Waking up very early in the morning after a
very tiring climb to do more climbing, much less an assault is not really our
strong suit. But we were left with no choice but to make up with lost time.
We started our day at 3:30AM since we still
need to break camp. Kuya Celso arrived fifteen minutes later while we were busy
repacking our things and making sure that we leave no trace behind. Ate
Concepcion arrived just a shade before 4:00AM.
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| A brand new day... |
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| Break Camp |
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| A bug's life |
We immediately started to negotiate the
inclined slopes of Mt. Ugo. The trail was a little bit slippery at that time
owing to the thunderstorms that showered us through the night. As such, we were
extra careful in threading the edge of the mountain.
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| And the clean-up continues even at dawn :) |
After 40 minutes of climbing, we reached
the clearing that has a ridge reminiscent of Mt. Batulao. At this time, the
sun’s rays were already ready to break the dreary silence of darkness. We
took some pictures of the jagged peaks around us as we took a brief rest.
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| Twilight |
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| Hooray for today! |
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| Sunrise...Hello Sunshine...(credits to Lennon for the photo) |
|
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| Here comes the sun...toobidoodoo |
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| The Ridge...walking on the spine of the mountain |
At 5:10AM, we reached a split in the trail.
According to Kuya Celso, the trail on the right is a shortcut to the other side
of Mt. Ugo. On the other hand, the trail on the left is the way up to the
summit. We took extra time to enjoy the view. Kuya Celso was pointing to us the
other remarkable peaks of the Cordillera, notably Mt. Purgatory and Mt. Pulag.
The famous sea of clouds in Mt. Pulag can likewise be distinguished in the
horizon.
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| Mother's Date |
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| Seryoso |
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| Higher Ground |
We arrived at the campsite at around
5:50AM, when the sun is already beaming in all its glory. Nevertheless, the
weather is still very inviting especially with the occasional zephyr that we
all so badly miss in the metropolis. There were occasional greetings from
fellow mountaineers most of whom participated in the National Mountain Cleanup
Day.
At first we thought that the venerable sea
of clouds of Mt. Ugo will not surface as there was still no concrete
manifestation of its appearance and the sun was already shining brightly. Besides,
fog was already overwhelming the lower parts of the mountain. And that was up
until about 6:20AM, when clouds appeared wave after wave and became like cotton
candies and fluffy cottons in the sky.
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| Sea of Clouds + Sunrise = Perfect Shot |
We made our final push for the summit at
around 6:50AM. We passed by a mini bamboo forest as well as a mossy forest
similar to that of Mt. Pulag’s. We consequently reached the summit 20 minutes
later.
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| Super Mountaineers |
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| Inside the forest....going to the summit |
After taking pictures in the summit, we
settled at the 2nd clearing and prepared breakfast. We each had an
initial serving of champorado sprinkled with tuyo. Then as main course, we had
porkchops, beef tapa, beef with cheese, dried fish and tomatoes.
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| Allan: Sarapan mo yan Bogs ha. Lennon: Oo nga dapat masarap yang tapa. Bette: Oh my God ang daming food! Ang sasarap pa! :) | | |
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We subsequently started to
descend the mountain at 9:45AM, more than half an hour behind the last group.
The steep descent went on and we passed by the 15-kilometer
post just 2 minutes into the trek. There were only tall grasses and small shrubs
in this part of the trail. We hurdled the first wooden gate after 5 minutes,
and were again back within the confines of the pine forest 10 minutes later. I
have not seen such huge pine trees before, and I was just so glad to see this
huge concentration of pine trees in one area.
The trail is actually adjacent to the area
of Domolpos and Ansipsip, and the trail where the Ansipsip waiting shed is
located is visible beyond it. The descent continues until past the
13.5-kilometer mark, where incidentally, there is another trail going to
Domolpos. According to Kuya Celso, they will pass through this trail when they
go back home (…to think that the trail in Tinongdan going up Mt. Ugo is way
harder than that in Indupit will make you admire these people).
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| Tuloy ang clean-up...great job Skookum |
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| Open trail before the pine forest |
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| Steep descent...Bette at the 1st gate...the trail goes down the pine forest then up the mountain in the background |
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| Go down...then up that mountain in front... |
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| Huge pine trees |
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| This is the area where we have seen the biggest pine trees. |
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| Bogs and Lennon enjoying the shade |
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| We are tired... :) |
Though not that steep, we subsequently ascended
another peak and after about a kilometer, the trail shall start to go downward
and winding again. Throughout all this, symphonies of the pine needles continue
to break deafening silence of the forest.
At 11:45, we reached the water source at the
12-kilometer mark. The other groups that went down the mountain before us were
having lunch at that time. The water source is located about 70 meters down the
ravine, so it was Kuya Celso who went there and filled our water containers.
Incidentally, this water source is the same water source for the whole village
of Ansipisip.
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| enjoy sa Ugu |
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| Dahan dahan...ingat lang |
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| Km 13 |
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| The water source is about 50 meters from this tree |
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| Time-out |
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| The bend...below the ravine on the left is the water source |
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| water source is located beyond these trees |
Leaving the 1st water source at
12:10PM, we arrived at an open space in kilometer-9.5 at 1:05PM. We again took
a very long rest here and spent most of it telling stories and taking pictures.
It was really surprising to see posters declaring that the cutting of trees in
the area is prohibited. I am not sure if this is already the old sawmill area but there are indications that some machines that use cables are located in the area.
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| Bogs |
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| Spare the trees |
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| well-rested =) |
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| remnants of the old saw mill |
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| in the amphitheater of pines |
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| pine country |
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| Lennon...on fire...look at the trees |
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| Rolling and Winding Terrain |
Within the 9-kilometer mark, we encountered a herd of
cows. Then came the 1st wooden bridge (very small really). There was
even a tree that seemed to have just fallen to the ground. We again had a brief
rest at the 8.5-kilometer mark before we pushed on to Lusod Village which is
within the 7-kilometer mark. On our way, we passed by another wooden bridge (a
wedge of timber really) and the 2nd water source at the 8-kilometer
mark.
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| Pine Forest = Cool Air |
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| I hike...I like |
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Sweepers
|
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| Cows |
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| 1st wooden bridge |
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| fallen... |
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| located here is the 2nd water source, you just need to pull the tube out then put it back again.. |
We left the comfortable shade and cool
breeze of the pine forest after scaling a wooden ladder (…just 3 or 4 steps).
Then came the ricefield where we saw tin cans hanged together in a piece of
metal wire, which when pulled will produce a loud sound that would scare
away the birds.
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| the Steps |
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| Magtanim ay di biro...(isama na rin ang mahabang lakaran sa kabundukan...) |
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| Super Mountaineer...we are getting near Losod |
At last, we finally arrived at Lusod Village at
2:15PM. We occupied a hut located within the residential area. There is a
nearby faucet which serves as the 3rd water source in the trail.
This faucet is similar to the 1st water source in the Indupit-Ansipsip
Trail.
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| Lusod Village...at last |
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| Kwentuhan ulit...pahinga...3rd water source is located near this hut and the toilet at the back |
We had corned beef, potatoes and cheese, and tuna for
our late lunch. We even had sliced apples for dessert. Since it was already
4:10PM when we bade farewell to Lusod Village, we were resigned to the fact
that we are going to do some night trekking. This may sound dicey for some, but
not for us, it actually adds to the adventure so long as we have more than
enough time for bonding and photo-ops. Besides, it will be easier for Bette (who
actually has fear of heights) to cross the hanging bridge over the Agno River.
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| Forest fires are prevalent because the owners of the land burn the dried grass |
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| Mt Sto. Tomas as seen from Lusod Village |
We again entered a pine forest after the 7-kilometer
mark. We had a glimpse of the Binga Dam at the 6-kilometer mark and had the
final glance of Mt. Ugo’s peak within the 5-kilometer mark. We arrived at the
waiting shed just before the 5-kilometer post at 4:50PM and rested for 10
minutes.
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| Entering the gate at the pine forest after Lusod |
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| Thank God for all these pine trees! |
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| waiting shed...in the middle of nowhere |
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| "Picture Group" |
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| The Binga Dam Lake |
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| Binga Dam |
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| Steep descent just before the 4th kilometer mark |
After the 5-kilometer post, magnificent views of the
other mountains of Benguet welcomed us. The Agno River, parts of a zigzag
concrete road and some villages were already visible in the distance. However,
we were again exposed in an open trail.
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| the sun still burns |
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| water please |
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| rest stop...with Allan, Bogs and Jaime |
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| Lennon |
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| Bogs, Skookum's model for the National Mountain Cleanup Day...look at that trash. |
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| The road is already visible, we are now up to the last few peaks |
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| Plane flying low :) |
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| Clearing...Binga Dam is visible on the right side of this clearing |
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| Cows |
The smooth and winding mountain trail
suddenly became a steep downhill at the 4.5-kilometer mark. It also turned
rocky and slippery. But a few meters after the 4-kilometer mark, the trail
became a concrete footpath. We finally arrived at the 4th water
source at the base of the mountain at 5:40PM. There is a grotto here as well as
concrete benches were we spent time resting.
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| Open trail at the 4th kilometer mark |
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| Grotto |
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| The 4th and final water source |
The concrete footpath again became a dirt trail just
before the 3.5-kilometer post. We finally reached the houses within the
3-kilometer mark at around 6:10PM. As we again entered a metal gate, climb a hill past the houses and the rice field, enthusiastic children bade us
goodbye.
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| 1st Residential Area |
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| The Metal gate which leads to a hill past the 1st residential houses |
Just before the 2.5-kilometer mark, we are again on
our way down and past that, we travelled along the edge of the mountain and
even some rice terraces.
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| It's getting dark already...so pardon the noise and the shake in the photo :) |
We brought out our respective headlamps
since darkness slowly swamped the surroundings as soon as we reached the
2-kilometer post. We recognized that we were already near the end of our
journey as we could already hear people chattering in the distance. And after
passing by the concrete bridge, at 7:30PM, we reached the village inside the
1-kilometer mark where we washed-up since we were informed that there was no
water at the Barangay Hall at that time.
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| Public toilet...there are three toilets here where hikers can freshen up |
At 8:10PM, we were back on the trail travelling the
remaining kilometer until we reach the "waiting shed" where we shall rendezvous with the vehicle that will take us to
the Barangay Hall and all the way up to Baguio. We reached the hanging bridge
(which is incidentally marked as kilometer 0.5) at 8:20PM. And after 10
minutes, we finally reached kilometer 0.0
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| crossing the hanging bridge |
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| So happy to reach kilometer 0.0 |
We finally arrived at the Barangay Hall of
Tinongdan after a 10-minute ride. We again were made to register and waited for
our Certificates of Conquest, which unfortunately were unavailable. At 9:40, we
were already in Baguio City all set to leave for Manila.
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| Registration please |
We are very happy to have conquered Mt. Ugo. Hopefully, we can make good on our promise to return to Domolpos and have our gift-giving cum social activity with the locals.
Again, we are Skookum Mountaineers, forged together to conquer new heights while maintaining that bond that closely knit us together as friends and family.
In that regard, we leave you with some of our pictures, where all six of us pioneers are in. We hope you that you will enjoy the other pictures as well, much less, that you will find this post helpful in planning your climb to this mountain called Ugo.
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| Silhouette |
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| We are Skookum Mountaineers |
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| (Pioneer Batch) L to R: Oliver, Bette, Lennon, Bogs, Allan, Jaime |
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| Team Relax...in the Amphitheater of Pines |
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| At the Hanging Bridge |
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| enjoying the scenery |
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| Ang lakas ni Bogs...pinadaan kami habang buhat yung puno hehe. |
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| Team Leader and Sweeper |
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| Oliver |
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| Jaime |
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| Contrasts |
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| Wacky...haahaa |
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| Everlasting |
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| Smurfs |
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| Mushroom (Burger? pwede...) |
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| I remember hearing this tragedy from my mother....May they all rest in peace |
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| rolling terrain |
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| Sentinels |
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| That's all folks! |
***
Photos in this post are courtesy of Lennon, Jaime, Allan, Bette and Oliver...kaya Bogs mag-post ka na hehe.
Traipsing Chronicles 002
Itinerary Day 2 - (Km. 4 E-Camp to Summit to Tinongdan, Itogon, Benguet)
0330 - Break Camp
0400 - Commence trek to campsite
0440 - Arrival at the Batulao-like clearing
0510 - Reached the split in the trail (by-pass the summit to the other side of the mountain)
0550 - Arrival at the campsite
0620 - Sea of Clouds
0650 - Commence trek to summit
0710 - Arrival at the Summit
Breakfast / Photo-ops
0945 - Commence trek down to Tinongdan
0950 - Arrival 1st wooden gate
1000 - Arrival at the pine forest (huge trees)
1145 - Arrival at the 12-km mark (1st water source)
1210 - Departure from the 12-km mark
1305 - Arrival at the 9.5-km mark ("amphitheater of pines")
1415 - Arrival at Lusod Village (before the 7km post; 3rd water source)
Lunch
1610 - Departure from Lusod Village
1650 - Arrival at the waiting shed just before the 5km post
1740 - Arrival at the Grotto/Concrete Benches (4th water source)
1810 - Arrival at the 1st residential area
1930 - Arrival at the concrete bridge just before the residential area (wash-up)
2010 - Departure from the residential area / Public Toilet
2020 - Arrival at the hanging bridge
2030 - Arrival at the waiting shed (km 0.0)
2040 - Arrival at the Barangay Hall
2140 - Already in Baguio City (inside the bus bound for Manila)
Next Day
0330 - Arrival in Cubao Terminal of Dagupan Bus
The Summit. There are actually three open
areas in the summit. The first area is where the trails from the campsite and
that going down to Tinongdan converge. This area offers magnificent views as
there is a clearing on its eastern portion. The second is a wider area that is
enclosed by nearby shrubs and trees. The third is the area where the metal
marker and actual summit may be found. There is also a headstone, presumably
brought by one of the families of the fatalities in the plane that crashed a
few meters beneath the summit of Mt. Ugo.
Although I have read blogs where they
camped in one of the clearings near the summit, Kuya Celso and Ate Concepcion
said that camping is not allowed in the summit.
Guides and Porters. Guides are mandatory and hikers need to shell out P500.00 for the traverse. Whereas porters are optional, at P400.00 per day.
Just a note to our
fellow mountaineers. While we are paying fees respectively for guides and
porters, we appeal that you be considerate enough to share with them food,
water, or even in worst cases shelter. These people are there to take care of
your needs so please be sensitive of their needs too.
We have actually experienced seeing other groups not
minding their guides at all. And for us Skookums, that is the height of
callousness.
Buses. We wish to emphasize that aside from Victory Liner, there are a lot of buses who ply the Manila-Baguio route and vice-versa. It's just that we noticed that there were at least a hundred chance passengers at the Victory Terminal in Baguio at that time and yet when we went to the public bus terminal where Genesis, Partas, and Dagupan Bus get passengers, seats are already available to us in no sweat at all.
Reverse Traverse. We met hikers along the trail that came from Itogon, Benguet instead of Kayapa, Nueva Vizcaya. Kuya Celso mentioned that the reverse traverse from Itogon to Kayapa will take 3 days.
1st day would be from Tinongdan, Itogon, Benguet to Lusod Village.
2nd day is from Lusod to the campsite.
3rd day is from campsite to Kayapa, Nueva Vizcaya
Related Links
Mt. Ugu - Day1
slow clap for this post Atty...luv et!
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