So... What does four inexperienced people with sedentary lifestyles (except for RJ) doing in Maragondon? What kind of spirit came to them when they thought about climbing Mount Palay-Palay aka Pico de Loro without any guide or proper gears? Heck, they don't even know how to get there.
So here's how they hatched their plan:
My colleague Chris was like I wanna go mountaineering. I was like, why don't you try it. Then he was like I don't have someone to come with. Then I was like, I have done some hiking when I was kid. And then he was like, TARA sa October 20! Di na pinapatagal to! Push na yan! HAHAHAHA.We only had 3-week preparation and we pushed the plan with little knowledge on what to expect. The final headcount was 4 out of 9 people who planned to join. I was kind of disheartened by the people who backed out. "PUSH NA YAN!" was our expression of the moment.
We met up at 7Eleven near SM Bacoor at 5am. Since there's no bus to Ternate that pass through SM Bacoor that early, we rode a baby bus to Marulas near a place called Zeus (9 pesos). Then we waited for a bus from Manila to Ternate that took the Cavitex route (55 pesos). I was still comprehending what we're gonna do that day, how we're gonna manage climbing an unfamiliar mountain with just the four of us. Little did we know that we're in the same bus as the people that we're gonna be with the whole day! Talk about serendipity.
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| Czar, Joubert, Joan, Aldrin, Chris, Coco, Sheila (not pictured) |
Meet the angels that took us under their wings. They are so unbelievably friendly and considerate! They took care of us when we're hiking even if they don't have to. I don't want to imagine what would have happened to us if it weren't for them. They were also the ones who initiated socially by introducing their selves to us. Geez, I would be happy if I can have at least half of their social skills. I suck with socials.
So we started off by renting a jeep after we got off the bus for 700 pesos regardless of how many passengers. We paid 63 pesos per person since we're 11 people in the group. It's cheaper compared to riding a tricycle to DENR for 100 pesos per person.
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| Clueless on what to do around DENR, picture muna! My company: Krix (ang pasimuno ng lahat), Miah and RJ |
When we got to DENR, we paid 25 pesos to get registered and took the necessary toilet trips before going out (ayaw niyo naman siguro maabutan sa bundok, di ba? :P). Joubert gathered us around a circle and lead a prayer for a fun and safe trip. For me, it's the most important part of our preparation. After that, we walked along the road until we saw a bamboo bench. The trail starts there.
Into the forest!
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| That's Krix, me and Miah at the foreground. We were always falling behind Kuya Joubert's group. I hope we didn't keep them too much T_T |
But Krix! He hiked like it wasn't his first time. I am happy to see him so worked up and excited like that. He's a natural and found his passion right then and there. We haven't even finished hiking that he swore to go back soon.
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| Krix, future mountaineering enthusiast |
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| Up up we go. That's our white goddess Miah with the blue bag |
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| More back shots. Hahaha. Miah taking off her jacket 'cause it's starting to get really hot. That's me with the green Heartstrings backpack. LOL. So unprepared. |
The hike consists of muddy trail at first. Then four shallow river crossings. After approximately 2 kilometers hiking from the starting point, you'll pass by the base camp where you need to pay another 20 pesos I don't know what for. Registration again perhaps? You can also buy souvenirs here. Krix bought a nifty bag tag with the name of Pico de Loro on it as a remembrance. I really liked it. Next time I go there, I'll make sure I get one too so I can collect bag tags of mountains I climbed in the future :)
Yes, even for inexperienced runners, 5 kilometers can be covered in about 40+ minutes. Well, we covered the 5-km trek up to Pico de Loro 2nd base camp for 3 hours. I partly blame it to our heavy bags. Also, there are lots of hikers coming down who spent their night at the mountain so we always have to give way for them. I like it when they greet you "Good morning" or "Ingat po kayo". For everything else, our lack of physical preparation :P My shoulders ached too 'cause of my heavy bag. It's also inappropriate for hiking. In a bid to make my bag a wee bit lighter, I always take the chance to drink from my 2 liters of bottled water.
Base Camp 2 - Assault to Parrot's Beak
We got to the base camp where we saw lots of tents and people chilling. We went to a clearing near the camp and the scenery we saw was unbelievable. It was nothing like the pictures I saw on Google. It's majestic! The view was so refreshing and amazing that I forgot I'm exhausted. All I can think about was take pictures. It's a bad move I guess. I didn't paused and take in all that I see. It's different looking at the pictures than looking at the scenery yourself, like tasting your food and not mindlessly eating it.
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| Pico de Loro and the monolith in a great sunny day! |
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| Can you see the people climbing the peak? Yeah, It's crazy when you're seeing it from the base camp's perspective. In a few hours time, it would be our turn to climb the peak. |
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| selfie! |
It's 11:30 and we started to have our lunch. We're really hungry! There were lots of campers around the campsite so we got a little trouble finding a place to eat. Good thing RJ's mom gave him an old table mantle to serve as picnic mat. It was big and perfect. Joubert's group didn't bring any. They said to each other "Nakakahiya naman sa mga first timers. Buti pa sila nagdala, tayo wala." Haha. So I think we're not that unprepared after all.
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| I brought brownies to celebrate my promotion at work. Pity they got ruined. Still delish. |
Approximately 12:30, after our lunch and little rest, Joubert's group decided to start the assault to the summit. We were excited, but not RJ. He decided not to join us since his knees are starting to hurt. Whuutttt?? RJ was most physically active than Miah, me and Krix yet he's the one giving up the climb. Oh well, age must be catching up with him. LOL. Joke. At least we have someone to look our bags with at the base camp. Haha.
Ascent to Parrot's Beak
The first meters of the climb were all soil and trees can still give you shade. But after that trail is an opening where it's all loose stones and grass. No trees for shade! It was noon and we felt like we're being grilled up by the sun. Make sure to bring umbrella and water if you're going at noon. The trail was also kind of steep and stony. Be careful not to step on loose stones that might roll to the people behind you.
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| Another rewarding view from Pico de Loro. |
Its regretable that I forgot to take a panoramic picture of the view. It was better than the view at the base camp. I am not good at geography so I can't point out what I see from the summit. All I know is what I have on my front is a glorious view. Lots of swallows flying around too. It's exhilerating. You should stop reading this and head out there to see for yourself.
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| With the group. They were talking among themselves who wants to climb the monolith. Great background you got there by the way :) |
Like always, do not forget to pause and absorb all the things your 5 senses can take before taking pictures. You would want to take the moment lasting don't you? It's a better feeling that you can close your eyes and still feel what you felt at the summit than looking at your pictures and say "I did that?". You wouldn't like it to feel like a dream.
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