The journey only requires you to put one foot in front of the other…again and again and again.
And if you allow yourself the opportunity to be present throughout the entirety of the trek,
you will witness beauty every step of the way,
not just at the summit”
As our plan to go on an extended hike up North failed to materialize, we decided to go down South for a dayhike. So we decided to drive all the way to San Juan, Batangas and climb Mt. Daguldol. It was practically a drive of about three (3) hours from Quezon City to the quaint Sitio Biga in Hugom, San Juan, Batangas.
While we were paying the registration fees and securing our local guide for the hike, we were forewarned by the locals that there seems to be brewing problem among the local guides. According to our guide, a guide from the Lobo (the summit and campsite is supposedly within the jurisdiction of the town of Lobo) was prevented from leading a group of hikers the past weekend owing to the fact that he was drunks at that time. Trouble erupted among them since those from Lobo claimed (which is supposedly true) that a guide from San Juan (the jumpoff is within the jurisdiction of the town of San Juan) was allegedly previously allowed to act as such even though such guide was similarly intoxicated at that time.
In spite of this, we decided to proceed with the hike. From the jumpoff, we backtracked to the San Juan-Lobo Road and once there, we turned left towards the newly-constructed bridge and made our way towards the trailhead on the right side of the road that led us into the forest.
It was a continuous uphill climb until we reached the 1st rest stop (shed/hut) along the trail. This is where we decided to take a breather and mingled with another group of hikers. After a few minutes of rest, we decided to continue with the hike and bid farewell to our fellow mountaineers. Along the trail, we noticed a good number of serpent eagles majestically gliding above us. We then passed by the trail leading to the Naambon Falls a few hundred meters from the shed.
Onward, we reached the 1st residential area after crossing the brook. We rested on the wooden bench and seemed relaxed by the sound of the running water.
A few minutes from the 1st residential area, the forest gave way to a clearing that went on for about a few hundred meters or so. We traced the river upstream and crossed what seemed to be a dried up river. The ascent continued until we finally reached Sitio Catmon. Here, we again rested in one of the wooden benches and had a chit-chat with the house owner. Just a few meters from here is the basketball court and the chapel. As we ordered a serving of halo-halo for each of us, our initial plan to take just a breather went for naught.
We then followed the dirt path on the side of the chapel and reached another chapel the construction of which was supposedly funded by a Korean national. We continued to follow the trail until we reached the farming area and descended towards the other side of the mountain where an ulingan is found. Just a few meters from here is the house of Kuya Onad, which is probably one of the most popular rest stops along the trail. We however continued hiking and just advised them that we will be stopping by on our descent back to the jumpoff.
The trail went deeper into what seemed to be a coconut plantation that soon gave way to the boulder area which is one of the traditional rest stops of hikers since the area presents a lot of opportunities for photo-ops.
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| Approaching the boulderland in the midst of the coco plantation |
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| jump...jump...jump |
From the boulders, the trail became steeper until we reached the junction that leads to the the campsite. However, our guide advised us to just proceed to the summit (due to the issues between the factions of guides). The ascent went on until we reached another shed where we decided to take a final breather before the final push towards the summit.
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| Shed before the clearing leading to the final assault to the Summit |
From the shed, there was a clearing just before the final assault towards the summit. Thick shrubs, grass, vines, and bush seem to block the initial portion of the trail, until we again reached the much-preferred tree cover in the forest. One need to cling to trees, branches and even roots during the ascent. This went on until we finally reached the summit.
Although it literally is not the summit (since the actual apex of the mountain is the peak on the opposite side thereof that is actually dotted by trees), according to our guide, this boulder is considered to be the highest point of the hike and not the camp site.
While we were busy enjoying the view, we heard another group of locals at the nearby campsite. Although we actually wanted to continue towards the campsite, we heeded the advise of our guide not to go there in order to prevent any untoward incident that might not on us, but on him.
In this regard, from the summit, we backtracked towards the clearing below through the steep trail that we earlier negotiated in going to the summit. Continuous hiking meant we arrived at the shed were we previously took a rest in about ten minutes. This is where we met the group of hikers that we earlier left at the 1st rest stop / shed.
Without taking a breather since we descended from the summit, we arrived at the house of Kuya Onad after 30 minutes. We then decided to order sauteed sardines in addition to the rice that we earlier asked them to prepare. While waiting, we had our share of coconut water and green mangoes. When we had our lunch, Kuya Onad's wife lent us utensils and even gave us some condiments. Yes we were still huffing and puffing because of that hike from the summit, but the sardines that we decided to have in addition to our "canned goodies" tasted like manna from heaven. It was superb really.
After having an extended chitchat with Kuya Onad and his family, we finally bade farewell and started our way back to Ambon-Ambon Falls, where we arrived after 35 minutes. Surprisingly, the hike down to the falls from the junction is just 10 minutes (take a minute or two). Too bad, the waterfall has almost dried. Still, we decided to have a dip for a few minutes.
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| Ambon-Ambon Falls |
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| Malakas pa ihi ko sa agos ng tubig heeheee |
From Ambon-Ambon, it took us just 10 minutes to reach the jumpoff. After we freshened up, we went to the sea to enjoy the view for a few minutes. Laiya beach is one of the more famous beaches in Batangas. Hence, it is frequented by tourists and visitors all year. Rooms and cottages are available for fee.
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| Laiya |
Though travel to Mt. Daguldol takes a considerable amount of time and effort, the hike, the falls, the forest, the sites, and the beach are more than enough reasons for climbers to take the challenge in scaling this famous mountain.
Tramping Chronicles #044
006.024.017
Mt. Daguldol
Jump off point: Sitio, Hugom, San Juan, Batangas
Minor Climb: 3/10
Highlights: Forest trail; Ambon-Ambon Falls & Laiya Beaches; panoramic views of the Lobo Mountain Range, Verde Island Passage, Mt. Malarayat Range, and Mt. Banahaw.
ACTUAL ITINERARY
0530H - Meet-up at MRT-3 Boni Station
0845H - Arrival at the jumpoff / Register / Secure guide
0920H - Commence Hike
0940H - Arrival at the 1st Rest Stop / Shed
0955H - Arrival at the 1st Residential Area
1015H - Arrival at the Chapel / Rest Stop / Halo Halo Break
1040H - Continued Hiking
1055H - Arrival at the Big Boulders Area
1120H - Arrival at the Rest Stop / Shed
1140H - Arrival at the viewdeck (summit daw) / enjoy the view
1200H - Descent back to the jumpoff
1225H - Back at the Boulders
1230H - Back at Kuya Onad's (before the ulingan) / Lunch Break
1400H - Continued Hike
1425H - Arrival at the junction leading to Ambon-Ambon Falls
1435H - Arrival at Ambon-Ambon Falls / Took a dip
1450H - Commenced hiking towards the jumpoff
1500H - Back at the main trail / turned right toward the jumpoff
1505H - Back at the 1st Rest Stop
1515H - Arrival at the jumpoff / Rest / Freshen-up
1630H - Departure for QC
2030H - Back in Quezon City
Guides. It is mandatory to secure a local guide at the jumpoff. According to our guide, the rate is 1 guide per group of hikers. However, there is now a plan to lint the guide per hiker ratio to 1:7 (or 1 guide for a group of 7 climber.
You may wish to with your contacts in Sitio Biga if overnight camping or even just dayhikes are already allowed in Mt. Dagulgol. You may also ask Kagawad Jonjon for updates through his mobile number +639296081852.
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