Philippines : Mt Pulag Diaries
Let me start this post with all the rants and epic failure memes.
Honestly, there is no so much for me to tell on this trip. I mean, to begin with, I did not even make it to the summit hahaha. We also got a lot of dilemmas starting with the tour permit, long wasted hours of waiting, bad chewy food, had a seriously bad cold due to failure of closing our own tent and sooooo my list goes on. Such a fiasco to think that we are attempting to climb the highest mountain in Luzon- Mt. Pulag.
I always skip Pulag on my list because, well, for obvious reason, I didn't feel confident that I can climb it and hiking is my least favorite. Though I am very curious about it, the way my friends often tells me it is one of the best experiences and the famous sea of clouds is breathtaking. And as if it was destined for me to see it face to face, a friend invited me to join the hike since one of their friends cannot make it. Wondering why I said yes? Well, I will just be paying Php 1,800 all in for the trip, half the price of the original package haha ( who would say no di ba? ).
And so, our Mt Pulag Diaries starts
Starting our trip by riding a bus going Baguio, since we are in a tour group, we had a very comfortable shuttle bus and a private jeepney waiting for us in Baguio. It took us 5 hours bus ride going there and 2 hours jeepney ride going the ranger station.
Our tour guides take us to Ampuklao Dam for some photo op, then we headed to the nearest health center to get some medical certificates required by the local municipal. They are requiring hikers to submit medical certification to ensure that we are physically fit to climb. That costs us Php50 per head.
Honestly, there is no so much for me to tell on this trip. I mean, to begin with, I did not even make it to the summit hahaha. We also got a lot of dilemmas starting with the tour permit, long wasted hours of waiting, bad chewy food, had a seriously bad cold due to failure of closing our own tent and sooooo my list goes on. Such a fiasco to think that we are attempting to climb the highest mountain in Luzon- Mt. Pulag.
I always skip Pulag on my list because, well, for obvious reason, I didn't feel confident that I can climb it and hiking is my least favorite. Though I am very curious about it, the way my friends often tells me it is one of the best experiences and the famous sea of clouds is breathtaking. And as if it was destined for me to see it face to face, a friend invited me to join the hike since one of their friends cannot make it. Wondering why I said yes? Well, I will just be paying Php 1,800 all in for the trip, half the price of the original package haha ( who would say no di ba? ).
And so, our Mt Pulag Diaries starts
Starting our trip by riding a bus going Baguio, since we are in a tour group, we had a very comfortable shuttle bus and a private jeepney waiting for us in Baguio. It took us 5 hours bus ride going there and 2 hours jeepney ride going the ranger station.
Our tour guides take us to Ampuklao Dam for some photo op, then we headed to the nearest health center to get some medical certificates required by the local municipal. They are requiring hikers to submit medical certification to ensure that we are physically fit to climb. That costs us Php50 per head.
The scenic view of Ampuklao Dam at our background
Hanging bridge
The first thing to do is to go to the DENR office where you need to attend a seminar roughly 45 minutes and have your names registered. This is to inform the hikers about the Dos and Dont's such as playing loud music while hiking, leaving your trash anywhere, cutting of plants,etc. It was unfortunate that our tour guide was not able to secure our permit so we ended up climbing Mt Pulag at 9 in the morning instead of 1 in the morning. But, as the saying goes, you have to stay positive whenever you are traveling, so we just enjoy the moments as much as we could.
What you can truly enjoy here is the cold weather. Fogs started to embrace us, it is the perfect time to go on a stroll along with the ranger camp and sip some hot Milo.
My girls sporting how to build a tent
My two adorable roommates, Anj and Darlene. We accidentally forgot to close the door of our tent, leaving us chilling the whole night. Seriously, we are grinding our teeth and hugging our selves due to the extreme cold, I even had my feet outside of the tent talaga, haha. It was around 3AM when Anj suggested closing the door, then afterward, the tent suddenly felt warm.. NKKLK!!!
The whole team waiting for the go signal to climb. It was such a hassle waiting for hours just to climb, we are all awake around 5AM and we ended up sneaking from the guards just to climb.
Mountain view with the climb, I wonder if I can make it, lol
From the other side of the mountain, a full view of some tents
Details over Shadows
Amazing Green plants wrap with Ice, Yes, as in Yelo!!!
Some of the interesting plants in Mossy Forest
Litlle Bamboos that is now endangered
My favorite chilly spider web with droplets of ice frozen for eternity
Getting closer to the grassland
Trekking going the summit is about 3-4 hours depending on speed and prowess of the climbers, there are at least three summits, and all are mostly cover with grasslands. In my case, I did not bother my self to aim for the summit since we arrived there around lunchtime, no more sea of clouds to look forward to. Thanks to my personal cheerer, Ms Vi who accompanied me through out my struggles. She already climbed this mountain five times!
Thanks Ms Vi for taking good care of me and for the motivation :)
Beautiful Landscape :)
Though this trip is bitin for me, failing to see the sea of clouds, I am still very happy to meet new friends and seeing Mt. Pulag. I will be back here, stronger and more enthusiastic till I see the sky where Dragon Ball will appear!
photo credit : my phone, Anj, Darlene, Anj and Meme.
photo credit : my phone, Anj, Darlene, Anj and Meme.
//emh.
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