I'm glad to be back in the world of blogging. I have been on hiatus since my last post because of a new job and a whole lot of other stuff I had to deal with. My posts are piling up and I still have a lot to share, namely - Pagsanjan Falls, Mt. Pico de Loro, Mt. Gulugod Baboy and Mt. Pulag.
Let me start with my most recent adventure, Mt. Pulag! It's one of the famous mountains
in the country since it boasts as being the highest in Luzon and second highest (2,922+ MASL) in the Philippines. Not to mention, Mt. Pulag is also the coldest because it's like a mountain on top of a mountain located in Bokod, Benguet.
Day 1.
We chose the easy trail, which is via Ambangeg, to reach the summit. It's perfect for beginners because the path is tolerable. You just have to condition yourself to last long walks in a place with a cold temperature.
Moving on, there were 16 of us in the group. Almost half of us are first timers. On my part, it's my first time to do a major climb. My pack weighed more or less seven kilos because of the layers of clothing I brought with me. Upon checking others' blogs, most of them advised climbers to bring at least three layers of clothing to fight the cold weather. So, I have with me my dri-fit. Next, I covered it with a sweater, then I put on my windbreaker. Lastly, I wore my rain jacket, which I actually borrowed from my father. LOL! Trust me, when night broke in, I still felt the coldness after all the layers. It was unbelievable!
Our climb was scheduled on a holiday - October 31 to November 2 - so we bought the bus tickets ahead of time. We rode the Victory Liner to Baguio City. It took us almost eight hours to reach the City of Pines. From the Victory Liner terminal, we rented a jeepney to take us to Benguet. It was a three-hour trip of zigzaggy-I-almost-puked-along-the-way road. Seriously! Haha!
We ate lunch first before proceeding to the Visitors' Center for the registration and the orientation. You will be asked to watch two videos - a documentary (which I wasn't able to get the title) and the very picturesque short film entitled Prelude of Dreams. After the film showing and the orientation regarding the Dos and Donts while climbing Mt. Pulag, our team headed straight to the Ranger Station, which is also the jump off point.
Visitors donated their identification cards. You can also contribute,
just make sure you won't be using that ID anymore. LOL!
We walked on rough roads and passed by a vegetation land maintained by the locals. It resembles the Ifugaos' Hagdan-Hagdang Palayan (otherwise known as the Banaue Rice Terraces). 
Vegetable plantation
It was kind of an easy trek from Camp 1 to Camp 2 because there was not much of an assault. We walked into the mossy forest until we reached Camp 2. There was a water source nearby. Time to refill our bottles!Camp 2 is the advisable place to camp out because it's not too cold. One can already get a wonderful view of the mountain from there. However, our group decided to push through and spend the night at Camp 3, the site closest to the summit. It's mostly grasslands from Camp 2 to the saddle campsite, another name for Camp 3.
We were still on our way to the campsite when it started to get dark. We arrived around 7:30 p.m. at Camp 3 and we pitched our tents right then. I immediately wore my layers, especially my windbreaker, because the coldness was dead serious. We slept earlier than usual - no Socials - since there were some of us who got sick and needed rest.
Day 2.
We woke up around 4 a.m. and had our fair share of hot coffee. We then packed our essentials - water and camera - and headed to the summit to watch the magnificent sunrise.
Upon arrival, the summit indeed didn't disappoint us. We filled our memory cards with photos of the amazing view. From where we stood, we can see the clouds from afar. Yes, we are now higher than the clouds. What a beautiful creation! As the sun was about to rise, we sat there and waited patiently.
Alas! I finally witnessed the sun rising atop the highest mountain in Luzon. The pictures I took won't even give justice to the beauty we witnessed in front of us.
Here
comes
the
sun.
Too doo..
Doo doo..
More summit photos:
I'm on top of the world.. almost! <3
I got me some cat bonnet =^.^=
Another achievement unlocked!
Hihih! Oh hi!
Silhouette heart
#LoversInPulag
Kamehameha Wave! #DragonBall
My favorite!
Meet the whole gang with Spidey on the side!
After the whole pictorial scene (LOL), we returned to our campsite to cook our breakfast. Before noon, we were already on our way back to the Ranger Station. Everyone was tired but overjoyed. We took the same jeepney to Victory Liner's terminal and bought our tickets there. The only available trip was scheduled to depart Baguio City around 2 o'clock in the morning. So, while waiting for our trip back home, we had a few drinks at Giligan's, where a band playing to entertain us. It was indeed another weekend to remember.
At Giligan's. Chillin' like villains. Haha!
Budget reference: (estimation)
Victory Liner Taft to Baguio – P460
Contribution for food (depends on the no. of people) – P350
Transportation (via jeep) from Baguio to Benguet - P500
Registration Fee - P225
Guide Fee – P500/guide
Transportation (via jeep) from Baguio to Benguet - P500
Victory Liner Baguio back to Taft - P460
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