The Climb: Mt. Batulao (811+ MASL)

Hey, hey, heypibirthday! Yes, before Glenda happened, it was my 24^th birthday (July 13) and I celebrated it in the mountains. Yey for my first birthday climb which is also my second climb. 

Mt. Batulao, the second mountain I proudly conquered, is located in Nasugbu, Batangas. A day hike is possible, but we decided to stay overnight (another first for me).

Day 1..

Our group assembled at McDonald’s MRT Taft Station, since it’s near the Pasay Bus Terminal. From Pasay, we rode a bus heading to Nasugbu, Batangas, and alighted at Evercrest. We arrived around noon, so we ate lunch first before heading to the jump off point.  We opted to take a tricycle to the trailhead, which was a bumpy and muddy ride.

Aja fighting!

There are two trails – the old and the new. We took the old trail, which was marked by camps 1-10, and set our tents at Camp 1. The trail to Camp 1 was relatively easy with some muddy areas and some covered in grass. We arrived there around 3 pm.

First thing's first, tent pitching! It was not my first time to pitch a tent but I felt ecstatic at what we, the girls, had accomplished. We had a little help from the boys though. Haha! After setting up the tent, we took the time to rest, eat, and drink (a little).

There’s a water source at Camp 1 with corresponding fees depending on your needs (check budget reference below for prices). Also, they have many spots where different groups can set up their tents. In fact, we shared Camp 1 with two others.

Behind me is the summit. This is Camp 1.

Photo by Faye ©

An overnight climb was totally a different experience. We had our socials at night after dinner. Two from our group even stayed, though they just planned a day hike. Thank God it was my birthday, so they considered staying. Hehe! We drank, sang, danced, and played, while waiting for 12 midnight to strike because IT’S MAH BIRTHDAY! For the first time, I wasn’t in bed replying to greetings, nor was I in front of the computer reading Facebook comments. The remembrance I got from that night was too much though. I got a burn from the lamp that we used, and I can’t even remember how it landed on my right foot. LOL! Hello, clumsy self.

My birthday cupcakes..

From my thoughtful friends <3

The next day (Day 2)..

Sunrise from our campsite was not as magnificent as what I’ve anticipated, so I went back to sleep. Haha! Upon waking up, we had a scrumptious hiker’s breakfast, then we packed our stuff and headed to the summit. It took us almost two hours to reach it, with a few stops to rest and rehydrate. Fog covered some parts of the mountain. Nonetheless, the view was still magnificent.

The waiting game and the awesome view.

One thing I noticed in Mt. Batulao, there are vendors along the way who sell Mountain Dew or fresh buko. You can Do the Dew while enjoying the view. Haha! That sounded lame. Anyway, at least you won’t get thirsty in case you ran out of water.

Rappelling on our way to the summit.

Photo by Faye ©

Rappelling on our way down from the summit.

There is one roped segment, meaning you have to do some rappelling, before reaching the summit, and two more on your way down using the new trail. Also, be prepared to do some rock climbing because you will encounter big ass rocks there. Upon descent, you can opt to take the route where you will be passing the area known as the knife’s edge. It's called as such because on both sides of the narrow path are cliffs, hence be extra careful.

Meet the Mt. Batulao Gang (minus two since they have to leave early)

Photo by Sir Drew ©

The girls 

and the boys.

After the exhausting but absolutely fun climb, we hailed a tricycle and headed back to the highway. Some houses there offer their services (e.g. eat, bath, pee, poop) for a certain fee. So, after taking a good and refreshing bath, we rode a bus back to Manila (Baclaran).

If you still have time to spare, you can drop by at Tagaytay and reward yourselves with Bulalo. We weren’t able to do this kind of side trip since we were running out of time and some of us still have work the following day.

So much for a totally new birthday experience. To tell you the truth, it wasn't supposed to be a birthday climb because it was originally scheduled a week before my birthday. Fortunately, one of my friends is not available so we have to move it to the following week where my birthday falls. LOL. Still, thank you all for making this happen.
*Crossing off birthday climb from my bucket list*

Always remember, “Don’t chance the mountain. Let the mountain change you.”

See you next climb, then?

Budget reference:

Bus from Pasay to Nasugbu, Batangas – P105

Tricycle to jumpoff point – P100 (maximum of 3 pax per ride or P34 per person)

Lunch – P50

Registration at old trail campsite – P20

Potable water – P15

Water for washing – P20/pail (small)

Mountain Dew – P25

Fresh Buko – P25

Registration at new trail campsite – P20

Tricycle back to highway – P100

Water for bath – P20/pail (big)

Bus from Nasugbu, Batangas to Baclaran – P107