Mt. Tapulao - 3 (Bunkhouses to Dampay-Salaza)

Fully aware that the open trail of Mt. Tapulao can be one hellish footpath especially during the advent of summer, aside from the fact that the big group of mountaineers went ahead of us by at least an hour (we feared the interruption that this group would cause us at the wash-up area), we agreed among ourselves to go hard on the trail and make full use of gravity as we go down Central Luzon’s highest peak. 

And our prize would be the Tinolang Manok that we ordered, as well as having a cool and refreshing bath without delay.

Ready to go...

Our target is to make it in Dampay-Salaza within 5 hours, which as per our calculations would give us enough time to rest, wash-up, have lunch and leave for Iba before sunset.

Again, we were the last mountaineers to leave the bunkhouses for Sitio Dampay that day.

Mt. Tapulao - 2 (Bunkhouses - Summit - Bunkhouses)

Aiming to enjoy the sunrise and of course hoping to see the renowned sea of clouds at the summit, we were supposed to wake up at 0400H. However, our designated watchman inadvertently set his alarm at 1600H (or 4:00PM). As such, we started our day an hour late from our supposed departure for the summit.

The cardiac assault made us feel heaviness in our feet. Likewise, there is lightness in our heads as we pushed our way up the entrance to the mossy forest. It was a good thing that the cold weather really made us homey. We were able to reach the clearing (which is also an alternative camp for mountaineers) at around 0530H. We spent a substantial time resting at the trunk of a fallen pine tree as we were literally panting and gasping for air.

At the mini-campsite after the steep ascent from the bunkhouse

already late for sunrise

fallen log

The entrance to the mossy forest is found at the northern part of the clearing. At this time, the rays of the sun have already started to slowly break the darkness around us.

While still an inclined ascent, the next part of the trail along the mossy forest is a lot easier to negotiate. The mossy forest is really akin to that found in Mount Pulag. We were able to finally summit Mt. Tapulao at 0610H.

Mt. Tapulao - 1 (Dampay-Salaza to Bunkhouses)

This is an account of our climb in Mt. Tapulao on March 28-30, 2014, when Skookum Mountaineers was still in its pre-formal stages. While we were already considering ourselves as Skookums at this time, we were yet to be formally inducted as part of the group.

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While our initial plan really was to do a traverse of Mt. Ugo from Kayapa, Nueva Vizcaya to Itogon, Benguet, conflicts in the respective schedules of some of our friends and fellow Skookum, as well as budgetary concerns constrained us to opt for Mt. Tapulao instead.

According to Allan, same with Mt. Ugo, Mt. Tapulao is also famous for its pine forest and its trail that will surely test the patience of even the most hardcore of mountaineers. As known in the world of mountaineering, Mt. Tapulao is also referred to as the "poor man's Pulag."

Just to illustrate, the jump-off point is at an elevation a shade above 100MASL, whereas Mt. Tapulao’s summit is at 2037MASL. In other words, it is a gain in altitude of about 1900MASL strewn over 18 kilometers of open, rocky, rough, bouldery and 90% skyward trail.

As we really wanted to conquer ourselves, we decided to give it a shot. There were five of us who took up the challenge namely: Bette, Allan, Gani, Lennon, and Oliver.

Mt. Tapulao is the peak in the middle

In anticipation of the weekend traffic, we arrived at the Victory Liner Bus Terminal in Caloocan City at 2100 (March 28) or thirty minutes prior to our intended departure time for Iba, Zambales. It was really a good thing that we were there early since we never knew that there were actually two terminals of Victory Liner in the area. One is located just beside the Victory Mall (along Rizal Avenue), where we were actually waiting, and the other at the back of the said mall, where the buses bound for Zambales are stationed. So we again had to rush to the other end of the terminal or else our reserved seats will be given to chance passengers.

All set...

Pasimpleng Engr...chickababes ang seatmate hehe

An hour and a half into the trip, we had a stopover somewhere in Lubao, Pampanga where we bought snacks and some trail food. Of course, with our favorite chicharon included. The food here is actually better than in the subsequent bus stops, so better have your fill here and then try to get as much sleep as you can for the rest of the trip.