Mount Pulag, the highest mountain in Luzon, easily rivals Sagada as my favorite local destination (and you know how precious Sagada is for me) in terms of the view, the experience, and the people I was with on the trip. Even before reaching the summit, I had a pretty good time with the crew. The road to Pulag is an adventure on its own.
A couple of months ago, my Team Tadhana friends and I started talking about climbing Mt. Pulag. At the time, I’d always say I want to go but needed more physical preparation. After all, this is Philippine’s second (or third? My sources can’t seem to agree on this) highest mountain we’re talking about; how can someone like me, who hasn’t ever climbed a mountain, think about climbing Pulag? November, we said, let’s do it in November. But Gelo, whose dream it was to climb Mt. Pulag, couldn’t wait any longer and decided to organize the trip. So finally, on July’s last weekend, we set out to literally reach our dreams.
There were nine of us: me, Gelo, Elaine, Gigi, Claire, my high school buddy Dex (remember him from Pahiyas?), and three new faces — HB (Gelo had been with him on past mountaineering trips), Jayson (architect and Hugot King) and Joey (funny Korean guy). The kdrama fan in me rejoiced at the thought of having a Korean in the group; never mind that he probably isn’t even a fan of the shows I watch.
Note: Jayson isn’t the Korean guy. He’s 100% Pinoy, feeling Chinito lang. Hahahaha
We left Manila Friday night. It was a quick drive; after five hours, we found ourselves in Baguio.
Good Taste Restaurant
Our 10th member, Jan (German national), came from La Union and would meet us in Baguio but since we were early and he wasn’t there yet, we stopped for breakfast first. Good Taste Restaurant is one of Baguio’s best and famous eating spots. I first visited this restaurant in 2011 and I was pleased that despite the physical changes, the food remained delicious. All of us ordered the breakfast meals served with coffee or hot choco. This place is so big, perfect for families and barkadas and travel groups.
Burnham Park
We had time to kill before meeting Jan. So we went to Burnham Park which was just a few steps away from Good Taste. The park was renovated recently and it looks more beautiful than ever. We went at a good time, too! There were many people jogging, walking their dogs, doing aerobics, and dancing! It looked so fun!
Toploading to Bokod
Jan arrived and then it was time to go to Bokod, Benguet. Since we had to transfer to a jeep and leave the van in Baguio, we now had the chance to ride topload style. Toploading is riding on the roof of a vehicle, usually a jeepney, instead of inside the vehicle. We transferred most of our stuff inside the jeep and all ten of us toploaded. IT WAS ABSOLUTELY FUN. For the first hour anyway. You feel the wind on your face and get a first-rate view of Benguet’s mountains, rice terraces, forests, dams and rivers. All while you hold on to the jeep’s metal rails. It did get uncomfortable because of the butt-killer rails and a little bit scary because of the zigzag roads but it was a super fun experience.
Jangjang Hanging Bridge
Next stopover was Jangjang Hanging Bridge in Bokod, one of Benguet’s longest hanging bridges.
I don’t have a problem with heights but at 290 meters long, this bridge is, well… long. And when someone as silly as Dexter ran on it, the bridge easily swayed and I had to stop imagining myself falling on the ground. Crossing the bridge is a must, if only for the photos you can take, ranging from artsy to badass to tiis-ganda to pa-bae.
DENR Office
There are three trails going to mountain: the Akiki trail, which takes more than two to three days to finish; the Tawangan trail, which is steep and like the Akiki trail, is best suited for more experienced trekkers; and the Ambangeg trail aka Executive trail, the easiest trail. This is the trail we’re taking.
Before trekking though, visitors are required to drop by the DENR office to attend a pre-climb briefing where the do’s and don’ts are discussed. Visitors have to log in their names as well so the office knows how many people are climbing the mountain. This is also where you can get your certificate after the climb.
A time-lapse video taken from the mountain’s summit is shown, making you wish you had all the time in the world to stay in the summit. Many reminders were given but what stuck to us the most, and I know my friends will agree, is this: God is watching you. God is watching you so don’t you dare do anything stupid. After all, Mt. Pulag is not just a tourist destination. For the locals, it’s also sacred ground.
In just 12 hours since meeting the new guys, we’ve managed to bond over food, top-loading, bridge crossing, and tons of photo ops. So far, so good. But we have yet to see the best part. We’re giddy with anticipation, pulsing with excitement, and we’ve only just begun.
7 Comments