Mount Pulag in Kabayan, Benguet at 2,952 meters
above sea level is the highest mountain in Luzon and the second highest
mountain in the Philippines. It is a
favorite destination of mountaineers in the country and even foreigners for its
sacred ground, endangered flora and fauna species, freezing cold temperature
and the beautiful view during sunrise. I am
privileged to be a member of Team Armor who conquered Mount Pulag on 20 May
2012 in coordination with Travel Factor as part of the command’s summer outing
activities.
At around 0600
of 20 May 2012, we left Good Taste Restaurant in Baguio City bound for DENR and
arrived thereat at about 0900 for the registration and orientation. The orientation included the do’s and don’ts at
Mount Pulag and some reminders to be strictly followed considering that Mount
Pulag is considered as a sacred mountain especially for the natives. At 1030, the group proceeded to the Ranger
Station. It was a very long and winding
road wherein if you failed to take Bonamine before the jum-off, you’ll feel
nauseated. The drivers are very skilled
and noteworthy during the trip was the four inches clearance of the jeep tires
from the ravine that brought me into silence for prayer while my male
counterparts were screaming to stop the vehicle and just walk (armor soldiers
always consider the safety of the vehicle in terrains which are not
tankable). After two hours of feeling
dizzy, we arrived at the Ranger Station where we had our lunch. We hired
porters to carry our backpacks. Everyone
was amazed to see female porters carrying our backpacks. At about 1330, we started the trek to the
camp site. I was with the group of CMS Cabonce, PFC Mendoza and PFC
Martin. After one hour and 40 minutes
hike under the continues heavy rain pour, we arrived at the camp site where we
established the tents for the overnight stay while waiting for the schedule to
assault the summit. How we wished the
rain to stop so we can enjoy the ambiance of the site watching the stars and
the moon however, the weather in Mount Pulad is so unpredictable. Our overnight stay inside the tent was a 360
degrees twist from the luxuries we had in Camp O’Donnell. The very cold temperature at 18 degrees
Celsius inside and more or less 14 degrees Celsius outside made everyone
uncomfortable. Nevertheless, one nice
compliment from Travel Factor was the very nice dinner of adobong baboy and
corn soup. With the used tarpaulin of my nephew during his birthday, a sleeping
bag folded into four, a malong with
bonnet, socks and thermal jacket on, and while others were chilling, I was able
to sleep well. My previous assignment in
Bukidnon helped me a lot in adjusting my body with the freezing cold
temperature in Mount Pulag.
How about the
call of nature? Attending to our
personal necessities was one of our problems as we are not allowed to have it
just anywhere. They have designated
latrines however, with the very cold temperature outside no one dared to go to
the latrine. Anyway, leave it to us, the
“Zip-Lock Ladies” where we really had a very close bonding session especially
with Miss Joan and Maquee whom I knew just a day before the trek.
At about 0330, we woke up and prepared for the summit assault. The rain has stopped at 0400 so our assault was delayed for an hour. We started our trek at about 0500 and at about 0600, I conquered the Summit of Mount Pulag and that was after one hour and five minutes hike from the camp site together with the lead guide Ate Jen and PFC Mendoza while LTC IBON, MAJOR BANDILLA and Pfc Martin were ahead of us for a couple of minutes. After 15 minutes, MAJOR FAMOSO followed by MAJOR LICAY, MAJOR VALDEZ and Major Igmen arrived at the summit. CPT NAVARRO was also able to make it to the top after 30 minutes thus; ten (10) trekkers from the Team Armor conquered the summit while the others only reached Peak 3 and remained at the camp site. We missed the mass celebrated by CPT BALISTOY at the Camp Site for we waited for the others at the top. After an hour of enjoying the beautiful sceneries at the summit which was overlooking Sagada and Kabayan and some souvenir shots with fellow trekkers and GENERAL ALCANTARA, Commander of Northern Luzon Command, we headed back to the camp site for breakfast.
After some photo ops at the camp site, we started
the hike back to the Ranger Station at 0900 and had our boodlefight of rice,
corned beef, century tuna and scrambled eggs for lunch. Although the menu was for breakfast, the
trekkers enjoyed the meal. At 1300, we
left the Ranger Station by foot bound to the Jeep Terminal that was more or
less 500 meters away. The driver and the
jeep were already waiting for us and we took Bonamine again to prepare
ourselves for the trip along the winding road.
At 1400, while onboard the jeep, we left the terminal bound to the DENR
Station to log out and buy souvenir items.
We also had a side trip to the famous Ambuklao Dam of Benguet. At 1630, we arrived at the AFP Transient
Facility in Navy Base, Baguio City where we had our wash-up and prepared for
entrucking back to Headquarters Light
Armor Division.
Although I am not a certified mountaineer, I have
conquered mountains from Luzon to Visayas and Mindanao such as Mount Mahagnao
in Leyte, Mount Samat in Bataan for two times, Mount Musuan in Valencia,
Bukidnon trice and Mount Pinatubo twice, my trekking experience in Mount Pulag,
Kabayan, Benguet is the best experience worthy to be written in my blog. Aside from being the highest mountain in
Luzon and the second highest mountain in the entire Philippines, conquering
Mount Pulag requires a lot of patience and preparation like the physical
condition of the trekker and the equipment used for the duration of the trek. No
words can explain the fulfilment I had for being called as Team Armor’s First
Woman Conqueror of Mount Pulag.
Likewise, seeing the female and male natives working as porters and our
overnight stay at the camp site made me feel blessed because of the quality of
life I have. Likewise, it was one way to
thank God for His wonderful creations and take part in its preservation and
conservation.
Kudos Team
Armor for conquering Mount Pulag and thank you Mr Ron Gabadon, Expedition
Leader of Travel Factor and his assistants Eds and Arjay for making our trek full
of fun and adventure! To our Commander,
MGEN CARLOS E LUCES AFP, thank you so much Sir for the support.
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