Weekend Getaway 3: Mt. Sembrano and The National Mountain Cleanup Day

We have been doing this mountain climbing as a routine. We have been hiking weekly and not long after our return from Boracay, we made it to Mt. Sembrano with a former schoolmate and her son. She hasn't been climbing for a long time and so we suggested hiking instead of the regular drinking-and-chatting-hanging-out-activity. It was a coincidence that the Mountaineering Community has organized a 2 day National Mountain Cleanup Day so it was that our hike was in line with the activity. We joined and had our ID but we can't make it on time because of my work.

The meetup was at Lucky Gold Plaza in Lifehomes. We had to travel 2 hours from Pasig to Tanay, and bought supplies when we got there. Our plan was to summit before the night falls, but we were frustrated.

Mt. Sembrano was a CHALLENGE. From the drop off is already a steep assault. After the concrete pavement starts the rocky trail which will be encountered until a few meters to the summit. We started the hike at around 4pm. We were still on the trail at 7pm and still a looong way to go reaching Peak 2 and 3. It's not just 20 times we had to stop and rest. I even got to a point when I had to shout, "Ayoko na!" just when we reached this boulder. It was already getting dark so we had to make an Emergency Camp right in the middle of nowhere. 

The fun is now starting. On the trail, my partner lost his wallet which contains change, USB and LIGHTER. Just when we encamped did he realize that his wallet was missing along with the only chance we have for light and heat. We were so damned upset that we called the Tanod for rescue. The night is deep and we know for sure that no rescue will be available to help us; so we just did what we can with the resources we have. After all, that is the essence of mountain climbing and camping- being able to survive and adapt without having the conveniences of city living. When you're there, you'll start to be grateful even with the little things you have that you take for granted.

The lamp we brought is a good one that it provided us with light all throughout the night. We lent our tent to our guests and we slept outside; under the trees and stars inside our sleeping bag. The sleeping bag we have is just for 1, so we just snugged tight inside it. We were not able to cook and so we just satisfied ourselves with bread. Because we were so damn tired, we were able to sleep even without a fire.

The next day, we have decided to assault. In spite of the challenging trail, we knew we had to make it to the top; we're a halfway there already. And if we don't continue, it will be an unfinished business and we have to go back to it again. We set out at 7am after a small breakfast and after an hour of grueling hike, we reached the summit. The spectacular 360° panoramic view took our breath away (aside from the tiring climb). The view of Mt.Tagapo, the Sierra Madre mountains, Mt. Banahaw and Mt. Makiling is overwhelmingly awesome. We even got the chance to meet our fellow mountaineers on the summit, who participated in the cleanup. We didn't stay there for long; the sun is already burning our skins and a few more minutes we'll run out of water.

After taking pictures and enjoying the view, we descended to the Manggahan campsite. The locals were very friendly and accommodating. We asked if we could have our noodles cooked since we haven't had real dinner and breakfast yet. They even offered us rice to go with our noodles but we declined. After breakfast, we headed to the falls for a refreshing bath. 

Just near the mini falls is the spring where locals get their water. And above it is a much larger falls where we decided to go. The water is much cooler from there. We headed back to the campsite after bathing. Before leaving, we bought 3 coconuts and asked if we could have our picture taken for a wonderful souvenir of our Sembrano experience.