Last Valentine weekend (Feb 14-16, 2014) we set off to the highlands of Benguet for one goal, to reach the summit of Mt. Pulag, the highest mountain of Luzon and the third in the Philippines. Me and my friends, you can say we're daredevils. For one, no one has ever climb any mountain among us, and to have the audacity to choose Mt. Pulag as our very first conquest says a lot about these brave souls. LOL. Anyway, I went with Dee and Jan, my co-editors and thankfully, Jan brought his lovey-dove Joseph along, who is a boy scout who has everything in his bag. Haha!
We planned this trip around December 2013 and come January, we looked for a mountaineering group, inquired and reserved slots for the trek. Starting January, we took to the Vocus gym and trained real hard (and ate a lot after every training). I think, what made the trip so special is that we prepared six weeks for this! Six weeks! Can you imagine me training at the gym for six weeks? Well, imagine no more. We did it! So when the date of our trek came, we were more than excited.
Six weeks later (Feb 14, 2014) while most people were enjoying/loathing the Valentine rush, we found ourselves riding the 10pm bus to Baguio where we will be transferred to the monster jeep that will take us to Benguet. We arrived in Baguio at around 4:30 am of February 15 where we immediately rode the monster jeep and went to our first stop, a restaurant somewhere in Ambuklao Road, Benguet. We got there at around 6:30 am.
We got back to the road for our next stop: Mt Pulag National Park Visitation Office for our DENR orientation. The mountaineers participating in this trip watched an AVP of guidelines on what and what not to do on the trek. We learned a lot there, especially me. In fact, Dee said, that had we not attended the orientation, I would totally be doing a lot of illegal stuff on the mountains. Haha! I actually paid attention to the video. It instructed us to stay on the trail, hike in a single file, keep our trash with us, be kind and respectful to locals that you'll encounter on the trail, not to play music and be too noisy on the hike (which I still did by the way, haha!) and other important stuff. I still can't get over how the person facilitating the orientation was so funny that I was laughing really hard.
We ate our lunch at the foot of Mt. Pulag where we will be starting our trek and we took pictures at the starting point...
And then we started our loooooong journey to the top.
The beginning of the trail was relatively easy. We trekked on the mountainside and eventually reached the forest. The temperature is still tolerable that time and we were only wearing two layers of clothing.
But then, as we got closer the the first stop of the hike, which is Camping Ground 1, the trail got steeper to the point that you can almost kiss your knees when you lift your leg up for the next step. Our little stops for breathers and drinking water also became more frequent. The oxygen is becoming thinner as we climb higher. This is when we were actually sweating it.
I was the one taking this photo. Look at the height from Joseph to Dee. And look at Jan's tired facial expression. :)
The hike from the foot of the mountain to the first Camping Ground took us a few hours (sorry I am trying really hard to recall how many kilometers the distance is from the starting point to camp 1 or how many hours exactly, but my memory fails me.) But if you'll allow me to estimate, probably three hours of hike on rocky, muddy, steep, rocky, muddy, steep trail. Hahaha. And it also doesn't help that we are carrying big backpacks with us plus liters of water.
Side note: At the foot of the mountain, before the start of the hike, you'll have the option to pay for a porter. Porters are Benguet locals that you can hire to carry your bags so you can hike freely without the load. It costs P250.00, one way. I am not trying to be stingy 'cause I really am not. I did not hire a porter because I think that that would eradicate the satisfaction of climbing to the top. I want to reach the summit of Mt. Pulag without anybody's help, no matter how heavy my belongings are. Naks! Haha!
Camping Ground 1:
We took a rest at the first camp for fifteen minutes because I really have to take a pee.
Fun trivia: I have small bladder and on a normal day, I need to pee every hour, as in every hour! Thus, if you bring a person like me on a trip like this where traditional comfort rooms aren't around, you can expect a lot of pit stops. You can expect me to say "Wait guys, naiihi ako," every hour, consistently!
So we continued trekking. This time, it got colder and the trail was steeper, as if it wasn't steep enough. It took us another two tiring hours before we reached the base camp which is positioned near the junior summit.
Base Camp / Camping Ground 2 - where we will be spending the night. We got there at around 5pm.
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Since we're giddy little kids, the moment we found our tent and settled in our stuff, we instantly went to the junior summit where we took lots of photos!
But the panoramic shots are the highlight of this freezing junior summit (Thanks, iPhone 5C! LOL)
We went back to camp before 6pm because I was urging them to go back because I can't stand the temperature anymore. We ate our dinner as provided by our mountaineering group. They prepared Sinigang for us and they specifically told us to eat fast or else the Sinigang will turn cold even before it reaches our stomachs. That was probably the best Sinigang I have ever tasted. Kuya Migs (leader of Yabag Mountaineering) said that it's no surprise because when you're outside the comforts of your home and kitchen, everything tastes magnificent.
By 7pm, we're done eating and I prepared my sleeping bag. That's when Dee teased me of having "white girl problems" because despite the super low temperature, I still cannot drop my nightly rituals. So then I went on an applied moisturizer and sunflower oil to my face for everybody's enjoyment and mockery.
Now to the hard part...
At around 9 pm, the temperature dropped lower. I felt naked considering I was already wearing five, YES, five, layers of clothes that time. The sleeping bag and my sister's pashmina which I brought to the trip to serve as blanket did not serve me well. I keep pushing my body near Dee's (who's sleeping beside me) just to rub off some of her human warmth, but apparently, she isn't human (Dee, if you're reading this, you know I'm not kidding). I was shivering and I don't know if I already am suffering from hypothermia 'cause I've never been this cold before. It was only the morning after that we learned that the temperature dropped to -2 degrees Celsius! Frigging -2 degrees Celsius! They also showed us photos that it rained for a while that night and that some drops of water have turned into small clusters of ice - while we're sleeping! I felt scared.
I was tossing and turning in my sleeping bag trying to find a comfortable spot or position but to no avail. So, even though it's not yet 2:30 am (call time) I woke up and brushed my teeth outside the tent. By 3 am, we went outside and was greeted by the thick fog only to find out that it isn't fog, but clouds. Somehow, despite the delirious cold, it felt magical to be amidst clouds.
We started the trek to the peak, the summit, the END GOAL when everyone were already assembled into the group. We trekked to the summit under the worst conditions: -2 degrees, empty stomachs, and only the moon and flashlights served as our light; one wrong step and you'll be tumbling down the mountains and who knows what'll happen to you. This is basically what walking along the clouds look like in the dark...
Thirty minutes later and people are starting to be cranky. The oxygen is growing thinner so it's becoming harder to breathe and the temperature just keeps growing colder. How I managed to reach the top was all a mystery to me. Maybe it's because I was dying to see the clouds and the sunrise from the highest point of Luzon. Or maybe it's because of pride. Haha! The idea of not finishing up to the top is simply not an option for me.
So... God allowed what happened. By 5 am, still dark, we reached the summit! We took photos while it's still dark and while we're still waiting for the sunrise as we faced East.
And at around 6am, the most magical thing happened, the sun started peeking slowly into the sea of clouds, and then gradually showed itself in its most majestic and powerful form as I have seen with my naked eyes...
The sea of clouds phenomenon and the sunrise behind my back... Can you think of a better view?
The time when I was actually taller than clouds and most mountains...
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!
"When you're 2,922 miles above sea level and you are standing taller than the sea of clouds and the sun is just within eye level, you'll feel infinite..."
Reaching the summit...
And to leave you an idea of how beautiful this place is, here's Dee's shot of the sunrise. Visit her blog for more shots at www.goneinwonderland.wordpress.com.
