Mt. Daraitan (with Tinipak River and Cave Side Trip)

MT. DARAITAN

Overview

Tanay, Rizal and General Nakar, Quezon
Major jumpoff: Brgy. Daraitan (village centre), Tanay
Minor jumpoff: Sitio Cablao Brgy. Pagsangahan, General Nakar
LLA: 14°36′48.5′′N 121°26′19.5′′ E, 739 MASL (+600)
Days required / Hours to summit: 1 day / 2.5-4 hours
Specs: Minor climb, Difficulty 4/9, Trail class 1-3
Features: Tropical forest, limestone formations, river trek

Info by Pinoy Mountaineer.

Itinerary

03:30 meetup Cubao Farmers

04:00 ETD Cubao to Tanay

07:00 ETA Daraitan River

07:30 ETA Daraitan jumpoff

08:30 Start Trek

11:30 Summit

12:30 Start descent, traverse to Tinipak river

14:30 ETA Tinipak river

15:30 ETA Tinpak cave

17:00 ETA jumpoff, tidy up

18:00 Headback to Cubao

20:00 ETA Cubao

Since Mt. Daraitan is tagged as "mother of all assaults", we made this our pre-climb mountain for our Mt. Pulag "expedition".

Although it is a minor climb and can still be hiked by beginners, climbing Mt. Daraitan is a no joke. Expect a lot of steep trails that can challenge your cardiorespiratory endurance.

Not to brag, but I did not have a hard time climbing Mt. Daraitan because I am well-prepared. I followed the tips by sir Gideon Lasco aka Pinoy Mountaineer - running, walking on a steep slope, and carbohydrate loading specifically. Also, thanks to the vines and man-made "railings" for not letting us slip. *wink emoticon*

River crossing

View from Daraitan Brgy Hall

If you see this signage, it means your close to the summit

See that heart-shaped river? That's Tinipak river.

De kwatro pa more!

After this, we went to Tinipak river and cave. One word to describe: breathtaking!

Heading to Tinipak river and cave

See! No filter needed!

Look at that, crystal clear waters!

Inside Tinipak cave. Water is ice cold but YOLO, so we dipped ourselves into it. Note: You need to bring flashlight or headlamps - you cannot see anything without it.

Ahon salute!

Photos by my colleagues from Ahon Mountaineering Club

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Mt. Ayaas and Mt. Sipit Ulang Twin Day Hike

View from the summit of Mt. Ayaas

Mt. Sipit Ulang Summit

MT. AYAAS
Rodriguez, Rizal
Major jumpoff: Brgy. Wawa, Rodriguez, Rizal
Minor jumpoff: Brgy. Mascap, Rodriguez, Rizal
LLA: 14°45′3.38′′ N, 121°12′27.5′ 627 MASL (+570)
Days required / Hours to summit: 1 day / 3-4 hours
Specs: Minor, Difficulty 3/9, Trail class 1-3

MT. SIPIT ULANG
Rodriguez, Rizal
Major jumpoff: Brgy. Mascap, Rodriguez, Rizal
LLA: 14°45′20.7′′ N, 121°10′38.2′ 252 MASL (+210m)
Days required / Hours to summit: 1 day / 2-3.5 hours
Specs: Minor, Difficulty 3/9 (Paniki Trail), Trail class 1-4

above information from pinoymountaineer.com


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.

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Mt. Pico de Loro

©Ryan Racca of Kamusta Magazine

Overview:

PICO DE LORO

Maragondon, Cavite and Nasugbu, Batangas 

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 obligatory mountain top photo.

Ahon salute!

Bagtag

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We Conquered Mt. Batulao!

MT. BATULAO
Nasugbu, Batangas

Jump-off point: Evercrest Golf Course, Nasugbu
LLA: 14.0408 N 120.8011 E 811 MASL
Days required: 1 day
Hours to summit: 2-4 hours
Specs: Minor climb
Difficulty: 4/9
Trail class: 3 with 60-70 degrees assault

Recommended as a mountain climbing destination for day hikers and beginner backpackers, Mt. Batulao's name was derived from “Bato sa Ilaw”. It is due to the scene every end of the year wherein the sun sets between its two peaks, forming a brilliant image of rocks.

We choose to take the old trail on our climb to the summit and do a traverse through the new trail.

Our Itineraries:

0800 ETD Valero Street, Makati City
1030 Arrived at Evercrest.
1045 Started hike.
1100 Arrived at Fork. Took the old trail (left, descending trail).
1120 Arrived at Camp 1. Paid the dayhike registration fee of P20. Had our lunch.
1345 Arrived at summit. Rested for a while. Enjoyed mountain dew sold at the summit. Took pictures.
1415 Started descent via new trail.
1530 Arrived and registered at the new trail campsite.
1700 Arrived at jump-off.
1730 ETD Evercrest
2030 ETA Makati City
Travel Date: February 15, 2014

Welcome to Nasugbu, Batangas!

Camp 1 marker.

The pack of climber wannabees (that's us!).

I conquered Mt. Batulao!

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