I’ve been itching to climb this mountain situated at the heart of Central Luzon for a long time. It was Gian's first mountain which she climbed when she was in her senior year and based from her experience, it was a tough one. We chose the Magalang trail because of the positive reviews from blogs regarding security, to avoid overpriced transportation and easier trail.
We took a Five Star bus bound for Mariveles, Bataan and alighted at SM San Fernando at 5AM. According to some blogs, transportation is already available at that time hence our early arrival. Much to our dismay of avoiding hefty transportation fees, trike drivers offered to bring us to Magalang for P400 which is really expensive for just 2 persons. They added that there are no jeepneys bound to Magalang until 8AM and at least 4 different drivers attempted to fool us. We just walked accross the road to avoid them because Gian's patience is just beyond the brink. Fortunately enough, a local we asked was helpful enough to say that there was an alternative option to get to Magalang. Take a jeepney to Arayat, get off the intersection and then take another to Angeles and just get off at Magalang town. Problem solved. We just spent P104 (2 persons) for transportation. We felt victorious.
We were blessed with a good weather that day. The sun was shining in the horizon giving Mt. Arayat a nice silhouette against the vast rice farms and green lands. We reached the town of Magalang at 6:24AM and took a tricycle to Ayala. Sad to say that overpricing schemes from trike drivers in this town seems common too. We ended up bargaining for a 60-peso ride to Brgy. Ayala where we need to register. The trike driver even offered to bring us to the jump off point for an extra hundred pesos which we completely rejected since we were fairly early anyway. Registration is free and the baranggay councilor also gave us tips on how to not get lost and to just stay on the trail because a group of students went missing and was found the next day a week prior to our climb.
Our trek started at 7AM and I noticed a lot runners and cyclists and tourists alike. Turns out that there was an ongoing construction of the Station of the Cross for pilgrims. 30 minutes into our walk, we passed by one of the sari sari stores and had cup noodles for breakfast. The owner also shared stories about Mt. Arayat, how their town is divided into different sources of income like cattle, crops and farming. He was disappointed to learn about our experience with the trike drivers and said that we just need to say where we're going, act like locals and pay the amount. No haggling needed. It was really handy on our way back later that day.
We reached the end of the cemented road at 7:44AM and continued our trek. The 14 stations are almost done and trail markers with some quotes are visible throughout. We did not hire a guide at all thinking and believing that the trail is "defined". We reached a nipa hut after 2 hours. After a long break, we continued following the electrical posts and little did we know that we are already on the wrong trail. There are two trails: one going down to the right of the green marker and one going straight. We took the latter because it was more defined and the view was clearer. Only to find out that the reason it was clear was because they chopped trees to mount electrical posts that will supply electricity to the cellular tower at the summit. We realized that we were in the wrong trail after 2 hours of non stop assaults and we were not seeing the marks that we were expecting to see. We pinned our hopes to the altimeter in Gian's watch which informed us how much more altitude we need to cover. We ended up taking our lunch along the trail because it was almost noon. While taking our lunch, barefooted local passed by. We initially thought that he was something else (like a engkanto or what not - Gian). He was just wearing a white t-shirt and jeans. No bags, drinking water or anything to shield himself from the heat which was very odd.
After lunch, we continued our ascent and decided that if we don't reach the summit by 1PM, we'll have to cancel and head back down. But within then next hour, we saw the cell tower which marks the summit and finally crossed paths with the right trail marked by a rope. The trail we took looked like a battlefield. It was rocky with chopped trees, sprouting tree roots and lots of electrical wires littered everywhere. It was a very disappointing scene knowing that they just relentessly do that for civilization purposes.
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| can imagine how big and old this tree is? |
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| took a seat here |
25 minutes after twelve, we finally arrived at the summit. 10 military officials live there in a solar-powered bunk. They guard the tower from unwanted visitors. Gian gave up in asking them some questions because they were not that much friendly. They seem too serious and one was even toying his armalite in front of us. We just enjoyed the view of the other side of Mt. Arayat (south peak) overlooking the Pampanga River and picture taking soon followed. The 32 degree heat did not allow us to stay long so we just rested on a bench under a tree, drank some water and stared our descend. We took the right trail this time and it was very relieving to see that the trail is forested and it gave us proper shade from the sun. The steeper parts of the trail have ropes which was a big help for us specially Gian who started to feel some pain on her knees. She tripped thrice but thankfully she didn't sustain any injuries. We reached the White Rock at around 2:30. Vandalism and trash decorated the area. We decided not to stay for long and finally arrived at the jump off at 4 in the afternoon.
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| Hammerhead Worm (land planarian) |
There are no houses in the area which offers showers for a fee. But there are neighboring resorts where you can take a relaxing dip. We chose Santiago Resort which si just beside the baranggay hall for 50/person. Their pools are not operational though because they are closed for the moment but they still welcome climbers in need of a shower. Overall, it was a nice but arduorous climb. This mountain tested our composure under pressure, determination and trust with each other. It was definitely a good training for our upcoming dream climb that is soon to become a reality. So stay tuned.
Video summary:
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