our tent was wet. We end up of no sleeping at all!
Wake-up call for the hike to summit is 3am. Make sure you have a headlamp or a flashlight because it is dark going to the summit. This is what everybody prepares for in Mt Pulag, to catch the sun at the peak of the mountain. Amazing sight to behold!
Amazing sun :)
The best thing to do upon reaching the peak is to drink a good hot coffee. It's the best thing to quench your thirst. Plus the place is better than your fave cafe.
Someone bought a temperature to check on the weather on top!
The temperature on top of the mountain went down to 7 degrees Celsius. It was so cold! Good thing my jacket was really thick plus my hand gloves kept my hands warm. Don't worry, cameras work even on this temp. My Sony TX-9 was perfectly fine during the trip. Make sure to keep your camera from getting moist. I did wrap all my gadgets, phone, cam and ipod, in a towel. They all survived the cold weather.
Hiking down to Camp 2 for breakfast
Going down the summit was difficult for me. It was really slippery and muddy. My feet were soak in mud! But thank God I made it to Camp 2 fine even if I tripped for like three-times? I'm quite not sure how many times I fall since I've never counted it (hehehe!).
Once I reached Camp 2, the only thing in my mind was a refreshing shower. I wanted to continue to descend and hit the shower afterwards. I was really feeling icky and yucky. I have to endure it until we get back to Baguio.
Going down from Camp 2 was easy. The next thing I knew I'm already in the Ranger Station. Whew! My Mt Pulag journey is over. I survived and conquered it. I'm not sure if I ever climb it again though. The experience was really exhausting. I'll try other mountains first before I'll go back to the majestic Pulag.
Our class picture :) Amazing team!
my mountaineering buddies :)
