Patapat Bridge
at the Blue Lagoon
Montage :)
Deputy Preidential Spoksperson Abigail Valte and Zambales Rep. Mitos Magsaysa exchange points over Twitter regarding the Aquino administration's disaster management efforts.one of my family friends went back to the Philippines for vacation and now she’s got a...
Pulag was my very first climb. I was invited out of the blue by my friend and I immediately agreed to go since I was trying new ways to challenge myself physically, and a climb to the highest peak in Luzon seems to be a perfect way to do so.
We took the bus from Manila to Baguio which was a good 6 hour travel if you travel during night time. We arrived at Baguio a little past 12 and we stayed on a little hotel for a few hours because we’ll meet the rest of the group at 5.
The next part of the trip was a jeepney drive to Benguet. It was bumpy so it’s pretty impossible to catch sleep on the way there. We had a breakfast on a road side diner and got some water and other supplies.
Diane and myself before the trek.
We arrived at the ranger station before noon and we had a little seminar with the lady there. She had a little presentation regarding proper mountain etiquette and other stuff. After that, we had lunch and we prepared for the climb.
Lunch before orientation.
The climb was not bad. I learned that the trail we took was minor one, and it’s perfect for beginners.
Trail.
We arrived at the camp in the afternoon where we pitched our tents and had a little merienda.
Groupshot.
We ventured outside the camp to check out the vista and to take some pictures. We chatted with other campers out there and planned to go back to our camp a few minutes before night falls. We can already feel the cold air and I realized that tonight will be a long night. And man, was I right.
We had dinner at around 6. After dinner I went back to my tent and I was planning to get out to chat more. I am really feeling the cold air now and I didn’t go back out because of it. We haven’t ventured to the summit yet, and that was the plan for the day after. Well, that is if I don’t die out of freezing my ass off that night.
I somehow managed to survive the night. At around 5, I got up because I thought that it would heat me up if I move around rather than staying in the tent waiting for the sun go up.
When I got up, this is what I saw:
Frozen Trail.
Frost.
Anyway, the assault to the summit feels good because we were able to warm up our bodies. A few hour after, we we’re able to see the glorious Pulag summit. I mean, freezing our ass offs that night was worth it because of the view.
Sea of clouds.
Clouds.
We stayed for a little while at the summit. Enjoying the view. Basking in the morning heat. I saw my combat buddy on top too. He was with his group at his school and we also exchanged experience during the climb. They stayed at the saddle camp which I heard was much, much, colder than our camp.
Anyway, we went back to camp to check out the one who remained from our group. (There were only 3 of us who assaulted the summit). We prepared for descent and we took more pictures, of course.
We were able to get back to Baguio just in time for dinner. We had dinner in Session road and went to the station to get a bus back to Manila.
It was a great experience, and because of that, I am now addicted in climbing. :)
Photo from Ace Bright’s Twitter page
