After 1 and a half month, I am finally going to the mountains again! But this climb is special becuse it is my first time to try twin day hike. I have always been wanting to try twin day hike but got no time. Thanks to my colleagues from Ahon Mountaineering Group, they invited me to their biglaang climb. And because it is unplanned, I did not have the time to train and prepare myself so I am expecting numerous times that I will take rest in between the trek so I could catch my breath. LOL
Our Group's Itinerary:
0430H Meet up at Jollibee Centris, Quezon Ave.
0500H ETD Quezon Ave.
0630H ETA Brgy. Mascap Rodriguez, Rizal. Register at Barangay Hall. Preparations
0700H Start trek up Mt. Ayaas
0930H ETA Mt. Ayaas Summit
1030H Start descent
1300H Back at Mascap Barangay Hall. Late Lunch. Rest.
1400H Start trek up Mt. Sipit Ulang via Paniki Trail
1630H ETA Mt. Sipit Ulang Summit
1730H Start descent via Banayad Trail
1900H Back at Mascap Barangay Hall. Clean up. Dinner.
2000H ETD Brgy. Mascap Rodriguez, Rizal
2130H ETA Quezon Ave.
1/4 of the gang
Groufie at Mascap Barangay Hall
Final assault before reaching the summit of Mt. Ayaas
Summit with my colleagues
RAINBOW!
The obligatory summit jump shot
Descent from Mt. Ayaas Summit
One of the many bamboo ladders at Mt. Sipit Ulang via Paniki trail
At one of the bamboo bridges
We're like bats clustering on the rocks
Showcasing my rock climbing skills. LOL
One of the huge rock formations at Mt. Sipit Ulang
Summit!
The rock we are on seemed low on the picture but this is actually high. Maybe as high as 5-storey building.
Rocks all over
It's almost 6PM when we started descent via Banayad trail. It's already dark and we need to use our flashlights. We did not feel scared until we heard a creepy sound of a weeping woman. Based on the tone of her cry, she seems to be helpless. (Listen to the clip below. The sound is almost the same as what we heard that night.) At first we tried to ignore the sound but it does not stop so we prayed and whispered tabi tabi po. Our colleagues taking the lead however did not hear the cry but they did encounter two women both carrying an umbrella on one hand and a baby on the other. My colleagues even asked them if they are on the right track and one of the women answered yes. Upon parting ways, my other colleagues looked back to lighten the way of the unknown women. But to their surprise, the two have disappeared. Creepy right?
Tip: I suggest that you must wear gloves, arm sleeves, trekking pants (instead of shorts or leggings), and trekking shoes specially for Mt. Sipit Ulang. Rocks are very sharp and it can cut your skin.
Photo credits to Malen, Ma'am Gin and Sir Christian.
This is my feel good song for the week. It could be my LSS for a month. I will try to make a cover of this song but not sure if I am going to upload it here. haha
Jump-off point: DENR Station, Magnetic Hill, Ternate, Cavite/Sitio Fronda, Brgy. Papaya, Ternate-Nasugbu Highway, Nasugbu, Batangas
LLA: 14° 12.855 N; 120° 38.785 E; 664 MASL
Days required: 1-2 days
Hours to summit: 2-5 hours
Specs: Minor climb
Difficulty: 3/9
Trail class: 1-3
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It's been more than a year since my last hike (at Mt. Batulao). I'm really itching to hike again - I think “The Mountains Are Calling, and I Must Go…” -John Muir. *wink emoticon*
Since I still tag myself as a "beginner", I joined mountaineering groups on FB and looked for their hiking events. Fortunately, I found Ahon Mountaineering Club offering a dayhike at Mt. Pico de Loro.
Here's the target itinerary:
0230 - meetup at Jollibee Cubao farmers
0300 - ETD Cubao
0630 - Start Trekking
1030 - Summit
1200 - Lunch/Photo ops
1400 - Back to Jumpoff
1700 - bath time
1800 - ETD Cubao
"Target" itinerary because changes are expected due to rainy weather on the day of hike.
Rain, strong wind, heavy fog and muddy trail welcomed us. Those factors made an "easy climb" a tough one for me especially I am not wearing hiking shoes *scratches her head*. Muddy trail is a stuggle and made me stumble and fall several times. Oh well... Lesson learned... *scratches her head again*
PHOTOS! (sorry for the lowres)
Here's us, preparing at the jump-off.
Groupie! What a huge group it is?!
At the summit. Look how muddy my shoes have become. (This is Adidas Climacool Fresh 2. Don't use this as hiking shoes because it is definitely not hiking shoes. However, you may wear rubber shoes with good grip.)
Zero visibility *cries an ocean* This mountain deserves a revenge climb!
This is the clearest view of the monolith I can capture. I was not able to climb the monolith because I am not confident with my shoes. Safety first as what they say.
The Beauty Junkee is celebrating its 6th year anniversary and as a treat to its loyal readers, TBJ will be giving away P200,000.00++ worth of prizes! That's how generous TBJ is.
Chelle is an Electrical Engineer during weekdays, an adrenaline junkie during weekends, and a k-drama and k-pop supremacist in between. She used to contribute some k-drama filming location entries on koreandramaland.com, the largest collection of k-drama filming locations.
Take a sneak peak of her spontaneous life through this blog.
Want to share insights, collaborate or inform her of her gramatical errors? Email her at ducabo_michelle@yahoo.com.
