March 29-30, 2014
Travel Package: ClubTravelNOW.org
I've always been fascinated by Mt. Pulag and its "sea of clouds" and vowed to do a birthday climb someday. It didn't materialize last year because my foreign trip left me broke and I thought the timing wasn't right either.
This year, though, I told myself that it was now or never. I just couldn't delay crossing this off my bucket list for another year. Despite a few setbacks (the group that was supposed to go backed out one by one, shift schedule screwing up the plotted VLs for the needed dates, shoes almost not arriving on time, etc.), I knew I was going to see the famous "sea of clouds" no matter what.
It was a long a hard road to the top. We took a 5-hr jeep ride from Baguio to reach Bokod, Benguet where we registered and attended a briefing at DENR, Ambangeg. From there it was another 1.5-hr jeepney ride to the Ranger station, our jump-off point. We just had an hour for lunch, after which, was the start of the 3.5 hour trek to Camp 2 where we were to have dinner and spend the night.
For 500 pesos, we hired the services of a porter to carry our bags. A porter is only allowed to carry 15kgs maximum weight, which was understandable, since it was a long trek and bags tend to feel heavier the longer they are carried. From time to time, we would pass by our porter resting and in some instances, he would hike past us. This went on for quite a while.
We reached Camp 2 after around 4 hours (I was slow and kept asking for mini breaks to munch on trail food) and our tent was already setup when we got there. After getting settled, we went out to explore the camp a little. I was hoping to catch the sun set but the fog made it difficult to see. We decided to hang out in out tent while waiting for dinner. It was served at 6pm.
Wake-up call the next day was 3am. Oh yes, in the freezing cold when all you want is to hide inside the sleeping bag, we had to force ourselves up because there was no way we were going to miss the majestic sunrise! I was slow because I felt all sort of things on the way to the summit. First off, we didn't have any breakfast yet. Also, I felt nauseous (altitude sickness, perhaps) and freezing cold (the cold wind slapping my face) but sweating inside my 4 layers of clothing (my shirt, 2 fleece jackets, 1 waterproof shell, 2 bonnets, leggings under my trek pants, 3 socks and gloves). There were times I literally had to peel off each layer on our quick stops because I was feeling warm. Each step was a struggle but I kept praying to God to give me more strength. It was also that time of the month for me, which made me sluggish than usual because the freezing cold weather made my cramps worse.
"I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ's sufficiency]." Philippians 4:13
The usual 1-hr trek to the summit took us 1.5 hours because I always asked for mini-breaks. We even lost our group and just joined random ones we saw along the way. When we got to the top, it was a view I have never seen in my whole life (and probably never again). It was amazing and unbelievable how we were given the chance to witness God's beautiful creation.
The whole experience gave me renewed love for the mountains and renewed faith in God. I had so many answered prayers throughout the trip (from the rain not turning torrential as we were in the middle of the 3-hr trek, to our tent withstanding the overnight rain and strong winds, for my endurance to continue walking despite my lower back saying no, to our jeepney breaking down 2 times and an empty van stopping by to offer us a ride to Baguio to making it on time for our bus ride home, etc.).
Would I do it again? Maybe not soon. Haha. Mt. Pulag has a 3/9 difficulty level and is good for novice climbers. It would be interesting to come back, though. I'm sure it will be an entirely new adventure the second time around.
MT. PULAG (AMBANGEG TRAIL)
Bokod, Benguet
Major jump-off: Ambangeg Ranger Stn, Bokod, Benguet
LLA: 16°34’58″N 120°53’15″E, 2922 MASL (#3)
Days required / Hours to summit: 4-5 hours / 1-2 days
Specs: Major Climb, Difficulty 3/9, Trail class 1-2
Trail system: Grand Cordillera Trail, Section 3
Features: Sea of clouds, dwarf bamboo slopes, pine forests
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