Mt. Balagbag - Traversing the Balagbag Loop to Maranat Falls and back

If mountaineers consider Mt. Tapulao in Zambales as the "poor man's Akiki", Mt. Balagbag may be aptly referred to as "Mini Tapulao". That is of course, without the pine trees, chromite, and the cold weather.

Mt. Balagbag

Nevertheless, the trail is pretty much the same, all uphill from the jump off point in Licao-Licao up until the summit that is also notably called "Helipad". Aside from that, the trail is similarly open (mostly grasslands and cogon) so prepare to be toasted by the hot sun. Lastly, the trail also has big rocks which could really test one's knees and resolve.

Nonetheless, Mt. Balagbag is one of the mountains that are more accessible from Metro Manila. All you have to do is ride a bus going to Tungko in the City of San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan (as for us, we boarded the bus at the Five Star Bus Station in Cubao). It took us basically an hour travel time until we alighted at the intersection in Tungko. There is a Jollibee at the intersection should you wish to have breakfast first. There are other fastfood joints at the intersection but Jollibee would be the more popular choice since it is open round-the-clock. However, another alternative would be to eat breakfast at the eateries in Licao-Licao.

The jeepney terminal is located near the public market after the intersection (note that there is also a market at the back of Jollibee just before the church but this would be the wrong one). Go past the intersection and follow the road going to Norzagaray, then turn right at the opening before BDO and Shell Gas Station. Go past the market as the jeepney terminal is located at the end of the compound (eastern side).

The 1st jeepney departs for Licao Licao at 0530H and the fare is P28.00. Travel time is 45 minutes to 1 hour (depending on the traffic and the instances a passenger alights from or hails the jeepney).

Mt. Pulag 2 - The Sea of Clouds

Initially, we were roused by the unforgiving cold at around 0100H and as every minute pass, the night's stillness and tranquility were slowly overwhelmed by the mindless banter of people who chose to be oblivious to others who were still trying to get additional sleep.

At 0300H, since the biting cold made it even harder for us to doze off, we decided to prepare for the early morning assault to the summit. It was really freezing cold at that time. Consider this, I purposely left bottles of water and energy drinks outside our tent, and these really turned cold as if these were just taken off a freezer.

Also, with the increase in activity, the camp site came back to life. There were already those who opted to start the assault early as the lights from their headlamps can be seen slowly inching up in the mountains.

It was already 0415H when we started to hike. The cold weather and the thin air made the hike harder. Nevertheless, the twinkling stars in the clear and vast sky served as an incentive for us to to go on.

When we arrived at an intersection, we chose to scale the harder/shorter route (most hikers would proceed via the longer/winding trail). And at 0530H, we finally reached the highest point in Luzon. There were already quite a number of hikers entrenched in their spots, so we chose to settle on the southeastern portion of the summit.

At 0545H, as more and more hikers converged in the summit, the rays of the sun started to dawn on the horizon. And of course, comes with it is the magnificent sea of clouds for which Mt. Pulag is revered for.

Mt. Pulag - Where the Sea of Clouds welcomed us to the Playground of the Gods

***This is a narrative of our friendly-climb in Mt. Pulag last February 15-16, 2014, before Skookum Mountaineers was established.

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Climbing Mt. Pulag which, certainly includes experiencing its very cold weather and witnessing the magnificent sea of clouds is a must for every Filipino mountaineer. May it be through the gentle Ambangeg, the mysterious Tawangan, the challenging Ambaguio, or the "killer trail" Akiki, conquering Mt. Pulag provides that fulfillment that outdoor-lovers crave for.

Mt. Pulag

The tower of the Cordilleras

So when an invitation came for us to hike up Luzon's highest (and supposedly the Philippines' 3rd), we immediately answered in the affirmative. As it was the peak season, we were then forced to avail of the services of a local tour operator. Among the would-be Skookums in our group that time included Allan, Lennon, Gani, Bogs, Jaime and Bette.

We left the urban jungle that is Metro Manila on Valentines Day, which incidentally was also a"payday Friday", so we really had to scamper to the Victory Liner Bus Station in Cubao for the 9:30PM trip to Baguio City. As fate would have it, we were delayed by an hour as it was already 2230H when we left Cubao for Baguio City.

With only the 15-minute stops that the bus made in Tarlac City and in Sison, Pangasinan, we were able to reach the City of Pines at 0330H of the following day.

Mt. Batulao - Old Trail to New Trail Traverse

***This is an account of our climb in Mt. Batulao (technically Skookum's 3rd) before Skookum Mountaineers was formally established.***
 

Mt. Batulao

A few weeks after our first venture into the mountains of the Cordillera, we Skookums were at it again. This time we went to Nasugbu, Batangas in an attempt to traverse Mt. Batulao.

It was already 0400H when we left Mcdonald's (Gilmore cor. E.Rodriguez) and arrived at Evercrest at around 0600H. We immediately ate breakfast at one of the eateries along the highway. It was also here where we bought additional food for lunch.

The jumpoff point along the Tagaytay-Nasugbu highway

Clubhouse

From the residential area located after Evercrest, we boarded tricycles that took us deeper into the trail. We alighted at the junction and took the road on the left (the road on the right leads to the school). It was already 0715H when we started to hike.

The dirt path is literally all dirt....Allan, Jaime and Doc

Single file

At the 1st hut just after the initial incline

 At 0835H, we arrived at the split and followed the dirt path on the left side of the trail, which leads to the Old Trail. We then arrived at the 1st rest stop (house) fifteen minutes later. Here, two young boys offered to sell us Mountain Dew and buko juice (fresh from the fruit). We felt recharged after that very long rest.