Climbing Mt. Pulag

For the first adventure of 2015, I decided to climb Mt. Pulag. Thanks to Brian who invited to me the trip, I found myself prepping to conquer the highest peak in Luzon. It was crazy. The last time I climbed was four years ago when we trekked Mt. Gulugod Baboy, and I didn't really know if I have what it takes to go up 2,992 meters above sea level.

We were taking the Ambangeg Executive Trail which is the easiest trail, doable even for non-climbers. Still, I couldn't help but get the jitters.

We left Manila at 9:30 pm on a Thursday. It was a smooth ride to Baguio the following morning where we would take a rented jeepney to get to Bokod, Benguet.

From Baguio, it was a three hour drive to the first stopover.

Good morning, Bokod! First glimpse of what the mountain has to offer.

It’s THE stopover for all climbers. Where everyone eats at the only “restaurant” and get their packed lunch. It has a small store which sells travel staples (toiletries, noodles, batteries etc) plus anything you could possibly forget to bring – gloves, bonnet, socks.

A beautiful mess at this local restaurant. 

It also has the shower/restroom area, which is about the most normal shower/restroom area you’d get in the next couple of days. 

If you gotta go, you better go now.

Biyaheng Pulag. :) 

From the stopover, it’s another hour to the Ranger Station. This is where, supposedly, we would start our two hour trek to the camp site. We were to spend the night there and head to the summit at three am the following day. The Ranger Station was a real exciting spot. Muddy trekkers who just came down, anxious groups ready to climb up, friendly locals, street food, and fog. Lots of fog.

Busy morning at the Ranger Station. 

Unfortunately, because of unstable weather conditions, we weren’t allowed to climb and set up at the camp site. We had no choice but to set camp at the Station instead. Boo. It was a bit of a letdown ‘cause we were all prepped and ready to climb, but we didn't really have a choice. It’s such a humbling experience when Mother Nature wins.

Don’t worry, we made the most out of our day being smothered by clouds. :)

Our home for the next two days.

View from top. 

Just an ordinary day for these locals.

And what better way to keep ourselves warm than taking a few swigs and endless one-for-the-roads? Hehe.

Ang laking efficascent oil. Haha. 

Heating it up with our new found friends. 

Our honorary guide, Stephen. The alcohol kicking in plus the fact that he's been on the mountains for two weeks already. Haha.

Necessity is the mother of invention. We needed dessert, so we got this. | Mallos + JellyAce Salad. =)

The good news about staying at the Ranger Station was that we didn’t have to bring our packs during the climb. The bad news was we have to trek straight to the summit for four (or more) hours. The ugly news was we start trekking at one-friggin-AM.

That’s how we found ourselves putting on layers of clothes right after midnight, huddling in pitch darkness. 

1am. 

We started climbing.

I was shit scared. The numbing cold, the stillness of the night, us walking in single file, me not really knowing where to go except for the feet of the person before me where my headlamp points at.

It was calming though, passing by other campers who wish you well.

The girls - KC, me, Iloisa and Mau, one hour into the trek, at Camp 1. Blurred photo brought to you by Bri's freezing hands.

Everything was a haze after that first hour. I just remember the cold. And the darkness. And my aching legs. I remember being separated from my group (even though the first rule during our huddle was to always stay with your group), so I ended up climbing the next forty minutes or so with total strangers.

I finally got together with my group *phew*, but it was also the start of the more challenging part. We were climbing the upper half of the trek, the rolling grasslands. It was a choice between sinking in shin-deep mud, or balancing near the edge of the cliff. Putik? Bangin? Putik? Bangin? It was pretty really  scary, I can't even remember how I managed to climb. I just kept going and going, thinking - what the hell did I get myself into?

After more than four hours of climbing, we could already see the summit. The sky was slowly changing from bluish black to deep purple with streaks of pink and orange. And we knew that the sun would appear any minute. We were still about 10 meters away. I was ready to collapse. I felt like Jell-O waste down, my hands and feet were numb, and there just wasn’t enough air to breathe. But we knew that if we stop, we would miss that perfect moment. So we literally crawled our way up three storeys high, using whatever energy we have left. We reached the summit and rolled on our backs to face the sky.

And then this.

And I cried. Because it was so beautiful. Because God spent a little more time on our country, to make those fluffy clouds, that glowing sun, those rolling hills. Those marvelous changing hues.

Partly, I cried because I made it and I was still alive. Hahaha.

At the Summit. *two frozen thumbs up*

And I understood why people go crazy enough to climb Mt. Pulag. :)

Three words: totally worth it. 

Climbing down was easier. I thought it would be scary ‘cause it would be bright and you can actually see the cliffs. Strangely enough, I was calm and peaceful all the way. I kept thinking, I made it, I actually made it. One would say I got over the fear ‘cause I finally conquered Mt. Pulag, but really, she was the one who conquered me.

For we can never conquer mountains, it's always the mountains that conquer us.

Thank you, Mt. Pulag. 'Til we meet again. :)


Planning to climb Pulag for the first time? Check out some tips from a Pulag virgin on this post. :)