Several months ago, I saw a post in my news feed about a mountain located somewhere in Benguet. The thing that caught my attention was its name: Mt. Purgatory. There were 2 things weigh heavily on my mind: "perhaps, this is a tower-like place and the trails are located along the mountainside" and "maybe it is a cold place that has an enigmatic ambiance". When I made a little research, I saw numerous images of mossy forest (the signature feature of the mountain). I also found out that it is a range of mountains surrounded by pine trees. I was fascinated by the things that I saw and looked forward to the day in visiting that place. The day realized when I was invited by Rommel Dalisay, who I met in Mt. Maynoba. Initially, I was hesitant. Yes, I really want to go there; but, my other companions were not available. In the end, I decided to go solo. Time to level up! :D
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The Hike
Day 1
The weather was not good during the first day. The team experienced extreme coldness and a series of rain showers which made the trail muddy and more difficult.
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Our guide during the briefing. We asked if there are limatiks along the trail, one of them replied:
"There are some, particularly during rainy season". Luckily no one had an encounter. |
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| The participants before the hike |
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| Newfound friends/travel buddies. Still fresh! |
The Trail
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| Pine Trees |
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| Going Up. There was no clearing...... What a foggy day! |
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| Group Pics at Mt. Mangagew. They are the UGAT Mountaineers |
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| At Mt. Mangagew. There are 6 mountains in the entire trail. We had our lunch in one of the sitios before pursuing to Mt. Pack and Purgatory, where one of the highlights of the climb can be found..... The Mossy Forest! |
Going to Mt. Pack
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| A combination of rain and gusty wind! |
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| The mossy forest begins here. This place is already a point of no return; the jump-off is already at a distance. The only option is to keep climbing. |
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| Mt. Pack Entrance |
The Mossy Forest (Signature Feature)
Mt. Purgatory, is well-known for having a long (seems endless) mossy forest.
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| Mossy Forest |
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| Mossy Forest |
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| Sir Rigor |
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| Me |
Mt. Pack Summit
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| At the summit of Mt. Pack with Alex Agustin |
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| Rigor, Alfred, and Alex. It was really cold during this moment. A shot of alcohol from Alfred was truly a great relief! |
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| Group shot at the summit of Mt. Pack |
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| View from the Summit |
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| Going to Mt. Purgatory. Don't be deceived by that 2.93 KM! It took us (Me, Rigor, John, and Rai) 2 hours to reach the summit of Purgatory! |
Mt. Purgatory Summit
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| It was already night time when we reached Mt. Purgatory's summit. Our other teammates already went ahead of us. Yup! The 4 of us were the last people to reach the bunkhouse. I didn't see my headlamp! I only found it when I returned home, in the inner part of my bag. :P We were already exhausted at this time!!! The bunkhouse is still an hour away from this point. |
At the bunkhouse
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| The last 4 with Sir Rommel |
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| Having dinner. I forgot to take some pictures! The bunkhouses are located at the summit of Mt. Bakian. We dropped the initial plan to camp. During the night, some were having social drinking, some (Rigor, Alfred, and Papa Rei) played card game and some just took their rest. A question was also raised if we will still climb Mt. Komkompol (The 6th mountain) the next morning. |
Day 2
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| It was a great day, an opposite of yesterday's weather |
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| Taken outside of the bunkhouse. |
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| Group picture the next morning at Mt. Bakian. Going to Mt. Tangbaw. |
Pictures taken going to Tangbaw
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| Nice View |
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| The rest of the teammates |
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| Rommel, the master organizer, and a mountaineering guru. That backpack he was carrying, it weighed around 40 to 45 kilos! A man who is an epitome of great strength! |
Mt. Tangbaw
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| At the summit of Mt. Tangbaw |
Mt. Komkompol
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| The trail to the summit of Mt. Komkompol has also a mossy forest. Kumpol is a Filipino word which means Cluster. According to our guide, it was named Komkompol because it is a cluster of mountains. |
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| Nice View!!! A perfect place for a horror movie? |
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| At the summit of Mt. Komkompol |
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| Mt. Pulag at the background |
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| The team made it on top. Achievement: Conquered the 6 mountains of Purgatory Range!! :D |
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| Our tour guides ultimate pose! Thanks guys see you again! |
Side Trip
A river in Ekip
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| The water is really clear! |
Bokod Municipal Hall
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| Signing Off |
Hanging Bridge
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| This Hanging Bridge has the capacity of 10 people |
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| Hubert |
Ambuklao Dam
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It was a great experience. It is true that you will meet a new set of people along the way. Till the next adventure! :D
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Conceptual Itinerary
Day 0
8:00 pm meet up Victory bus terminal Cubao
9:00 pm ETD Cubao
Day 1
4:00 am market (buying of foods for the whole climb)
5:00 am ETA Baguio
7:00 am ETA Japas jump-off point at Bokod Benguet
7:45 am start trek
8:45 am ETA Mt.Mangakew
9:15 am resume trek
11:00 am Bangtingen camp site
12:00 nn ETA Mt. Pack /lunch
1:00 pm resume trek
2:00 pm ETA Mt.Purgatory
4:30 pm ETA Mt.Tangbaw campsite
7:00 pm dinner
10:00 pm lights off
Day 2
5:00 am wake up call
6:00 am breakfast
7:00 am start trek
8:00 am Mt.Kom-kompol
9:00 am start descent
10:00 am the end of the trek at border of Brgy. Ekip
12:00 nn log out at Bokod Municipal
1:00 pm ETA Baguio
2:00 pm gala time
8:00 pm ETD Baguio
1:00 am ETA Cubao
Budget for the whole climb 16 pax: 2,500 per person
Photo Credit: John Edison Villanueva and Rigor Evangelista.
End
- JSC
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