2922 Meters Up - The Climb

So it's game time and our group decided to meet at the Pasay bus terminal of Victory Liner. Our organizer, Obey, already bought tickets (460 pesos per head) for a bus bound to Baguio days before so we can ensure that members of the group will be sitting alongside one another. What I like about VLI is their promptness to their bus schedule. Our scheduled trip was 10 PM and the bus was already leaving the terminal at 10:05 PM. Just before we entered the SCTEX, it rained which got me worried that the weather forecast a few days before would make our hike a grueling and wet one. Thankfully, it ended just as we were a few kilometers into the highway. Because of the SCTEX, it only took us 6 hours and we reached a sleeping Baguio at 4 AM. We waited for about half an hour for the rented jeep that will bring us as far as the jump-off and back to the City of Pines. I took this time to add a few energy bars in my 'trail food pack'.

At around 4:30, we set off to Pinkan Jo eatery to grab some much needed breakfast before starting the climb. Pinkan Jo is a popular roadside eatery where most Pulag climbers stop by to eat before heading to their destination (or sidetrips like Ambuklao Dam, in our case). It serves various and affordable viands paired with a hefty and healthy serving of brown rice. I bought beef steak and brown rice for just 70 pesos! After around thirty minutes of chilling, we headed to our next destination: Ambuklao Dam!

The group at Pinkan Jo!
(c) Francisco

Ambuklao Dam is among the first hydroelectric plants in the country and apparently the largest rock dam in Asia, too! The scenic view will surely calm you of the anxiety-inducing task in front of your and the cool winds will blow away all your fears. We then resumed our journey and the road leading to the facility was a dizzying ride around the mountainside so I just decided to sleep it off. Thankfully and without me noticing it (haha), we reached DENR at around 8 AM. 

Ain't it a beauty? :')
(c) Prieto

We paid the 225 pesos registration fee and attended the orientation mandated to all hikers who want to climb Pulag. It was actually nice to see that the DENR and the local government are doing these things to ensure that Pulag won't be destroyed by the immense foot traffic among her slopes (Update: After a Facebook post showing an alarmingly large number of hikers in the summit of Pulag put this issue in the spotlight - which it deserved, mind you - the Mount Pulag National Park administration decided to put a restriction on the number of hikers per day and restricting hike days to weekdays and closing the park on weekends to help in the rehabilitation of the trails, especially Ambangeg). After the orientation, I decided to buy the thermal pants for 250 pesos that I've been eyeing in a nearby ukay-ukay since we got there. Believe me, it was a good addition to my 'night pack'!

And the journey becomes more and more real.
(c) Prieto

May naligaw ata. HAHA

At around 9 AM, we went on our journey to reach the Ranger Station which serves as the jump-off point of the Ambangeg Trail. The road to the Station was steep and the roads were just being built (thankfully because it used to be really rocky and most hikers even decided to start the trek from DENR because it was even difficult for monster jeeps to traverse). The fog also started to envelope the jeep signalling the elevation gains we're making.

The road up to Ranger Station...Or DENR?
(c) Francisco

We reached Ranger Station after an hour and a half and everyone was busy getting their warmers and long sleeves and knee-high socks, while I was looking for a place to eat (again). Good thing, I have people from the group sharing the same sentiment and a karinderia was just nearby. The feeling of downing warm sinigang broth and the filling feeling of rice in contrast with the cold gale blowing across the Station is a unique one. We also hired local guides in the Station where we paid 120 pesos per head for the guide and 80 pesos as environmental fee.

Here we goooo!
(c) Prieto

Since our group was quite large at around 30 members, we decided to hire three guides, each guide responsible for utmost 10 hikers. I was part of the second sub-group of hikers who started the trek at around 11 AM. Despite an hour before noon, the air was cold and thin that a lack of training beforehand would likely lead to an episode of difficulty of breathing but you'd get used to it.

What a view, yes?
(c) adventureinyou.com

The first part of the trail is an easy hike among the dirt roads with a picturesque view of terraces carved at the slopes of the mountain for agricultural purposes. Each terrace takes about two weeks to be made - clearing and planting the crops, included. Hopefully these farming terraces stay in this altitude, so support alternative livelihood of the locals living in the mountain slopes! The trails of the pine forest - the first of the three major parts of the trail - are wide and are populated with great pines at its side. Our first stop-over was below the shade of the Century-old Pine Tree which marks the end of the pine forest and heralds the beginning of the mossy forest - and some 'mild' assault.

Hundred years worth of tree ring wisdom.
Awe-inspiring moment, indeed

The increased humidity can be felt upon entering the mossy forest, not to mention the thunderclaps from a distance. It reminded me of what was told to us during the orientation - that the mossy forest seems to 'attract' rain clouds hence the frequency of drizzles in this part of the trail despite being sunny at the pine forest and grassland portions. The tree cover became thicker and true to its name, patches of moss covered the trunks and branches of the trees in this area. The slopes were becoming steeper by the minute and there were some short assaults, but the trail was generally 'friendly', so to speak. There were even spots were cellphone signal was clear enough that Michi got a message that she passed the promotional boards and was officially on her second year of studying medicine! Haha! We reached Camp 1 - still within the mossy forest - after an hour and a half of trekking at around 12:30 PM. We decided to get some rest while trail mixes were passed around. We resumed our trek after we got the much needed rest and carbo-loading. 

Pulag Group at Camp 1. REST!

Just as we were nearing the fork leading to Camp 2, Michi and I noticed a layer of fog which hinted us to take out our ponchos and to place the rain covers over our bag (a garbage bag, in my case HAHA). True enough, within a few minutes of walking and without any drizzle to signal its advent, the torrential rain came. Keep in mind that we were hundred of meters above sea level where temperature can drop, more so when you are wet. Now imagine the cold biting at you. At first, I decided to jump over puddles so water won't get into my shoes but as the rain got harder and the trail became a mini-river of sorts, I decided to quit the act and let the water seeped in...WHICH WAS A PRETTY DUMB THING TO DO! Why? Water was so damn cold that when it seeped into my socks and 'wrapped' my feet, I could barely feel my toes when we reached Camp 2! We thought we can wait for the rain to stop but darkness had already started to creep in. So we braved the rains and pushed on until we reached Camp 2. Heck, we even had to cross a mini-falls just before stepping into the Camp! We made our way to the Guides' Hut to seek shelter and dry ourselves while our awesome guides pitched our tent when the rain subsided. Cup noodles were shared to keep everyone warm alongside stories of the challenging penultimate assault to Camp 2.

Camp 2 also signals the start of the Grasslands. See the boundary?
(c) Isaguirre

Camp 2 from the Hill!
(c) Isaguirre

At around 4 PM, the skies cleared and we decided to set-up camp - which was basically just cleaning our tents and putting our gear inside since our guides already pitched them for us. Haha. Camp 2 is a wide clearing among the grasslands enough for a tent city to rise up on heydays. Good thing we were only with 2-3 hiking groups when we hiked Pulag so we pretty much have the place to ourselves. There is also a pit latrine a little ways off where you can take care of your 'business'.

After settling in, we thought of doing a sundown assault to the summit but our guides told us that we would have to do a night trek to get back to the Camp. Taking safety as our priority, we just decided to explore Camp 2 and take cool shots atop a nearby hill. After that eventful hike did I only appreciate how beautiful, and even colorful, Pulag can been. The lush green leaves of the bonsai-like trees in the grasslands contrasted with the reds and oranges of the flowers. Come sunset, a sepia filter seemed to be placed upon my eyes, basking everyone in brownish-beige hue. To say it was beautiful is an understatement. As the Sun dipped behind the clouds and the darkness set in, our group decided to go back to the Camp and prepare for dinner.

The group caught taking selfies
(c) Malimban/Flores/Fourone/Laude

Good night, Sun. See you tomorrow! :)

So what's for dinner? As per my food pack, it was corned tuna and Skyflakes. I was tent-mate with fellow sabit, Michi and Enzo - her medschool batchmate - and they were kind enough to share their canned tuna paella with me. Imagine how grateful I was when the other hikers shared their sinigang with us. Any food does taste so good when you eat it up in the mountains. After that hearty meal, I decided to stretch my legs and walk around camp and to, of course, star-gaze. Ever since my first stargazing activity back in high school, I've been hooked to watching these pinpoints of light in the night sky. And Pulag, with its distance from any light pollutants and its height, is one helluva place to stargaze. You can even see the Milky Way in all its grandeur with a few lightning streaks that light up a portion of the night sky for a moment. Had I had a DSLR camera with me, I would have taken a star trail photo of the night sky because i have never seen a night sky as beautiful as that one in Pulag.

SINIGANG!
It's not in the picture but my happy grateful face has a VERY wide smile etched on it.

At around 10 PM, the temperature dipped even lower and my teeth started chattering so I entered the tent but it was still too cold. So I changed into the newly-bought thermal pants (MAAAAN IT WAS HEAVEN FOR MY LEGS, I TELL YOU!), put another layer of long sleeve (that makes it two long sleeves HAHA), and a jacket! I then wrapped myself in my malong and a garbage bag, for good measure. But the chill still crept in and at around 1 AM, I woke up, shivering uncontrollably. Tried to sleep but woke up an hour after. Same thing happened at 3 AM until I decided to just wait for the camp to wake up.

An hour later, people started stirring up and preparing for the sunrise assault to the summit of Mt. Pulag. At around 4:30 AM, we left for the summit and we checked the ambient temperature, which was at a ball-freezing 6 degrees Celsius! And we're not even factoring in the wind chill just yet! Our guide told us it was 'normal' since it's already summer season. I can't even start to imagine the cold during the -ber months! The trail was an easy one, almost solemn with the line of headlamps in the distance like a procession of some sort towards a pilgrimage site.

Forty-five minutes into the hike and a few hundred meters below the summit, the sky started to burst with colors - first a thin orange line at the horizon then came yellow. We rushed towards the summit to watch the sunrise unfold. Almost exactly after an hour of hiking, we reached the summit, a simple wooden sign welcoming us to the summit of the tallest peak in Luzon. 

Hi, Summit. :)

Sadly, a large block of cloud blocked the rising sun and only a thin veil of clouds covered the smaller peaks, but a beautiful view nonetheless. It did not rain the night before so we leveled our expectations that there won't be the infamous sea of clouds to welcome us in the summit. True enough, only a thin veil of clouds embraced the surrounding peaks. Nonetheless, Everyone was taking pictures. I myself was in a picture taking frenzy but I still made time to just take all the grandeur in. All the awesomeness of the vista. The dwarf bamboo gave but a knee-high shield against the cold winds that still left me shivering despite the three-layered top I was wearing. But it did not stop me from frolicking around, especially when the Sun went out of hiding and brightened the summit with its warm rays.

Someone caught me getting my jeje on! HAHA
(c) Bompat

Saytek Represent!
(c) Bompat

The summit was slowly becoming more and more filled with people and the Sea of Clouds was a no-show so we decided to head back to camp. Then the unexpected came: the infamous Sea of Clouds started to roll in from the southeast! It flowed slowly but surely, taking the shapes of the peaks and valleys that it traversed. 

Who would have thought this wispy mist....
(c) Isaguirre

...Would turn into this?
(c) Malimban/Flores/Fourone/Laude

We literally stopped in our tracks with our surprised faces looking at the clouds. Only a shout of "Uy may sea of clouds!" (Hey, there is a sea of clouds!) snapped us out of our reverie. Cameras were taken out. Poses were made. Everybody was just happy to have seen the Sea of Clouds despite the slim of chance of it appearing that morning.

Myself, included! HAHA!

We stayed in the summit for another hour and a half, appreciating the wonderful view before deciding to return to camp for breakfast. The view must have filled our hungry stomachs up there because we only felt the hunger pangs on our way down to Camp 2. As the clouds rushed to the summit, the trail on our way down was enveloped with fog reducing the visibility but the descent was faster at 30 minutes and we reached Camp 2 at 8 AM.

Descent to unknown. Kidding, it's just really foggy.
(c) Franciscso

Upon arriving at camp, last night's leftover sinigang was reheated and shared, remaining packs of biscuits, cans of tuna, packs of trail mix - and special mention to Jung's spicy-salty Korean past - were distributed among the group along with tales of the grandeur upon witnessing the beauty that is the Playground of the Gods. After this uplifting socials, we decided to break camp at 9:30 AM. Thankfully, our load was lessened because we've been using up a lot of water and saved just enough to make the trip down. However, we have to bring bags of trash along with us to keep the camping grounds clean. The sun was shining throughout our descent with several large cloud groups giving the shade we needed. Two hours of trekking and we found ourselves back to the Ranger Station. Despite the cold (at 11:30 AM, at that), I still took a bath. Man, I needed one and I felt fresh after.

The jeepney we rented waited for us at the Ranger Station and took us back to DENR so we can log-out. Also, it was time to make sure I have evidence of this memorable birthday feat so I bought a shirt and left my ID alongside the (possibly) hundred of other IDs in the facility (in retrospect, I kinda regret it because it's my spare student ID which I used to show bus conductors for discount HEHEHE). 

My ex-Wifey DJ, who went to Pulag a few months later, left her ID beside mine. <3
(c) Lopez

On our way back to Baguio, we decided to pass by Jangjang hanging bridge - another favorite sidetrip for Pulag hikers. It is one of the longest hanging bridge in Benguet at 290 meters. For someone who loves hiking, I still get a little woozy when I cross hanging bridges. Weird, I know. Same goes when I peak over the side of a ravine or a cliff. The group decided to have a quick picture-taking at the bridge because the darkening skies were threatening to shower us any minute then. True enough, it started to rain when we reached Baguio City. The three of us sabit said our goodbyes to the group since they decided to stay the night over at Baguio City while we can't because of work/school duties. Thankfully, we were able to secure seats as chance passengers for a 6:20 PM bus trip for 455 pesos. After 7 harrowing hours and a possibility of the bus breaking down along SCTEX, we reached Cubao at 1 AM. From Cubao, I rode a Remedios-bound jeepney for 18 pesos and ate a late dinner of Mini Stop's Uncle John's fried chicken before sleeping soundly in my bed, with memories of Pulag in my head. Definitely, one for the books!

The Three Sabit
From L to R: Myself, Michi, and (M)Enzo
(c) Francisco

Never have survived the climb without these guys! Thank you!
(c) Isaguirre

Until the next trip!

- Paulo

Sea of Clouds, I'll see you soon....In other mountains!
(c) Austria