Its the year of the Monkey, so are y’all ready to go ape?! Happy New Year, all~ How’d you ring in 2016? Mine was… uneventful, which means restful… which is a good thing, because if there’s one thing I would like to happen in the coming year, it is for me to have plenty of rest in between adventures. *crosses fingers* The last post I did was Part 2 of this Travel Challenge, and it also happened to be the 200th post I’ve made in this blog. Wow. 200. I hope I’ll be able to do 200 more. 🙂 Travel gods and fairies, be nice to me~
(Check out Part 1 and Part 2 of the Tacadang Travel Challenge.)
Dislaimer: All photos are taken by me, unless otherwise indicated in the photos themselves.
Let me pick up where I left off in the last post, when we took some photos atop a huge slab of rock on the side of the mountain in Bagiw (but I think the slab was actually THE mountain, LOLZ).
As I mentioned before, the second day of the Challenge was a real test of endurance, because it was one continuous downhill hike, followed by another endless uphill climb, under the scorching heat of the sun. It was at the end of this challenge that we decided to stick to the phrase “uphell climb”, because it was one hell of a climb. A verrrry long one.
But I’m getting ahead of myself.
9:30 AM, you could say this was the start of the actual challenge for the day. We had to get used to walking on a non-trail, meaning you go “where’s the trail coz it’s just one long boulder!” then you find treads wearing on the rock face and realize that THAT is the trail.
It’s moments like these that never fail to make me feel so insignificant and smaller than I already am. We were literally surrounded by these rocky mountains that I had weird thoughts. What if these all rose into life and turned out to be giant, living rocks, then decided to do a battle royale right then and there, with li’l ol’ me caught in the middle?
But at many points along the way you cannot help but stop and appreciate the view. Or the views.
Along the way, we met several locals, on their way to their fields, or to town to get some supplies, or on their way back home. Hats off to them, like this elderly man who was taking a bit of a respite from the sun. We’re grateful to him for letting us take photos with him.:)
10:00AM, we came upon rice paddies… I looked back to check out where we came from, then looked forward, down, to see where we’re headed. It’s still waaaaay down there.
10:25 AM, we came across the first hanging footbridges – one of many we’d cross today – where we also stopped for some water refill. We were told that the natural water sources we passed at key points along the trail produced water that is safe for drinking. We took their word for it. So far, I don’t think anyone had problems, and I actually thought the water tasted very good, considering that it is… well… water.
The seemingly endless downhill run was starting to cause my knees to knock. At some points we are tempted to just rush and run down the slopes, but considering how it’s solid rock down there, we had to think twice. And thrice. Oh, and countless more times than that.
11:30 AM and we still couldn’t see any signs of Pacda community! At this point our real enemy was the day’s heat. I swear the main reason for stopping every once in a while is not exhaustion, but an attempt to get a little bit of shade.
Oh, by the way, Pacda is still on the other side of the mountain. You literally have to cross the length and go to the other side… Phew.
And the challenge just got tougher. The trail was mostly loose soil, and it’s so steep, so slipping is already a given. There were several steel bars set up for anyone to cling to (I think it’s supposed to “hold on to” but “cling” is the more apt term, methinks).
And from our vantage point, we could see our companions who walked on ahead, tracking the side of the mountain.
12:20 PM, more than half an hour later, and we were also walking the trail. From afar it looked really treacherous, so props to the local government and community for setting up the safety rail. But when we were there, it was not as dangerous as it looked from afar. There was a slope, steep though it was, but a slope still that could slow down your fall in case, you know, you fall.
And I can think of another word that I can use to describe the views: rewarding. Down there is the Colangi Waterfalls, and a part of Kibungan River.
12:45 PM, we finally arrived at the sleepy small community of Pacda. We rested for a bit, drank some water, ate some of our stash (because lunch is still aways away), and took shelter in one of the houses. The kind old lady who owned the house even offered their local brew (coffee), and we spotted some orange/mandarin trees with the fruits all ripe and ready for picking… and had our fill of freshly-picked juicy oranges!! Yum yum!
1:30 PM, we continued on for Polis. Where we’re supposed to have our lunch. I suppose it’s going to be a late lunch now. This place has some of the tallest rice stalks I’ve ever seen in my life! Some are even my height! Which became a running joke later on. *sigh*
There’s our sweeper-slash-guide, taking a rest atop a rock. I can tell that he, too, is hungry, haha!
Just around the bend from these rice paddies, we came across what I’d like to call “downhell” slide. Seriously, it would’ve been easier to just slide down – it was THAT steep – but steps and treads were carved on the face of the mountain so sliding down would be… er, disastrous.
This is where I seriously felt my knees knocking. The fact that there were a couple of locals walking behind me, leisurely chatting while I was sooooo bloody careful not to miss a step while trying not to be too slow to hold them up? TORTURE.
But I’d like to thank them for not snickering when I slipped at one point. Haha! Also, they met other locals across the way and, in their local dialect, spoke about how we (the hikers who visited) were “strong”. OhYASSS.
The entire descent took all of 10 minutes, but it honestly felt longer than that for me. When I arrived at the bottom, I had to resist the urge to just drop down, curl up and moan to sleep. After 10 minutes, I continued to push forward. I did not wait for my companions, because I was already too hungry, and they said that the school where our lunch was waiting was just on the other side. 🙂
2:00 PM, After 15 more minutes of walking, I finally caught sight of the school! That’s the Polis Barrio School.
Finally, we were able to have lunch! And rolled around for a bit. Some took naps, others just lazed around, psyching themselves up for what lies ahead. From here on out, it’s a continuous climb up the mountain. Yep, nap it is, then.
3:15PM, we left the school and started the last leg of the Challenge, which will take us back to the Town Hall.
From the top, we spotted the Kibungan River, which we have to cross via a hanging bridge. But what really caught our eye… was the mountain we are to climb.
I guess, you could say, at this point, that my reaction was like this:
4:00 PM, we finally got to the hanging bridge. On the other side marks the beginning of the “uphell” climb. 🙂 IKOU~!
It was tiring! But we did it using measured steps, stopping every once in a while, taking photos as an excuse to give our legs a rest. I kept looking back at where we came from, trying to trace our path.
Oh, by the way, this entire footpath, which is called the Bago Poblacion Farm-to-Market Foot Path, is 380 meters long. Not really that long in terms of distance, but if you count in the steepness, then it’s a different story. The beneficiary of this footpath was primarily the association of Kibungan Arabica Coffee Growers. It’s also relatively new, having been laid out only in 2007.
5:30 PM, we finally came upon “civilization”, meaning houses and stores. 🙂 Some of the locals hanging out at the store where we stopped by to get some cold drinks even toyed with us, telling us that the Town Hall is still on the other side of the mountain. Then one lady took pity on us and said, “it’s just around the corner”.
Squealing like banshees, we literally raced off. And found ourselves back at the Town Hall.
SUCCESS!
The time was 5:33 PM.
Some of us bathed, some just washed up. I did the latter. Haha! I was too lazy since I knew I was gonna soak in the bath when I get home later tonight. The local government hosted a hearty dinner for us, followed by a short informal program where thoughts, opinions and recommendations were shared. It was quite a lively evening, it was almost bittersweet when we all had to board our ride which will take us back to La Trinidad and Baguio.
At around 8PM, we left Poblacion, Kibungan, taking with us precious memories of Tacadang.
Final Thoughts:
I do not ever want to come to the point where climbing mountains is like an everyday occurrence. Which is why I feel blessed thus far that every climb or trek or outdoor adventure that I take part in ends up becoming a memorable experience. In this particular adventure, I was prepared to have a difficult time, and part of me is glad that I did, because otherwise, I would have been disappointed.
….get what I mean?
A hike to Tacadang is certainly not for the faint of heart. But if you are determined, and you do it with people that share that same passion, then you’ve got the basics down.
I am grateful to the organizers and the local government of Kibungan, and barangay Tacadang, for taking care of us. This was, I understand, their first time to host such an activity and, for first-timers, they did a very good job. Sure, there were hiccups, but that is to be expected, and they owned up to it in the end, which I find commendable. For sure, they will do better in the coming climbs.
I am also thankful to the locals and the residents of Kibungan that we came across during those two days. They were very welcoming, despite the fact that we are not really tourists or strangers, simply neighbors. I love the basi (sugarcane wine) that’s particularly made in Tacadang, so much that I hunted for it during the Adivay Trade Fair a couple of weeks later.
Finally, I’d like to say thank you to my companions during the Challenge. We’ve been on several outdoor adventures together, and let me just say you’re the best crowd ever. More to come? Yes, please!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Again, for those planning to visit Tacadang, or any other part of Kibungan, here’s something for you. Want to help?Want to make your climb or your adventure matter? Then course your activity through the local government of Kibungan. Here are useful contact numbers for ya:
Kibungan Municipal Tourism Action Office/r: 0917-5890138 / 0910 – 8771725
Kibungan Municipal Mayor’s Office: (074) 309-1495
Or, better yet, check out the Facebook page of the Kibungan Tourism Council. Learn more about the natural attractions of Kibungan here.
Appreciate this documentation. My mother is from Kibungan and she usually relay story mentioning about Tacadang, at least i may not actually gone to the place, i have seen in pictures and got idea how it looks
I’m glad this post was able to do give you that glimpse. To this day, it remains to be one of the more challenging places to visit for hikers, but it sure is one of the more fulfilling and memorable ones. And also definitely a place worth going back to over and over.