Mt Daraitan (739 m | 2,425 ft)
Welcome to my new blog. This will be my first post as this hike is my first solo climb. I’ll get straight to the point - my experiences climbing this “Auntie Mountain” of mine (Mt Batulao being my “Mother Mountain”) alone.
From Cubao - Aurora Blvd, I took a jeepney to Cogeo, Antipolo City (₱29). Cogeo for me is the “Gateway to the Eastern Mountains” as this is the terminus for jeepneys going east, to the Sierra Madre mountain range. I hopped on one going to Brgy Sampaloc, Tanay (₱65) - major jump-off point for Mt Daraitan. After sitting with a heavy bag on my lap for about two hours, I finally arrived. Once in Brgy Sampaloc, you have the choice of renting a tricycle (₱500) or a motorcycle (habal-habal) (₱150). I opted for the latter as I’m alone and was on a budget.
The 30-minute ride from Brgy Sampaloc to Brgy Daraitan was mostly on a rough road so it wasn’t really a pleasant experience but what can you expect from a rural area in the mountains. The driver will drop you off at the Barangay Tourism Office where you need to log in and pay the fees. The costs are as follows: LGU fee (₱50), community fee (₱30), indigenous peoples (IP) fee (₱20), and guide (overnight) (₱1,250).
After settling everything at the Barangay Tourism Office, my guide and I rode another tricycle (₱60) and went to the Tinipak River Camping Grounds to set up camp. Use of the camping grounds cost (₱45) with unlimited use of the toilets. Being an outdoor enthusiast, I brought all my gear with me i.e. tent, burner, pots, food, sleeping bag.
When it comes to outdoor living, especially when going overnight for a hike, your major concern will be drinking water. Luckily for me, there’s a spring a mere 20 metres away from the camping grounds so I have an unlimited supply of natural water.
When I finished setting everything up at the camp, I explored the nearby Tinipak River with my guide. There weren’t a lot of people when I came and the area was generally clean and safe. The guides tell us that we could only swim in the calmest part of the river but even there, you can feel the current. Since I take all opportunities presented before me, I did some laps across the river, and swam upstream as a warm-up for my heart before the climb the next day. Oh, please do take note that on the other side of the river, there is another spring where the water’s potable, safe to drink.
After my not-so-quick dip, I went back to camp with my guide and prepared my cooking gear while drying off. My guide scavenged for kindling and fuel while I prepared my tinder. I used the fire starter with my knife to light up my tinder and set it inside my burner along with some kindling. As I was doing all this, my fellow campers kept on noticing my gear and asked where I got them. I told them that since I’m planning on making this a long-term pursuit, I already invested in good gear. I also told them where I got them...#advert.
I cooked tinned beef stew and tinned corned beef hash and ate it with pita bread, my go-to carb source when outdoors. Of course, I shared my meal with my guide who was amazed at how prepared I was. Oddly enough, as I was cooking, some people approached me and asked me for something...a light for their cigarettes. They all forgot to bring their own lighters, apparently.
Following the cycle of work, I had to clean everything I used. Thank the spring once again as I used the water for washing. Had I not had a spring nearby, I would’ve wasted all my potable water for washing the dishes. Since I had nothing else to do, I just lay on the floor and look at the stars...a luxury the people of the Metro don’t have. Then, I went to bed.
By 2 a.m. the next morning, I was already up and packing up everything as we were about to climb up the mountain. Since we’re doing a night hike, I had to rent a headlamp...something I haven’t invested in at the moment. It cost (₱40) for the whole hike. I climbed solo with my guide, but another group of about 12 people were also heading up and were ahead of us. They were climbing at quite a moderate pace with many rest stops, while I was hiking a bit faster. I asked if we could overtake them and they politely agreed...each to their own, I guess.
The mountain wasn’t very difficult to climb since it was full of trees, branches, vines, and rocks that you can use as holds. However, the trail had a 600 metre assault so there were no breaks to the climb. We had to climb wooden steps put in place by the guides and rangers, and to crouch under rock formations to reach the summit. From time to time, there was rain and it made the trail slippery, but it still felt safe thanks to the trees, the rocks, and my walking stick. My hiking sickness was still evident: not looking up. There were many instances where I almost hit my head had my guide not warned me just moments before. Other than that, I was able to conserve my strength, my breath, and my water well.
We arrived at the now-defunct summit camping grounds to wait for sunrise. A few minutes after we reached the waypoint, the group behind us arrived. One of them had an injury on the foot so I tended it since I had a first aid kit with me too. We just chatted while the raindrops fell on the canvas roof at the summit camping grounds. A few minutes before sunrise, my guide and I set off ahead of everyone else once again. It was a 10 minute assault to the summit and once we got there, I headed straight to the view deck and just sat there, marvelling at the landscape in front of me.
Sunrise came and photographs were taken here and there. However, there was one rock formation that the guides said was too difficult to climb. When I heard that, the risk-taker in me was piqued so, with the moderate knowledge I have of scrambling, I was able to reach that point. It felt like a big achievement because when you’re there, one wrong step can mean being barbecued by sharp rocks. No kidding. After more photographs, we went to the second view deck and took even more photographs.
By this time, there were already about 100 people on the summit, so my guide and I decided to head down. We decided to take the long trail since the short trail might be too dangerous. The climb down was seriously long but it wasn’t so difficult. We passed through two potential camping grounds, another view deck, shrubs, flatlands, and finally farms and houses.
Wanting to get the most from my climb, aside from the exercise, I also mapped both the ascent and the descent using my phone. I have an app that records trails in terms of distance, elevation gain, location, and duration all with the power of the GPS. It’s a free app too that doesn’t require an internet connection so aside from conquering mountains and experiencing nature, another purpose for my climbs is to map trails for other’s knowledge and reference.
Personally, I don’t take a bath after getting back to civilisation after a climb. I consider it as my badge of honour that I really did went on a hike.
Overall, Mt Daraitan was not your usual mountain since it didn’t take much of a toll physically. It was more of a technical climb as you need to think of your steps and your holds so as to climb the mountain fast and in a safe manner.
