#philippine mountain

[roviell-cablao]

Mt. Pulag

Reaching the peak of a mountain gives every hiker a sense of fulfillment

[murumokirby360]

Mt. Mayon, Albay - Photos

Photo by my mom. =)

[roviell-cablao]

Pulag

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14 People You Meet in the Philippine Mountains

If you are a social butterfly like me, meeting a new soul is like getting an extra life point; it makes you feel more alive, it widens your social circle, it energizes you, it brings you a positive energy, and it gives you a potential new friend. One of the perks I get from hiking is being able to meet different kinds of people from different walks of life, literally and figuratively.I have been…

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[romaadnexa]

meeting the mountain:hike to Pulag

Our trip to Pulag last summer was untimely. Untimely because we were so busy at the office we didn't have the time to jog and exercise. I never thought jogging and exercise were important until I was up there catching my breath for every two steps I take (Haha!).

Since some of my friends want to go there too, I'll just share our itinerary.

There are actually 4 trails going to Pulag, we took the Ambangeg trail; the trail for beginners like me. Our budget was only P3500 (all in). We did not have any travel agency or tour guides. Our boss is a mountaineer and goes to Pulag once a year (I think). She actually arranged all of this. :)

1) First, we rode the 5-6 hour Victory Liner Bus (you can ride any bus for that matter) going to Baguio. We left Pasay terminal at 9pm and arrived in Baguio at 3am. Upon arriving in Baguio, we bought tickets going back to Manila. The line for tickets going back to Manila on a Sunday night is quite long. Cost: P1000, round trip

2) We then took the jeepney from Baguio to the Ranger Station, foot of Pulag.           Cost: P5000 per jeep, round trip. We were 7 when we went there so it only cost me P800

Other cost : Food for breakfast and dinner at the saddle camp; porter fees* (so that you will not be the one who will bring your tent, food, and water for cooking);other individual expenses (Breakfast going there and dinner after the hike)

*Your backpack will be quite heavy, two liters of water is a basic must have

There's our colorful jeep :)

What we did on our way to the ranger station were the following:

sleep :p

eat breakfast

stop by Ambuklao dam

stop by DENR for registration and listen to the 1 hour lecture re the mountain

sleep :p

Ambuklao River

3) Finally, we arrived at the ranger station. Now is the last time you may want to make wiwi. There's really no concrete CR up there. We prepared ourselves - physically, mentally, emotionally and took off! :)

We started hiking around 1030 am already. There are three camp sites where you can have some rest and drink some water. We had our lunch on the second stop.

At first we were still happy taking some pictures...

...but after the 3rd stop I felt the so-called 'altitude mountain sickness'. I started to get dizzy and tired for every single step that I made. We had to take stops in order to catch my breath.

And we stopped again. I can feel the fog slowly creeping in, it was cold and I was out of oxygen. This was the time when I said to myself 'Kaya pala kailangan ng exercise'. But we continued (may choice pa ba ako?haha).

Can you see? Hindi na ako masyadong makangiti. Haha. This was the time when I said 'Kaya pala kailangan ng exercise' and I silently I asked myself 'Kaya ko pa ba?' Haha @@

There's the fog. Remember, when the fog appears its time for you to hurry up!!!Mahirap pag zero visibility na at naghihike ka pa din. +_+

But then, we made it. :D (I made it? I made it!!Haha) I think we arrived there around 4 pm already (Ok such a loser). We had some rest, ate some dinner, washed a little and got ourselves ready for the very cold night. The coldest temperature we experienced there was 6 degrees.  I had worn two socks, two gloves, jackets, fleece, but it was still damn cold. Good thing, there's alcohol. It helped me sleep. :)

The next day we had to wake up at 4am to have a quick breakfast and head up to the summit. It takes around 30 to 45 minutes going up to the summit from the saddle camp. You don't want to miss the sunrise 'cause seeing it is what this is all about.

The summit is just breathtaking. I'm above the sea of clouds - literally :D

some photoshoot :)

We got back at saddle camp around 8am. We ate heavy breakfast and packed up. Around 930 we started the hike back. The hike back was much easier so I got the chance to take some more photos.

The rainforest area. Makes you feel that you're so near (yet so far). :p

We arrived at the ranger station around 1:30pm. We had lunch and left at 3pm; arrived at Baguio around 6pm. Had dinner and left Baguio at 11pm.

Manila at 4am. Little sleep.Office. +_+

P.S. This climb was all because of me. I was the one who laid down the idea 'tara akyat tayo Pulag!'. The reason behind all of this? I don't really know. Maybe I wanted to be challenged, maybe I was just hungry for a new adventure or maybe, I just want to brag it on facebook (Haha). Whatever my reason was, I got to prove something in the end - that I can do just about anything as long as I put my body, my heart and my mind into it.

All photos straight from camera :). I used my beloved Nikon D3000 SLR and 55-200 telephoto lens during the climb :). For more photos, check out http://facebook.com/roma.adnexa