I have had a redefined meaning of travel this year, maybe it’s just my mind trying to convince me that this year was filled with travel moments despite only having to go to Singapore. Hehe. Before, travel is going to new places or having new experiences at the same place, and which will also involve flying thousands of meters above and looking at a sea of clouds as I await to land in my destination. Life just got a little busy this year and I was expecting my ironclad plans to set out but, boy was I so wrong. Instead of sitting out the remaining days of the year, I asked a few friends if they wanted to set out for a year end hike. When I was editing my photos for my hiking trip at Mount Ulap, I was thrilled at the thought of hiking another mountain peak with a trail with a bit more of a cold breeze.
Last November, I was proud that our shortly planned hiking trip came into fruition, and it’s not just another mountain. As someone who wasn’t really athletic growing up, I never imagined myself saying “I conquered the highest peak in Luzon!” Let me tell you about Mount Pulag.
Mount Pulag is a towering peak of 2,960 meters above sea level and sits on the third highest peak in the Philippines. It is known as the playground of the gods, known for its majestic view of a sea of clouds on the summit and the spiritual beliefs of the indigenous communities in the Cordillera. Of course, nature with all its wonder is full of surprises, weather is very unpredictable at the summit and our guide informed us we may not see that glorious view of the sea of clouds, we were lucky to have a clearing. I knew that being an enthusiast hiker, just like in life, it’s the journey that counts ;) not the destination. But deep inside, I wished the night before we hiked to witness that grand view.
Unlike all of my hiking trips, the itinerary involves spending the whole weekend in the mountains. From Metro Manila, we took a van ride going to Benguet Province. It was around a 300 km trip where we arrived at the DENR for the orientation. We were informed not just about the trail we are about to take but also the cultural aspect of the place as it is home to some cultural tribes. There are a few trails to choose from and we decided for the easiest one, the Ambangeg trail, other trails will involve hiking for two days and we still don’t have the gears for setting out camps outdoors. Hopefully, next year, we get to do it. After the orientation, we headed to our homestay at the ranger station, where we spent the remaining day recharging from the late night travel. We ate our lunch, played a few rounds of card games, and took an afternoon nap. When I woke up and stepped outside, it was already extremely cold with the temperature dropping to 17 degree Celsius, not much but we are a tropical country! Hahaha.
We had a bit of time before the sunset, so we walked around the area, roaming around the carrot field as we took in a bit of the cold weather. I started to worry that I don’t have enough layers of clothing for our hike. We went back to our homestay for our sumptuous dinner and another briefing. Our scheduled lights off was at 8:00 PM, come midnight we were all awake for our early breakfast, and at 1:00 in the morning we began our journey to the summit.
Our goal is to reach the summit before sunrise. We encountered our first challenge, which didn’t surprise us given that it’s a weekend. There were a lot of hikers along the trail! We waited patiently as some part of the trail is only suitable for one person at a time. It was also pitch dark, our headlamps were very useful. I had to turn off mine from time to time and just take advantage of the bright lighting from my friends’ headlamp because I forgot to bring extra batteries (a common mistake for a beginner like me!) I'm expecting that our hike will take at least five hours and that it will still be dark when we reach the summit. I wasn’t able to take a lot of photos during our ascent, it was pitch dark, I just focused on hiking to the top. My friends whom I went with are very athletic, hehe, there was a bit of pressure to match their pace. Even though we were part of a larger group, our circle composed the lead group. Usually, on hikes, we get three guides: the lead, middle, and the sweeper, this is to accommodate all types of hikers. We were surprised to reach the summit in less than four hours! We only stopped at designated stops –Camp One and Camp Two –mostly to answer nature calls, hehe.
Our guide informed us that the most difficult part of the trail is from the jump-off point to Camp One as it will involve a steep ascent. From my experience, I had more difficulty going from Camp Two to the summit, it was because the air was thinner and it’s where it got colder. At 5:00 in the morning, we were greeted by the grand view of the sea of clouds at the summit. I was teary-eyed when I looked back and there it was, it felt so good to chance upon this view. We made sure to still move around as we waited patiently for the sunrise, the forecast was it would be 6ºC at the summit. I was glad that my company of friends were very competitive, because after a few minutes, it started to become windy and fog was everywhere! We didn’t really witness the sunrise as the clearing faded with the fog but we enjoyed the view of the sea of clouds, even for a brief time. If we were a few minutes late, we would have missed it!
Amazingly, we spent almost two hours at the summit, braving the cold breeze. We decided to start our descent at 7:00 AM. As usual, it’s faster than going up, we reached the jump-off point after three hours.
Since it’s already daylight, I was so thrilled as we traversed the same trail, this time, I got to take photos! What’s very interesting about Mount Pulag is its rich flora and fauna. I was able to witness the transition from grasslands to mossy forest and then pine trees.
That's it! I am extremely grateful to have wrapped up my hiking adventures this year at Mount Pulag. When we got back to our homestay, we were already planning for our next hikes for next year! Haha. Crazy, but we were very giddy to inlcude Mount Apo, the highest peak of the Philippines, to our list. Let's see what 2025 brings. ^^