Mt. Pulag: A different kind of Climb Part II

The scenic view of Mt. Pulag

Day 3
Dazzled upon waking up on the third day of our journey as I got out of the Barangay hall and saw the  eloquent shining stars. The clear sky indicated a good weather ahead. Coffee is always  a good vitamin before  daily morning activities, so I took a zip and  sat in front of Barangay hall, and silently gazed at the sky while waiting for my friends to wake up. 

As the morning  came , my fellow trekkers woke up and joined us as we ate breakfast together with the Barangay officials of Balete. It was 8 am in the morning when we embarked on our journey to Mt. Pulag scaling through Lusod Trail. We had to say goodbye to Kuya Ramirez who had guided us for the first part of our journey because we had to follow their regulations about guideship. His brother who is equally experienced and familiar with the route continued the journey with us.

The hikers at Lower Napo

As we enter in the mountain passing several homesteads and gardens, we were infatuated with the view along the trail. Although most of the areas were besieged by fogs there was a lot of inspiration as we tackled the ascending trail.

A ranges of mountain besieges by fog

The third day of our journey was mostly spent at Lusod trail; here is a picture  of our experienced at the said trail.

Aside from the mountain ranges seen along Ambaguio - Lusod trail, there is also an enchanting mossy forest comparable or even more beautiful than the mossy trails of Mt. Napulauan. A picturesque forest of moss is an enjoyable trek before reaching the famous grasslands of Mt. Pulag.

The mossy forest

It was late in the afternoon when we first had a glimpse of the famous grasslands of Mt. Pulag from afar before entering a beautiful mossy forest. As we went deeper into the pristine forest our amazement grew as well, we took as many pictures as we can. At that point I and my buddy was even contemplating to stay and camp there. However we still were able to control  spontaneity and proceed as planned.

A glimpse of the grassland from the bald part of mossy forest

They say it's the playground of the gods. The weather is erratic and most of the times rough and cold. After hours of patiently trekking in the woods, we were able to set foot at the grassland and clearly witness this majestic view brought about by the good weather.

The view of Pulag Mountain Ranges

For the second time, I was able to witness the mountain range of Pulag. There was a moment of silence and solidarity between I and my buddy as we stop at one of the good spots for viewing and refreshment. There was pure contentment during that time. No words were uttered but pure awesomeness was voice out according to our reactions and smiles. 

The blogger enjoying the view

Just when we thought we already had a good day a beautiful sunset appeared as we tackled the last few kilometers to the campsite. While the rest of our team had already reached the campsite we stayed a little bit longer in the trails just to enjoy the rare privilege of such dramatic scene ending our third day. 

The sunset

Sunset that lights up the clouds with alluring colors

Admittedly, we enjoyed a little too much of the sunset that we did not notice it was already dark when we reach the summit. I was not able to track the right trail down the campsite so we decided to stay at the summit and wait for our guide to come back for us. After roughly an hour of waiting our guide found us. He offered to  carry our heavy packs while going down from the summit to Saddle camp for us to easily go down. His kindness and strength made me respect and admire him even more.

We had a chance to enjoy dinner and booze with some of our team  despite the freezing weather. Our guide shared his stories about the mountains. It was interesting to know that he was one of the pioneers guiding mountaineers and tourist to Mt. Pulag. We ended the night by finishing a bottle of gin and resting in our tents for the rest of the night. 

Day 4
The freezing cold temperature and perhaps our tiredness from the past three days non-stop hiking extended our slumber. However I was able to wake up earlier than the rest of the team to prepare breakfast. 

The saddle camp

My fellow hikers’  summited at around 6 am to see the sunrise and sea of clouds while I stayed at the campsite to enjoy  rounds of my coffee. I sat alone and enjoyed the view around me taking pictures of the beautiful place that my eyes could see.

Although they were not able to see sunrise and the famous see of clouds, they still enjoyed the clear view of the mountain ranges at the peak and the joy of their recent experiences remained.

The hikers at the summit with their dancing pose

We enjoyed our last morning in the camp sharing stories and laughs about our experiences for the past few days while having breakfast. After breaking camp we started trekking up to the summit to take some group pictures before finally going down. Contrary to our expectations that the summit would still be full of visitors and that there were no thick clouds, we had Mt. Pulag peak's all just by ourselves. And it was such an unexpected reward for us to witness the clouds scattered all over the empty peak.

The sea of cloud

So you can imagine what happened next, euphoria! Every one of us had their solo moments, wacky poses, jump shots and all poses we can possibly do and we even danced. There was even a time when everybody just stood silently enjoying that very moment of just pure silence and beauty all around.  

We regrouped at the Ranger Station after our 4 hours descend from Mt. Pulag. We stayed at one of the houses and shared our insights about our successful climb . It was a very lively talk as we discussed the hardships experienced throughout the climb. I was captivated when they  spoke of how meaningful and memorable our climb turned out.

Not going back home yet was even an option.We wanted to stay for long but we knew we had to go home. I know we would have that longing for the memorable experience we had for that three-day adventure. It was unique and really one for the books. Some would miss it so badly (especially me) that it would make them want to come back and do it all over again.

Yes, the event and itineraries can be repeated but not the happiness and contentment it brought. Because we all knew that every climb gives a unique and memorable experience.  Somehow, atleast for me, I know this won’t be the last time I will set foot at the ever beautiful King of the Cordilleras - Mt. Pulag.

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