Being Conquered By Mt. Pulag

On my first climb at Mt. Pulag, I overheard one of the journalists gripe about how many who reach the summit go “I conquered Mt. Pulag!”. He said that YOU don’t conquer Mt. Pulag; Mt. Pulag conquers YOU. I agree. How, on God’s green earth, can you expect to ever conquer a mountain? And how can you boast to have been able to conquer something that doesn’t even care that you did?

After writing that post about Kabayan’s Four Lakes, I suddenly felt the urge to dig through my hard drive for old photos and, what do you know, I still have them! So that spurred me to write this post about my three jaunts up Mt. Pulag.

(This is going to be quite an image-heavy post, so my apologies in advance. Also, forgive the quality of the pics. Taking photos was not really priority back then. Hey, I learned.)

FIRST CLIMB. NOVEMBER 2-4, 2007. 

Route Taken: Tawangan Trail

The climb was called “Pasiyal Shi Kabayan” (A Visit To Kabayan), led by the local government unit of Kabayan. I don’t really know what came over me and my friends when we signed up for this one. You see, we’re never the heavy-outdoors types and, apart from Mt. Kalugong, we were never into mountains. Then, out of the blue, we heard about the climb and decided, “why not?”. We must not have been busy then.

Needless to say, this climb was a lot of firsts for me. First time to climb a mountain. First time in Kabayan. First time to go camping (because, really, those Girl Scout camping activities back in elementary school really do NOT qualify as such), and it was also the first time that the Tawangan Trail was used.

Yes, this was a trailblaze of sorts, which explained the presence of manly men from PNP and the Philippine Army, if I’m not mistaken, going ahead with sickles and bolos, hacking away to make a trail for the rest of us following behind them.

This trip also marked the first time I laid eyes on Ambuklao.

The first day was spent on the road, then visiting two of the four lakes of Kabayan – Lake Tabeyo and Lake Bulalakao. Then we spent the night at Barangay Tawangan, where there was a canao and fellowship-cultural night. We all woke up the next morning and started the climb at around 7am.

My memory’s not the best, but I’ll do what I can.

The Tawangan Trail will take you past the pine forest, the mossy forest, and then the grassland, where you know you’re almost at the campsite (and the summit).

It didn’t rain, but once we got to the mossy forest, the moisture and dampness in the air was enough to soak us.

And there is the fact that, on the first creek we crossed, my right foot slipped into the water, so I pretty much walked with my right foot (and shoe) wet. That was partly why I didn’t get a lot of sleep later that night. 🙂

We had lunch along the way, then just kept walking. We arrived at the grassland at around half past 4 already.

At the urging of some of the Army elders, we dropped our packs and went up to the summit. No sunset then; the fog was unrelenting. But it was still a heady experience nonetheless.

We hung out at the summit for about 30 minutes, then went back down, picked up our stuff, then proceeded to the Campsite (Camping Grounds 2) to set up camp for the night.

That night it rained. Or Pulag-rained. You see, it seems that there are other weather rules up there.

We woke up at 3am for the summit assault, in time for the sunrise. The mist, mixed with the wind, whipped against us. It felt like we were taking a shower while walking. 🙂

Needless to say, there was no sunrise. *le sigh* You see, the reason for the weather going bonkers on us is because, at the time, Typhoon Kabayan (yes, I kid you not, that’s the real name) was on its way. Basically, a day after we left the place, the typhoon hit in earnest.

Sidetrips during this climb: Lake Tabeyo, Bulalakao Lake, Opdas Cave, Kabayan National Museum.

SECOND CLIMB. MARCH 2009.

Route Taken: Akiki Trail

This was the HOLY CLIMB 2009, done during the Holy Week. I think it was also a three-day activity, starting on a Good Friday until Easter Sunday. We celebrated Easter Sunday mass at the summit. AWESOME.

This time, we spent the first night at the local schoolbuilding at Poblacion, then set off early the next day.

This time around, we decided to take the Akiki Trail. We were apprehensive at first, since this is touted as the “killer trail” because it is, well, challenging.

Well, they were right.

Tawangan may be the longer and more meandering route, but it was more forgiving on the legs. Akiki, on the other hand, was like one continuous climb, with most places so steep that you look down and can’t help at the angle you’re looking at. The Tawangan Trail had lots to offer, scenery-wise, but the same could also be said of Akiki Trail.

Oh, and we stopped for lunch at the “Marlboro Country” area. I forgot why it was called such. It was pretty, though. And relaxing.

Between 1 to 2 pm, it poured. Haha! Yes, we kinda got rained on. But then it stopped by the time we reached the grassland area, and the Camping Ground 1, where we were set to camp for the night.

At the time, there were other campers before us. I think it was a whole college class from a University in manila. I won’t say what uni it is. But they were so noisy, with their radios turned all the way up, and with them making such a ruckus throughout the night. In my (and most everyone else’s) opinion, they broke one of the cardinal rules of going up Mt. Pulag, which has something to do with respecting the mountain.

Just saying.

We didn’t let it rain on our parade, though. So we tried our best to sleep through the night, and woke up at 4am for the summit assault.

The sunrise? We saw it. And it was abso-freakin’-lutely gorgeous.

AND OH YES, I GOT MY TASTE OF MY SEA OF CLOUDS.

Nay, it was an OCEAN, AND SHE WAS PERFECT.

It’s safe to say that this is not an idiomatic expression: I AM ONE HAPPY CAMPER.

Sidetrips during this climb: Opdas Cave, headquarters of Kabayan Weaving, Kabayan National Museum.

THIRD CLIMB. December 2009.

Route taken: Ambangeg Trail

Yes, we couldn’t wait another year to go back. 🙂 We again signed up for the December climb, dubbed as “December to Remember”. Again, I was with my bestie Sheryll (who was a constant with me on my first 2 climbs), and we looped in another friend, Edelweis.

We decided to take the Ambangeg Trail, which is the easiest route. Others call it “baby trail”. Well, it is the trail taken when you go back down from the mountain. So basically, you’ll go down the same way you go up.

If you are looking for great views, this may not be the trail for you. There are lots of flora along the way, though.

It’s a relatively short hike from the Ranger’s Station to the Camping Ground. Two, three hours, tops, depending on your pace. We camped at Camping Ground 2.

Unfortunately, no clear sunrise sighting this time, too. The morning fog was simply too thick. Still, I loved the cold, and totally lapped it up. What can I say, I’m a cold-blooded Igorot. Haha!

This was a two-day gig, so there weren’t other side trips. It was still a lot of fun, though.

If you want to make the most of your Pulag Climb, look for the climbs organized by the LGU (Municipal Tourism Office). You’ll get the whole works: nature and culture. Also, what could have been a mere climb will turn into a full-blown immersion experience, and you are sure to experience more of Kabayan (because, after all, Kabayan is not only about Mt. Pulag. Trust me on that, if nothing else.)

And it’s not all about reaching the summit, though. At least, not for me. My most memorable climb was when I took the Tawangan Trail. Personally, I also think it is the most beautiful trail. However, my most fun would have to be Akiki, because it made me push myself to limits I didn’t know I could. You see, I’m no experienced climber or mountaineer. I just go where the wind takes me.

Taking the Ambangeg Trail on the third climb was just a whim. We were curious how it’d be. Part of us regretted it, because the Akiki Trail would have been more fun, but it was still worth checking out.

So if all you want is the summit, Ambangeg Trail is your best bet. If you are keen on communing fully with nature, choose Tawangan. If you want to test yourself out in nature. go for Akiki. Each has something special to offer, so why not try all three?

(And please try to do it without a porter. It irks me how some climbers brag about getting to the campsite ahead of everyone else when they paid someone else to carry their gear for them. Nuh-uh. That’s just low. Again, just sayin’.)

Stop all these talk about conquering Mt. Pulag because, when you’re there, and she decides to unleash her power on you, you are merciless to stop her. You, my friend, are still under her power. All you can do is endure, or bask in it.

We’re going back. Soon. Definitely. We must. 🙂