Mt. Pulag, which stands 2,922 meters above sea level, is Luzon's highest peak and, on official record, is the Philippines' second highest. (Next, of course, to my beloved Mt. Apo.) It is bounded by the provinces of Benguet, Ifugao and Nueva Vizcaya. But most of its part is located at Kabayan, Benguet. The mountain is famous for its sea of clouds (which interests me so much) and is also known as the playground of the Gods.
Climbing Mt. Pulag is in my bucketlist. Really, I was not afraid of the trek. What I fear about is the idea that I could not endure the cold since the temperature therein would fall to zero and sometimes negative. For someone who has an ADHD thyroid like me, too much cold or heat is unbearable. I dread hypothermia. But I was determined.
My Mt. Pulag adventure began on a plane ride from Davao to Manila. I had a 9:35PM flight and upon arriving NAIA I went straight to Victory Liner terminal, just in time to catch the 11:55PM trip to Baguio City. I arrived in Baguio City the next day at almost 7:00AM, had my breakfast then went to the terminal to ride a van going to Kabayan, Benguet, since it will pass along Ambangeg where the trek would start. It was an almost three-hour ride from Baguio to the DENR in Ambangeg where I had my orientation and registration. Then I took a 45-minute "habal-habal" ride going to the Ranger Station where a staff listed my name and got a guide and a porter for me. A porter is optional, but I needed one to bring my packbag loaded with several coverings to beat the cold and my tent. After having lunch, we started the trek. It was cold and windy. We arrived at Camp 2 at about 4:00PM where we decided to settle because it was already raining slightly. A tent was already fixed therein when we arrived. I was glad I had a neighbor. Guides have their own “kubo” a liitle far from the hikers’ camp. They also have separate comfort rooms. It was getting colder. They said the temperature was 10C and that it would drop down to 6 to 5C during nighttime. The slight rain was constant. As the night grew deeper, it was getting colder and colder. I worried that I might not see the sea of clouds the next day. But my guide told me that if it is cloudy and slightly raining in the afternoon or nighttime, the sky is clear the next day.
For my sleeping attire, I wore two socks, a knee-length sock, a warmer, my cargo pants and a jogging pants for the lower part. For the upper, I had a long-sleeved shirt, a sweat shirt and a thick winter jacket. I had also a hand gloves. But my palms and feet could still feel the biting cold. Changing position every now and then because it was too cold, despite several coverings. I'm used to sleeping alone in my room, but it's really hard to sleep peacefully and alone in the middle of a very cold mountain. I woke up at 1:00AM to see the Milky Way because they said it appears brightly between 1:00AM to 2:00PM. What I saw was the moon and a single star because it was cloudy, but the rain had already stopped.
We started hiking again towards the summit at 4:00AM. It was rough and tough. Aside from the biting cold, half of the trail was rocky and it was so dark, although we had our flashlights. Along the way, we met other hikers who came from Camp 1 and from the Ranger Station. A guy asked me where am I from. I told him I'm from Davao. He said, "Wow! Di ba andun yung Mt. Apo. Sisiw na lang pala to sa yo!" I just smiled coyly. But in my mind I really wanted to say, "Pag-sure diha, Kuya!" I don't know why people have the impression that when one comes from Davao, he/she can easily climb all the mountains in the Philippines. When I reached the summit, I wanted to shout. But shouting is a no-no there because the locals believe that the mountain is sacred.
At the summit, we met several other groups who camped at the Saddle Camp and Camp 3, that's in the other side of Mt. Pulag. All came in a group, except me. When they knew that I was alone, a seminarian uttered, "Ikaw lang talaga mag-isa? Ang galing mo Ate, hiker ka pala talaga. Siguro next destination mo Mt. Everest!" Well, that's another misconception. It doesn't mean that when you trek alone, you're a pro.
Day 1
11:55 PM - Bus (Victory Liner) from Pasay City to Baguio City
7:00 AM - (Next morning) Arrived at Baguio City, take breakfast
8:00 AM - Took van (Baguio-Kabayan route) from Old Slaughterhouse to Ambangueg
10:30 AM - Arrived at Ambangueg, proceed to DENR Station for orientation and registration
11:30 AM - Took motorcycle (habal-habal) going to Babadac Ranger Station, hire trekking guide
and porter, short briefing
12:00 NN - Lunch
1:00 PM - Started trekking
2:00 PM - Arrived at Camp 1
3:30 PM - Arrived at Camp 2
4:00 PM - Fixed tent, rest, sight-seeing
5:00 PM - Prepare dinner
6:00 PM - Dinner
8:00 PM - Lights out
Day 2
4:00 AM - Trekking to Summit
5:30 AM - Arrived at the Summit, enjoy the golden sunrise and the sea of clouds
7:00 AM - Descended to Camp 2
7:40 AM - Breakfast
8:00 AM - Unfixed tent
9:00 AM - Descend to Babadac Ranger Station
11:00 AM - Arrived at Babadac Ranger Station
11:15 AM - Descend to DENR Ambangueg
12:00 NN - Arrived at DENR Ambangueg, log out, freshen up, lunch
Things to bring:
For an overnight stay at Mt. Pulag, here are important things to bring. You should really consider the cold weather.
* One sweat shirt
* One thick winter jacket
* Two pairs of gloves
* Three pairs of thick socks
* Tent
* Sleeping bag
* Bonnet
* Cloak or shawl
* Flashlight
* Toiletries
* Camera (Of, course!)
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