Trekking Mt. Batulao

Province of Batangas

23, 24 July 2011

We left Manila at about 9:45PM on-board the car of Bianca. We were only 4, our trail guide included. I'm not so keen on the direction so I did not really mind which road we took going to the jump-off point.

We reached the jump-off point - Evercrest Golf Course at around 11:20PM. We started trekking at 11:30PM. It was my first time for a night trek. It did not rain for the last two weeks so the trail going up is quite dry. The sky is filed with stars and we can see clearly the moon. Without the sun, we were spared from being easily dehydrated. This made the trekking less tiring for me.

Clear Sky

We reached Peak 8 at around 1:12AM and set our tent. Mt. Batulao has an elevation of 811 MASL. We started trekking up to Peak 10 at 9:00AM via the new trail. We passed by the "Camel Back" rock and took some photos.

Camp Site

Mt. Batulao looks different from usual Philippine mountains because it resembles the European Alps though a much smaller version. This is due to its tree-less peak covered with cogon grass making it look more like a snow-capped mountain.

The view from the summit was so nice. The view of the Taal Lake, the Batangas province, the South China Sea and the surrounding mountains like Talamitam and Pico de Loro definitely fulfilled our visual senses. Atop the summit, an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary is firmly erected. After taking photos and enjoyed the magnificent landscape view, we started our descent back to Peak 8.

Sunset

Back at Peak 8, the forming rain clouds covered the summit and the other peaks and then it rained. The rain was so heavy accompanied by strong wind that lasted for more than an hour.

Sunrise and sunset were another amazing view atop Peak 8. We descended Mt. Batulao on the following day. Along the trail, we had a refreshing "buko" juice at a bahay kubo. We were all back at the jump-off point past 11:00AM.

Going back to Manila, Bianca decided to treat us a lunch with "Bulalo and Bangus" both of which are simply delicious. More photos: Batulao #1 Batulao #2.

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Mt. Pinagbanderahan and Bantakay Falls

Atimonan, Quezon Province

09 July 2011

We had another adventure at the Quezon National Forest Park located 180km south of Manila in the province of Quezon. It was my first time to be in that province.

According to the Department of Tourism, the Quezon National Forest Park in Atimonan Quezon Province lies one of the most beautiful mountains in southern Luzon that has been declared a Game Refuge and Bird Sanctuary. 

The present area of the park is 984 hectares (4 sq. miles) with its highest point at 366-m above sea level. The park has an intricate system of caves, waterfalls, springs, creeks, gorges, and ravines set against a quaint backdrop of lush greenery.

The park is the site of Pinagbanderahan, where the Filipino Revolutionaries planted the Philippine flag in their fight against the Spanish colonizers. Quezon National Forest Park encompasses the western municipalities of Atimonan, Pagbilao, and Padre Burgos.

On-board a van, we passed through a zigzag road going to the jump-off point. Also referred to as "Bitukang Manok" or Eme Road, Zigzag Road can be found in the middle of the Quezon National Park. Its curves are so tight, and the road so steep, that vehicles have to literally inch their way up. Along the roadsides are the lush vegetation of the Quezon National Park.

The first part of the climb is an easy walk-in-the-park trekking. The trail is actually paved. Everything on both sides are covered with trees and many other vegetation. The centuries-old giant forest trees are amazing. 

 

After an hour of fun-walk, we reached the resting area where we had a 15-min rest and photo ops. 

We continued our way up and reached the peak of Mt. Pinagbanderahan in about half an hour. We enjoyed the relaxing view of lush green forest all around us.

 

We descended after half an hour enjoying the view at the peak. We had a nice caving experience along our way down. We had to use our head lamps inside the cave and climb up stalagmites going to the other end of the cave where we will continue our journey back to the jump-off point.

 

We were at the jump-off point before 1200H for lunch. We had a dish of shark meat cooked in coconut milk. I loved the taste.

We left the jump-off point on-board the van and head on to Bantakay Falls. It was another quite easy trek. 

 

Due to recent rain, the trail, however, was  muddy. 

We reached the falls after two hours of trekking. We had so much fun at the falls. The water was so cold and smooth. Many of us had a relaxing cold dip.

 

We headed back and reached the jump-off point past 1500H. We were all back to Manila 2200H.

--o0o--

Trekking Pico de Loro

Province of Cavite

02 July 2011

Almost a month after Mt. Malinao climb, I was ready again for another one. This time, I want an easier one, something meant for the novice climbers.

I signed up for Mt. Pico de Loro day hike adventure originally scheduled on June 25, 2011. Unfortunately, due to heavy rains brought by several inclement weathers, the climb was moved to July 02.

On the day of the climb, about 16 climbers met at MC Donalds El Pueblo at 3:30AM including myself. I was so happy to see old friends and also to meet new ones. Ka Roger, the person who impressed me a lot during our Malinao climb, was there.

We left Manila on-board a van at around 4:15AM and we had a stop-over to buy some supplies at Ternate town proper. We reached the DENR office/jump-off point at around 8:00AM. We started trekking at 8:15AM. 

Mt. Pico de Loro is part of a protected forest called Mt. Palay-Palay. According to Pinoy Mountaineer, it has an elevation of 664 MASL and it is the highest peak in Cavite. North of it is the island of Corregidor, Nasugbu Batangas in the south, Maragondon Cavite on the east and the South China Sea on the west.

Rock Beak

The trail going up is a little bit muddy but was good in general. It was an easy trek for me. After an hour of trekking and chatting with new-found friends, we reached base camp 1 where we rested for a while and took some photos. The place is nice. We continued trekking and this time, it's a little bit tiring. We passed by a river with clear water flowing down from the mountain. There were few steep climbs. While climbing, I was amazed by the thick forest and the huge stones resting along the slopes of the mountain. We reached another camp past 11:00AM and we rested for a while. The view from this point is truly awesome.

We started climbing the "Parrot's Beak" after a few minutes of rest. I was a little hesitant at first because of the steep slopes. Finally I decided to climb up the rock beak following Ka Roger on the trail. This was the most scary and challenging part of the climb for me. The only way up is to pass through a very narrow passage that requires a sort of "rappelling". The side of the passage is a cliff. While climbing, I had a flashback of the movie "Cliffhanger" that scared me even more. Fortunately, with the help of trail master Guido, I scaled the rock beak.

I was so happy and proud together with fellow climbers who scaled the rock beak knowing that not all climbers would dare scale it.

We started descending to camp 1 where we had our lunch. We continued our descent back to the jump-off point at about 12:45PM and finally reached the jump-off point by almost 3:00PM. There was a tricky part along the trail going down and some said that there were climbers who got lost already. This is true. Five fellow climbers with their guide missed their way back to the jump-off point and reached as far as the quarry area.

They finally reached the jump-off point at around 6:00PM. We left Ternate Cavite back to Manila at around 6:30PM.

It was fun-filled day hike experience! See more photos.

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