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| Taken at the summit |
Dubbed as the highest peak in Luzon, and renowned for its magnificent sea of clouds; it is clear why several wanderers, would like to have their own tale of a triumphant climb to Mt. Pulag.
2 weeks after my first major hike in Mt. Purgatory, I joined another unforgettable adventure with the UGAT Mountaineers. That time, the goal was to conquer the country's 3rd highest peak (2926 MASL, as updated) via Akiki-Ambangeg Trail.
The Hike
Day 1
Registration and initial briefing were made at the DENR office. Hikers were given an overview of Mt. Pulag: the different trails; local culture; and other protocols to be observed during the entire hike. After the orientation, the group traveled for another 30 to 45 minutes to the Akiki Ranger station. This is the trail's jump-off. We had our lunch at the station before pursuing.
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| At the ranger station before the assault. |
The Akiki Trail is also known as "The Killer Trail". The trail will not actually kill you, but, numerous assaults in addition to a cold temperature at the top, are truly exhausting.
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| The actual hike begins here! |
Some pictures before reaching the Eddet River
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| Stop over after 30 minutes of the trek from the ranger station. In the UGAT group, the term "stopover" has a broader meaning. Aside from the usual meaning of having a short break, it also connotes of having a group shot. |
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| Terraces. Yup! it's beautiful! So what is the downside? The locals are converting some parts of the mountain to vegetable plantations as a source of livelihood. |
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| Shots with Rigor and Jerico on the way to the Eddet River |
Eddet River (Campsite)
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| Eddet River |
We reached Eddet River at around 4 pm. During this time, the group was discussing whether to continue or not the hike to Marlboro Camp which is still 3 to 4 hours away. Papa Rhey and Paulo dominated the discussion. Parei suggested to resume the trek the following day at dawn; while paulo proposed to proceed until the group reaches either the emergency camp (2 hours away with no water source) or the Marlboro. In the end, the group decided to settle at the campsite of Eddet River.
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| Taken at the campsite. |
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| Tent Pitching Complete! |
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| Rommel while preparing the dinner. I remember that he prepared "sinampalukang manok" and "Dinakdakan" during that night. I forgot the rest :D |
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| Socials |
All bottles of Alfonso Light were consumed during that night. Our tour guides mentioned that we can still avail some at the saddle. It turned out that there's none. Lights off at 10 pm.
Day 2
We resumed the trek at 4:45 in the morning. The goal was to reach saddle before twilight. The group experienced a series of assaults, in a trail that has an integration of pine trees, views of nearby mountains, mossy forest, and grasslands. Good thing that the weather was in our favor!
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| Group picture at the emergency camp. |
On the Way to Marlboro
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| Pine Trees |
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| Keep going up |
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| Papa Rhey, Rigor, and Jerico |
Marlboro Camp
We had our branch at Marlboro camp where we stayed for 2 hours.
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| A dead tree along the trail |
Mt. Pulag (in both trails) has also a mossy forest. Not as dense compared to Mt. Purgatory, but has its own version of beauty. Most parts of the forest are continuous assaults. At the end of the forest is a grassland going to saddle.
Photos taken at the mossy forest
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| Views inside the forest |
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| Group shots |
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| Solo Pics |
Grassland
When we reached the grassland, I thought it will be already a walk-in-a-park type of trail. Well, I was wrong! We still passed several slopes, and some of them have unstable rocks.
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| Different views at the grassland |
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| Group shot at the grassland |
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| Jerico on the top |
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| Going to Saddle |
At the Saddle
The saddle is 30 minutes away from the summit. While Rommel is preparing dinner, some of us watched the sunset. At night, most of us just stayed inside our tents due to extreme cold temperature.
Photos Taken
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| Kuya Mel while preparing the dinner |
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| An overview of the things inside his bag |
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| Other Campers |
Sunset
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| Mt. Pulag during the golden hour |
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| Another golden shot |
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| Sunset |
Day 3
I woke up at 5 am. Most of my teammates were already prepared for the assault. I just packed a bottled water and some trail foods before went outside the tent.
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| Before the Assault |
At the Summit
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| Rising Sun |
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| Sea of Clouds..... Napagbigyan! |
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| Mysterious! Tremendous! Fascinating! |
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| Group Pics |
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| All the people were wearing multi-layer clothes, but, Sir Mel can withstand the wind chill without wearing one. |
Note: We did not able to follow the itinerary for the first day. We camped at Eddet River.
Day 0
9-10 pm Assembly Victory Liner, Cubao Terminal
11:30 pm ETD Cubao to Baguio
DAY 1
3:30 am ETA Baguio Bus Terminal
4:00 am Market (Buying foods for the whole climb)
6:00 am DENR registration/seminar
9:00 am Rangers Station/ secure guide and porter
12:00 nn Lunch at Eddet River
5:00 pm Marlboro Country/camp
5:30 pm Dinner/socials
10:00 pm Lights off
DAY 2 December 3
3:00 am Wake up call
3:30 am Breakfast
5:00 am Break camp/start trek
9:00 am Mossy forest
12:00 nn Lunch
5:00 pm Saddle /camp
5:30 pm Dinner/socials
10:00 pm Lights off
DAY 3 December 4
3:00 am Wake up call
3:30 am Breakfast
5:00 am Assault to the summit
5:30 am Mt. Pulag Summit
7:30 am Break camp/ start trek
9:30 am ETA Camp 2
11:00 am ETA Camp 1
1:00 pm Rangers Station Ambangeg
2:00 pm ETA Ate Gina's house/ wash up
3:00 pm DENR
5:00 pm Baguio Bus Terminal
10:00 pm ETD Baguio to Manila
2:00 am Manila (Home sweet home).
Safe budget for the whole climb 10 pax: More or less 3,500 to 4,000 per head
Photo Credit: Glenn Lee, Rigor Evangelista, Jerico Tabuzo, Paulo Marte and Rhey Bunyi (Papa Rei)
End
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