I Survived...Mt. Pulag!
And here I was, midway through the climb from Camp 1 to Camp 2, huffing and puffing curses wondering what the hell did I get myself into. Out of breath and semi-out of patience, I was so tempted to utter the deadly words “Are we there yet?” but decided to keep my mouth shut. My ego got the better of me and decided that I will finish this climb with my 40 liter “sponsored” backpack bearing down on my already drenched back.
Of course, my unfit frame got the best of me. With 1/3 left of the climb, I surrendered my heavy, badly-packed bag to my groupmate. I was just beyond relieved when we reached the shelter. I was wet - both from sweat and rainwater - from head to toe and cold. Fog was actually coming out from my breath and I was beyond famished. I love the outdoors, but I know that I am not built for a four-hour climb to the second highest mountain in Luzon.
Mother nature must have sensed that an inexperienced camper is coming, thus she decided to shower us with her blessings. Hence, the heavy downpour in the middle of our climb; Having our jeepney stalled for almost an hour due to a thick muddy road and having one of our group members falling ill. I joined the climb because I was looking for adventure and was I not disappointed. I cannot thank the gods enough for making the jeepney work, otherwise we could have trekked all the way from where we stuck to camp 2 (or camp 3, the original destination), which is an additional 2 or maybe 3 hours worth of climb on top of the original four hours. Crawling would have been the next best option.
An hour after getting to the campsite, we were greeted by the most beautiful sunset. The skies have cleared up and a burst of oranges, blues and lavenders were spread in front of us. We never get this in the city. And I tell you, there wasn’t even a speck of gray smog in the horizon. The sunset was bar none. As the saying goes, “Walang tiyaga, walang nilaga”. If this is the kind of result that I’ll be getting for every effort that I exert, then I was definitely in a win-win situation.
The next morning, we had to wake up at the ungodly hour of 4am to catch the sunrise at the summit. Again, another obstacle for me. With the chilling cold, it was just more than tempting to snuggle up in my nonetheless short sleeping bag and so-called winter clothes. Our human alarm clocks with their loud voices ringing through the air were enough to get us moving and prepared in ten minutes. With only my headlamp (and the flashlight of the person in front of me) to guide me, I found myself traversing uneven, rocky and slippery trails as we raced against time to chase after the sunrise. I was trying to fight anxiety of not reaching the summit in time and the fear of falling over the cliffs without anyone noticing it. I slid over wet rocks and slippery soil, fell on my knees and grasped thorny leaves and what-nots along the way just to keep myself on track. (Thank you to my “sponsored” Merrels, otherwise I wouldn’t know what would have happened) I was talking to people whom I thought were my groupmates, but later on discovering otherwise. I remember asking the people in front of me how far along are we and hearing them answer “10 minutes nalang” a tad too many times. In over an hour and a half, I reached the summit, ready to rejoice, but imagine my surprise when I don’t find one single person from my group.
Not wanting to miss out on what was left of the sunrise, I snapped away and asked several strangers to take my photo. I had to tuck away the nagging feeling that I might have gone on the wrong summit and that my group was in another summit (at least the odds of them not being in the same area where I was). Several minutes after, I found myself in the company of familiar faces and had more photos taken. The view was breathtaking - rolling green hills plus the bluest sky. Literally, it was like being on top of the world. I didn’t have enough words to describe the exhilaration that I felt so I just smiled my widest and looked as far as my eyes can see. I was hoping for that shot with my head just right below the clouds but they were nowhere in sight. I was surprised though at the number of people at the summit. I felt like I walked in on a frat party with almost every inch of the mountain being occupied.
Trekking down all the way to the Ranger Station was as not as difficult, If I do say so myself. Overall, I just felt proud of myself, modesty aside. I could have never realized how far my legs can take me and well it did take me 9000 meters above sea level (correct me I’m wrong). I have wanted to climb Mt Pulag for over a year and when the opportunity presented itself, I didn’t even think twice about going.
I’ve always been a city girl at heart, but have always loved being close to nature. This time around, it was trickier. The whole experience for me (sans the spiritual stuff) was all about appreciation:
1. An appreciation for the Philippines and its beautiful landscape. Our country is such a sight to behold, but getting around can burn a hole in one’s pocket. Tourism doesn’t need to be expensive, but rather, one needs to be creative.
2. An appreciation for people and new found friends. With the times now that everyone is just virtually interconnected, sometimes getting in someone’s face is actually a refreshing a change.
3. An appreciation for the basics. Basking in 2 days without a mobile phone was a new-found freedom.
Freedom Climb: Mt. Pulag, Benguet (June 12 to 14, 2010)
Asked if I would do it again? Sure, why not. As long as there’s a likely chance for a proper toilet. haha!
Of course, my unfit frame got the best of me. With 1/3 left of the climb, I surrendered my heavy, badly-packed bag to my groupmate. I was just beyond relieved when we reached the shelter. I was wet - both from sweat and rainwater - from head to toe and cold. Fog was actually coming out from my breath and I was beyond famished. I love the outdoors, but I know that I am not built for a four-hour climb to the second highest mountain in Luzon.
Mother nature must have sensed that an inexperienced camper is coming, thus she decided to shower us with her blessings. Hence, the heavy downpour in the middle of our climb; Having our jeepney stalled for almost an hour due to a thick muddy road and having one of our group members falling ill. I joined the climb because I was looking for adventure and was I not disappointed. I cannot thank the gods enough for making the jeepney work, otherwise we could have trekked all the way from where we stuck to camp 2 (or camp 3, the original destination), which is an additional 2 or maybe 3 hours worth of climb on top of the original four hours. Crawling would have been the next best option.
An hour after getting to the campsite, we were greeted by the most beautiful sunset. The skies have cleared up and a burst of oranges, blues and lavenders were spread in front of us. We never get this in the city. And I tell you, there wasn’t even a speck of gray smog in the horizon. The sunset was bar none. As the saying goes, “Walang tiyaga, walang nilaga”. If this is the kind of result that I’ll be getting for every effort that I exert, then I was definitely in a win-win situation.
The next morning, we had to wake up at the ungodly hour of 4am to catch the sunrise at the summit. Again, another obstacle for me. With the chilling cold, it was just more than tempting to snuggle up in my nonetheless short sleeping bag and so-called winter clothes. Our human alarm clocks with their loud voices ringing through the air were enough to get us moving and prepared in ten minutes. With only my headlamp (and the flashlight of the person in front of me) to guide me, I found myself traversing uneven, rocky and slippery trails as we raced against time to chase after the sunrise. I was trying to fight anxiety of not reaching the summit in time and the fear of falling over the cliffs without anyone noticing it. I slid over wet rocks and slippery soil, fell on my knees and grasped thorny leaves and what-nots along the way just to keep myself on track. (Thank you to my “sponsored” Merrels, otherwise I wouldn’t know what would have happened) I was talking to people whom I thought were my groupmates, but later on discovering otherwise. I remember asking the people in front of me how far along are we and hearing them answer “10 minutes nalang” a tad too many times. In over an hour and a half, I reached the summit, ready to rejoice, but imagine my surprise when I don’t find one single person from my group.
Not wanting to miss out on what was left of the sunrise, I snapped away and asked several strangers to take my photo. I had to tuck away the nagging feeling that I might have gone on the wrong summit and that my group was in another summit (at least the odds of them not being in the same area where I was). Several minutes after, I found myself in the company of familiar faces and had more photos taken. The view was breathtaking - rolling green hills plus the bluest sky. Literally, it was like being on top of the world. I didn’t have enough words to describe the exhilaration that I felt so I just smiled my widest and looked as far as my eyes can see. I was hoping for that shot with my head just right below the clouds but they were nowhere in sight. I was surprised though at the number of people at the summit. I felt like I walked in on a frat party with almost every inch of the mountain being occupied.
Trekking down all the way to the Ranger Station was as not as difficult, If I do say so myself. Overall, I just felt proud of myself, modesty aside. I could have never realized how far my legs can take me and well it did take me 9000 meters above sea level (correct me I’m wrong). I have wanted to climb Mt Pulag for over a year and when the opportunity presented itself, I didn’t even think twice about going.
I’ve always been a city girl at heart, but have always loved being close to nature. This time around, it was trickier. The whole experience for me (sans the spiritual stuff) was all about appreciation:
1. An appreciation for the Philippines and its beautiful landscape. Our country is such a sight to behold, but getting around can burn a hole in one’s pocket. Tourism doesn’t need to be expensive, but rather, one needs to be creative.
2. An appreciation for people and new found friends. With the times now that everyone is just virtually interconnected, sometimes getting in someone’s face is actually a refreshing a change.
3. An appreciation for the basics. Basking in 2 days without a mobile phone was a new-found freedom.
Freedom Climb: Mt. Pulag, Benguet (June 12 to 14, 2010)
Asked if I would do it again? Sure, why not. As long as there’s a likely chance for a proper toilet. haha!