It has been a while since we climbed as a group. Bad weather has prevented us from taking part in any outdoor activity. After a week-long planning, we finally managed to get back out. Unfortunately, Gian was not able to join this time because she had to visit her family back home.
How can you say no to a climb when you are offered a chance to meet new friends and eat gourmet dishes several meters above sea level? So off to Mt. Batulao we went.
A clear weather was a welcoming sight since it rained the night before. I took a Balayan-bound bus from Araneta Center bus Terminal in Cubao. As soon as the bus reached the Tagaytay – Nasugbu boundary, dark clouds loomed and with that the game completely changed. Two members of our pack welcomed me as I got off the bus. Allan, who came all the way from Cagayan was already there with Steven at around 7:30AM. After a few minutes, the group of Tita Gina together with Tito Art, Tita Ody, and Sir Allan T followed as the adventure began. We took a trike for 20 Php per person to bring us to the jump off. I realized that there are actually two possible jump-off points to reach Mt. Batulao. First, the old jump off which is a dirt road located right off the cemented road. The second is a trail located at the end of the cemented road. We took the latter as recommended by the trike driver since it is shorter and will spare us from a longer muddy walk. Everybody was happy and you can see the excitement in everyone’s faces. Just after 5 minutes of walking, a sudden downpour ensued which appeared to be a predicament of how challenging our climb would be. Non-stop jokes from Sir Allan lightened up the burden as we walked through the muddy and messy trail. A wrong step might make you “roll in the deep”. (I'm sure Tita Ody and Tito Art knew how it felt).
We reached the camp site at the old trail at around 1:45PM and decided to spend the night at Camp 6. Lunch was courtesy of Allan G which was Kare Kare w/ Bagoong on the side. Who would’ve thought that he’ll be able to squeeze such a lavish dish for everyone in his 42L backpack aside from his camping equipments? And, as if by command, everybody got quiet while devouring the food.
After a brief rest, we then pitched our tents. We had to make sure that everything is tight and secured as heavy gusts of wind were coming from different directions. Good thing our tents managed to stay erect all throughout our stay. To fight the cold weather, we started to include hard liquor into our weary bodies.
The second group composed of Sir Noel, Daniel, Em and Darwin arrived several minutes after 6PM. They started their climb late afternoon. Dinner preps soon started and this time, it was courtesy of Tita Gina. The heavy downpour did not stop us from enjoying our Chicken Teriyaki even though we had to fit ourselves in a small hut. After dinner, another bottle of Jose Cuervo warmed our night.
The situation did not improve the following morning. The summit was still not visible from our location. Considering the safety of the pack, we then decided to cancel our planned traverse to the new trail and just descend using the same trail we came from. After eating breakfast, we decamped a little before 9:00AM and managed to get back to the jump-off after about three hour- walk at leisurely pace.
Like any of the previous climbs of the group, despite not being listed in the itinerary, a chow down is in order. A nice warm serving of Bulalo and different fish dishes at Mahogany Market replenished our tired bodies. Not to mention the free unli-bananas for dessert.
Despite not being able to reach the summit due to unfavorable weather conditions and safety concerns, it was a very rewarding climb with all the laughs and precious bonding moments. (Don’t worry Tito Art, we will break your current streak of climbs not being able to scale the summit next time.)
Till our next climb AKAC team. :)
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