Atimonan, Quezon
24 July 2016
We had been planning to explore the historic site atop the mountain of Atimonan in Quezon province for quite sometime but due to our obligations, we had to postpone this activity several times.
The historic site is called Mt. Pinagbanderahan. Others call it Sierra Madre as it is located in the southern Sierra Madre mountain range.
According to Wikipedia, The highest point of the park at 366 m (1,201 ft) is Mount Mirador. During the Philippine Revolution, the Philippine flag was raised on the mountain signifying the conquer of the region. The American and Japanese flags were also hoisted on the mountain during their colonization, and in 1946 when the Philippine flag was raised there again after the country gained independence. Also called Mount Pinagbanderahan, literally meaning "where the flag was hoisted", the mountain is easily accessible via a stairway, which takes about an hour or so to climb. The summit is a vantage point for viewing nearby mountains like Mount Banahaw, the island provinces of Marinduque or Mindoro and the major towns of Quezon.
On a clear Sunday morning, we were back on the road for another trekking activity. This time, we were heading to Atimonan in Quezon province. A large portion of the Sierra Madre mountain range can be found in this province.
Joining our regular trekking buddies was the team of Sir Charlie, a mountaineer and a friend that I met on the trail of Mt. Manabo several years ago.
We rented a van and met at the office in Paranaque. We were all nine.
According to Google maps, Atimonan is approximately 185 kilometers away from Paranaque City and 4H 24 min drive on a private vehicle. Janice and her team decided to bring another car for a more comfortable long drive to Atimonan.
We left Paranaque at 0330H. We took SLEX and exited at Santo Tomas in Batangas and then continued driving along AH26 highway passing through Alaminos, San Pablo City, Tiaong, Candelaria, Sariaya, Lucena, Pagbilao and finally Atimonan.
We had a rendezvous at a McDonald's store at Villa Escudero in Tiaong at 0545H for quick breakfast. We got additional bottles of water from a nearby convenience store.
From Villa Escudero, we drove straight to Atimonan.
We reached the winding road locally called "Bitukang Manok" at 0705H and proceeded down south.
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| Photo source: http://www.quezon.gov.ph/homepage/tourism/pictures/nature/atimonan_zigzag.jpg |
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| Photo source: https://bukidlife.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/img_3150.jpg |
At 0715H, we reached Atimonan Tourist center. This is the start of our journey to the historic Mt. Pinagbanderahan peak.
We registered and arranged for a guide at the tourism office. We were so lucky to met Sir Dennis Saavedra, a volunteer guide at Mt. Pinagderahan.
We started the activity with a short prayer and then at 0754H, we commenced the adventure.
Though it was my third time, I was still so exited to explore the area. It felt as if it was my first time to climb the mountain.
The trail to the peak of Mt. Pinagderahan is mostly paved as it is a park, a protected landscape in Quezon province.
The trail is completely covered with dense forest that snakes through the forest all the way to the summit.
At 0825H, we had a quick break for few photo sessions and to regroup. At 0830H, we resumed trekking.
One of my favorite activities along the trail is to take close-up shots of tiny things that capture my attention.
At 0837H, we reached the "stone ark" and at 0841H, we were at the entrance of the cave. I was able to explore the cave on my first and second climb, however, according to Sir Dennis, the cave was temporarily closed at the time because of cracks.
There is a concrete stairs leading to the peak.
We had another quick break at 0921H and regrouped.
At 0930H, we had a first view of the surrounding Sierra Madre mountain range and spent sometime taking photos of the beautiful pointed rock formations and the lush green slops of the nearby mountains.
We were all at the summit at 0937H and enjoyed the relaxing view.
We started our descent at 1000H. Along the trail, we had the chance to see wild monkeys still inhabiting a portion of the forest and then a 3-foot long snake crossed our way back to the jump-off point. Luckily, Sir Dennis was quick enough to notice the serpent.
We were back at the jump-off point at 1107H, had lunch and rest.
Side Trip to Bantakay Falls
We left the tourism office at 1230H and proceeded to the jump-off point to the Bantakay Falls. This is the common side trip destination when climbing Mt. Pinagbanderahan.
At 1245H, we registered and arranged for guides. The falls is located approximately 3.7 kilometers away from the jump-off point.
We started our journey to the falls at 1315H.
I was surprised to see that the once muddy trail is now completely paved.
The concrete trail was wet and slippery when we started and so it took us a little while to go down the slope.
We crossed a stream of water coming from the falls three times and again I was surprised to see that the river was almost dry considering the onset of the rainy season.
I have learned lately from our guides that the newly built water distribution company servicing the area is using the water coming from the falls.
At 1403H, we were at the Bantakay Falls.
I had a little disappointment to see that the falls is almost dry. Just to appreciate it, we had to climb up to the top level to see the remaining remaining streams flowing from atop the mountain to the falls basin.
We had a relaxing cool dip and enjoyed the cool water for a while.
As the sky turned dark, we decided to start ascending to the jump-off point at 1506H.
We were back at the jump-off point at 1710H, tidy up and drove back to Manila.
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