Mt. Pulag, Benguet

Disclaimer: Very long and picture-filled post. All photos in this entry are used with permission and some are mine.

For the Boss's birthday celebration, he wanted to do a major climb so we joined a group tour last Holy Week to see the phenomenal sunrise from the summit of Mt. Pulag.

The Pilipinas Roadtrip Package

The Boss chanced upon the Pilipinas Roadtrip Facebook page while looking for affordable tour packages. The inclusions of their package were not different from the others and yet theirs is the cheapest of them all. For just P2,500 per person, their package is already inclusive of the following:

• Manila-Baguio-Manila bus tickets via Victory Liner
• Baguio-Ambangueg-Baguio chartered 4x4 monster jeep
• Registration fee
• Climbing fee
• Camping fee
• Local guide fee
• Service of tour coordinatior and veteran mountainerr

We booked our slot 4 months before the climb and deposited 50% of the total amount to secure it.

The Preparation

At the start of the year, we were able to do 2 minor climbs: first is where we celebrated our 4th year anniversary in Mt. Batulao and our first climb together with our favorite couple - Reuel and Jepay in Mt. Maculot. Due to the conflict of our schedules, nothing followed after that. I just took all the stairs that I could wherever I am out and specially when I go to school. LRT rules man.

Pilipinas Roadtrip provided a checklist which we religiously followed. Here it is for your reference:

• clothes (2+1 pairs) - we already wore our 1st pair, then changed to the 2nd pair before sleeping at the camp and changed to the 3rd pair after taking a bath and before going back to Baguio
• fleece jacket/down jacket/shell (must be suited to temperatures of 0-7°C or 32-45°F
• rain gear (poncho or raincoat)
• trekking pants/jogging pants
• trekking shoes/sandals
• extra socks
• gloves
• bonnet/head wear/scarf/malong
• plastic bags (for waterproofing your bags if you don't have a rain cover/for cameras and clothes)
• sleeping bag
• large garbage bags (at least 2pcs)
• flashlight/headlamps (with extra batteries)
• personal whistle
• personal medicines/first aid kit
• tissue paper
• mess kit (plate or container, bowl, utensils)
• water bottle (at least 3 liters if you are sensitive to unfamiliar water or just a 1-2 liter container which you can refill with cool, fresh, clean and potable mountain water)
• personal trail food
• camera

 We also brought our own:

• camping tent (also provided by Pilipinas Roadtrip but we chose to bring our own)
• ground sheet (this is very vital as it can rain anytime)
• camping stove + butane gas
• baby wipes/wet ones
• rubbing alcohol
• cup noodles (this is what we ate before the trek to the summit to make us warm)

Baguio to Benguet

We arrived in Baguio City after a 7-hour-traffic-free ride. Even if our bus's engine died down in Marcos Highway, we still made it earlier than our scheduled arrival. Our chartered jeep arrived at 4AM. An hour and a lot of dizzy people later (the road was very zigzag-gy, if you know what I mean), we reached the first stop where we had breakfast and bought packed lunches to be eaten before our ascend. The store has all the things you need from food to toiletries, scarves to gloves and trail food.

 

 

Our guides asked our driver if he can bring us to Ambuklao Dam (which is on the way) for some picture taking and he gladly obliged.

Ambuklao Dam

obligatory jump shot picture

We arrived at the DENR office for the mandatory orientation a little past 7AM. The office was adorned with lots of memorabilia from different mountaineering groups and individuals. Souvenir shirts (P120), magnets (P50-80), key chains, gloves and scarves are also available for sale.

 

 

The orientation took more or less 45 minutes. The facilitator was a very funny speaker and the group had a great time listening (we were literally laughing out loud geez). Her name is Emerita Tamiray and you can contact her at 0919-631-5402 or 0929-166-8864. This is also the place where you login and logout before and after the climb. They are the ones who deploy officers in the mountain whenever there are issues and it is their responsibility to keep the national park protected. All local guides report to them as well. Our guide shared that the day before we arrived, there was a climber who went to the summit and took off his shirt and was asked to go back to the DENR office and undergo the orientation again. So yes, they are that strict.

 

We finally reached the ranger station at 11AM (we trekked our way up because the jeepney could not go further) and had our lunch. There were a lot of climbers who just descended and shared how cold it was the previous night. According to them, the temperature dropped to 3°C by 2am and they experienced hail. I got a little nervous. I had a few mountains under my belt but I know it won't be enough of a training for this first major one. Armed with my determination to reach the summit by all means, I drew a big breath, hoisted my bag and joined the pack for the group prayer.

Old McDonald

The Ambangueg Trail is considered the easiest way to Mt. Pulag. Others actually call it "a walk in the park" because of the easy and gradual changes of the trail. There are also some areas with uphill assaults but the majority of the trail is easy. For me, Mt. Maculot is actually harder.

 

It was cloudy and cold as we started our ascent at 12:30 in the afternoon. It didn't even feel like it was lunch time at all. Rows of different crops and vegetables to your right side made it look like you are walking through Farmville (i'm sure you played this before!) and starting in a high altitude is somehow not tiring because of the refreshing cool breeze. From time to time, we saw locals on their way down from the camp and you can really tell the difference in their skin complexion. They have no pores! Haha! Their facial skin is literally rosy and smooth like the people in the Himalayas. 

 

 

In case you are wondering where the name "Old McDonald" came from, it is because every time the group did a rest stop, I would sing "Old McDonald had a farm!" and would expect them to reply "Hiyaaah hiyaah ohh!" And they did. But as we were nearing the camp site, their replies were becoming barely audible and we would all just burst out laughing while trying to catch our breath. Haha!

 

 

The forest looked like the enchanted forests you see in the movies. It is my first time to see trees covered with different kinds of mosses. There are also other weird looking plants that I think only thrives in cold places. I wasn't able to appreciate the beauty of the flowers though (and that makes me want to come back again!). We arrived at Camp 1 where we had a 30-minute rest and recharged our bodies with chocolates, water and had our nature breaks. /rant But I dare warn you to prepare yourself for the very disgusting smell of the "comfort room" because the hole where you are supposed to pee and poo is not covered. It is better if you can just dig your own hole and bury your thing there like what it is supposed to be. /endrant

As we continued, we faced some muddy areas where tree parts were laid down to make it walk-able. The signal reception was also sporadic. Our group was divided into two. The first group reached the camp 15 minutes ahead of us. Our official time of arrival is 3:45PM, 2,575MASL at 15°C. We quickly pitched our tent with the help of our guide, changed to our 2nd pair of clothes, thick, high-knee socks and prepared dinner.

Camp 2

 

 

a minute walk from the camping grounds

 

 

The Boss was almost done cooking when the rain poured. It was just getting dark and the temperature dropped a few degrees more. Because of the rain, we weren't able to do socials with the other groups as we were all trying to get warm inside our tents. Our groundsheet made a lot of difference in protecting the tent's floor from the wet soil and grass. We each wore a headlamp and quickly fell asleep.

After a few hours that felt like eternity, I woke up trembling. I grunted when I looked at my watch to see how slow time went by. It was just 9PM. My hands were getting numb even under my gloves and felt the Boss trembling as well. I closed my eyes and waited. I woke up again at 11PM because I badly needed to pee. Being out of the tent for 3 minutes was painstaking. My legs felt hard, my ears felt like ice and my mouth was dry. I was shaking like a body body dancer (it's a Filipino thing, never mind) when I walked to an area concealed by the bushes and convened with nature. 

The noise of plastic woke me up at 1AM. Apparently, the Boss was water-proofing our things because moist started to make it's way inside our tent. The rain hasn't stopped yet. I was already feeling negatively emotional. Thinking of " Why am I even here?" My hopes to see the sea of clouds were slowly crippling and the future tense part of my brain was already telling me that everything was just a waste of time. But I did not dare complain nor showed any sign of weakness. Hearing the constant ranting of Sir Reden from their tent on how cold it was made me sniffle a laugh. Next thing I knew, the Boss was zipping me up in his sleeping bag <3 (he didn't sleep anymore) . The trembling stopped and for the last time, I fell asleep.

The Summit

It was 3AM when I was handed a cup noodle with freshly boiled water. Surprisingly, it didn't scorch my skin. That's how cold it was. We recorded a temperature of 12°C. The bitter cold was somehow relieved as I sipped my soup like there's no tomorrow. It was the best cup noodle of my life, I am telling you. I heard scrambling from our neighboring tents as the others prepared for the one and half hour assault. It then dawned on me that the rain has stopped, the sky was clear with only the moon stars gazing down at us. A sigh of relief escaped my mouth as I thanked the heavens above and gave the Boss a peck on the cheek.

Armed with headlights, we made our way to the left part of the camp. The trail was first covered in flat stones which made it easy to walk on. After about 15 minutes or so, the trail changed to soft and wet soil making it slippery. I started to see different peaks and slopes before me but didn't realize that we were still far away. The procession of fellow climbers are visually appealing as you can only see their headlamps moving. Other trails are already ankle-deep with water making climbers avoid it and in turn make new ones. IMHO, the DENR should limit the number of climbers that visit the park so it can recuperate from the wounds of a thousand footsteps. 

 

I was already panting after an hour of walking and the peaks 2,3 and 4 were already visible from where we were. The sky was starting to change to a pale violet and orange as the sun crept upwards and made its first peek into the horizon. We cannot help but to wonder at the beauty of it all whenever we stop and turn our heads back to see the awe-inspiring beauty of the mountains.

 

 

Seeing everything made me walk faster as I want to be on the summit to witness it all. But we were not fast enough. The sun kept on rising as it lighted up our surroundings. It was such a marvelous sight to take. Words cannot express so here are more pictures.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We finally reached the summit at 6:16AM. We removed our jackets to let our sweat dry but wore it back again after 5 minutes because it felt cold again. The sunrise at 2,922 meters above sea level was astonishing. I was so happy but I can't shout and express my joy (DENR rule) so the Boss and I just shared a mighty hug. It made all the sufferings from the previous night so worth it. The feeling of freedom started to kick in.

 

  

 

We spent our free time at the summit by taking more pictures. Thank you Krys for our awesome shots!

 

  

Michelle, Alvin, Krys, Dianne and Jude

Mr. & Mrs. Esguerra

youngest of the pack - Monique

Randy with the 60L dry bag

  

We started our descent at 7:15 and arrived at the camp an hour later. Breakfast was courtesy of everyone. 

(Thank you guys for sharing your food!) We didn't have any food left and contributed hot water for everyone's coffee and noodles. The camaraderie significantly changed during breakfast as the mood was very light and everyone was sharing stories of their summit assault. It felt like they were long lost brothers and sisters. Decamp immediately followed after Sir Reden shared that there was a P60 eat-all-you-can stop a few minutes away from the Ranger Station where we will all have lunch and take a bath.

 

a local family on their way to the summit

Three of our fellow climbers didn't make it to the camp and summit. Tita Gi stayed at one of the lower peaks while Tita Fi and Tita Lulu spent their night at the Ranger Station. Much to our surprise, we arrived to find imported biscuits and fresh drinking water courtesy of our super kind Tita's.

 

We tried looking for our Kid of the Trip but didn't find any. So we decided to give it to Kuya Paolo who is our very patient guide with 5 kids. His youngest daughter is 7 years old and just started Grade 1. Kuya Paolo was very quiet all throughout our climb and just kept smiling. You can hear his voice in the video below. He was very grateful for the school supplies and told us we are always welcome whenever we want to come back. I signed a logbook as a proof that the supplies were donated and not solicited. (DENR rules again).

 

We just let the rain stop and went to Ma'am Gina's. A popular stop where Pinkpikan (like Chicken Tinola) with red or brown rice is served. Eating real food energized our bodies. The food was so good! Taking a bath though at 21°C was no easy feat. Everyone shouted and giggled at the first touch of water on their heads. The water pressure was very strong making it easy to remove all the traces of mud.

 

We arrived in Baguio City a little after 8 in the evening, booked our tickets and waited. The Boss and I had dinner with my cousin L.A. who lives there while the rest of the group were treated to a Chinese dinner  by Tita Fi and Tita Lulu. 

Joining group tours are fun! It is our first time and it turned out super fun and rewarding. Thank you to our new found friends! Cheers to more climbs and adventures! Kudos to our guides who kept on making us laugh during the times we needed a boost. You guys are the best! :)

Here is a video from our climb. Sorry for the very noob editing! (Thank you Boss for being patient!)

Hasta luego!

Big thanks to: Krys, Dianne, Jude, Monique, Zach, Ron,  Mr. and Mrs. Esguerra for the pictures you let me use for this entry. :)