Mt. Batolusong- The Comeback
After a year of hiatus, we're back to climbing. I admit I've gained weight for over a year of little to no exercise, and it has actually taken a toll on my health. Add to that the fact that I haven't been going out and never seeing what it's like outside during the light of day. Imagine what it did to my body, that I developed jaundice overnight, and had to go out in the peak of day just so I could at least acquire sunshine.
I had to thank my health concern that it got us back to the mountains. It was a blessing in disguise or more appropriately a wake up call to me. So my partner suggested to go climbing again. Yes, what better way to get tons of sunshine is by hiking.
My partner decided to go for an ultralight backpacking, so the week before we were watching how-to videos for light weight backpacking. We've chosen to cut off some of our essentials or change the way how we pack them.
We have bought a large 8 x 10 waterproof tarp last year and it has been very useful to every camping trips we had. We've used it as makeshift roof when we're eating out in the open, or as earth pad so we could sit on clean ground. This time around, we tried to use it as a substitute for our tent. We've watched several videos on how to set up tent out of tarp and that is what we used in the trip.
THE JOURNEY BEGINS
We're supposed to leave at 12 noon but the movies we transferred to the USB delayed us by an hour. At exactly 1 pm we left home and via tricycle, we managed to get to the supermarket to buy the supplies we need. We bought a canister of butane, trail food, and the food we will have for dinner- mostly just in pouches so we're spared of extra weight. After an hour and 40 minutes of travel and acquiring supplies, we've reached the jump off.
THE TRAIL WE BLAZED
As soon as we have alighted the jeepney, my heart raced and my excitement grew. It felt like the first time. Walking on to that familiar trail brought me in retrospect of the feeling and company I had when I first came. Suddenly, my partner noticed something different. He realized that the trail is not the same anymore. The trail used to be clean and grassy, but it has transformed into a muddy, uneven path. The falls had gone mainstream and commercialized, so there were a lot of tourists coming in. The trail that was made just for people is now being used by vehicles. A local we've came across confirmed that it's still the same trail going up the mountain. We left our hesitation and carried on.
As we were treading the trail, we realized that we didn't have brought water so we stopped by a local's house and asked for it. While waiting for our bladder and water bottles to be filled, we chatted with them. We informed them of the upcoming activity we'll be having in their place- a tree-planting and medical mission. We invited them to participate and told them we'll be back to inform them about the date.
We pushed forward but realized that one year without hike made a lot of difference to our stamina and resistance. We arrived at the summit after 2 hours. The sun was still up then and the mountain did not fail to give us a grand panoramic view of the mountain range, Mt. Sembrano and Tagapo from afar.
THE NIGHT AT THE SUMMIT
We setup our bivy tent as soon as we arrived. The wind was blowing so hard that we had difficulty setting it up without the tent being blown. Once the tent was up we prepared for dinner. We haven't had lunch yet so we hastily prepared. Our resolve was not to eat while hiking; so we were famished by the time we arrived to the top.
The tent was toasty albeit not a stable shelter from the strong, harsh winds of the mountain. The wind kept pulling the tent from the pegs that we have to push it in a position where it could be secured. The strong breeze continuously beat our tent that I joked that we had to stay up all night to look after the tent. I was afraid that we might wake up without the tent above us. My partner assured that the tent will not fall short- and it didn't.
The night was long and we didn't have anything else to do. After dinner, we watched a movie to while the night away. Because we were too tired, we slept early. At 8:30 we paused the movie and dozed off.
THE LONG NIGHT
At 12 am I woke up with the wind still very strong. I looked out the door and saw the beautiful, shining lights from a distance. It made me contemplate what they were doing and where exactly the lights are coming from. Looking up, the sky's a scary, gloomy dark and gray. It was the very first time I felt so afraid of the sky. There were no stars, only scary dark clouds.
I really had difficulty sleeping. I closed my eyes trying to make me fall asleep, but failed.
The wind was howling and blowing hard on our tent and has pulled 2 lines from its pegs. But we did not notice that until the day. At 4 am my partner decided to wake up. We just continued with the movie until we did not notice the sun dawning from the sky. At last, it's morning.
TO KAY IBON
At past 6 we prepared our breakfast- toasted pandesal, skewered hotdogs and soup. After a hearty breakfast and a couple of pictures, we packed our stuff and we descended.
I have realized then that perhaps we lack lunch so it took us a long time to get to the summit. We have compensated our slack going up to the speed on our descend- it only took us 35 minutes to get to the falls! Hahaha. I was so happy that we have broken another record.
We took a dip in the cool, clear waterfalls. My partner climbed over the boulder to get to the other side and because of his thirst for adventure to know where the water's coming from, he acquired a wounded toe. Before going down the rock, he asked to have his picture taken.
My partner pulled me in to the deep part of the river. I was hesitant to get in, but after a lot of convincing and persuasion, I got in. I am not scared of the water, if it's shallow. Hahaha. I am not a swimmer and I have a fear of drowning (who doesn't) but honestly, I learned swimming before, just scare to relearn. Perhaps if there were training and a lot of motivation, I will gladly learn.
We cooked what's left of our supplies before heading down. At 9:55 am, we left the falls and went back to civilization.
I had to thank my health concern that it got us back to the mountains. It was a blessing in disguise or more appropriately a wake up call to me. So my partner suggested to go climbing again. Yes, what better way to get tons of sunshine is by hiking.
My partner decided to go for an ultralight backpacking, so the week before we were watching how-to videos for light weight backpacking. We've chosen to cut off some of our essentials or change the way how we pack them.
We have bought a large 8 x 10 waterproof tarp last year and it has been very useful to every camping trips we had. We've used it as makeshift roof when we're eating out in the open, or as earth pad so we could sit on clean ground. This time around, we tried to use it as a substitute for our tent. We've watched several videos on how to set up tent out of tarp and that is what we used in the trip.
THE JOURNEY BEGINS
We're supposed to leave at 12 noon but the movies we transferred to the USB delayed us by an hour. At exactly 1 pm we left home and via tricycle, we managed to get to the supermarket to buy the supplies we need. We bought a canister of butane, trail food, and the food we will have for dinner- mostly just in pouches so we're spared of extra weight. After an hour and 40 minutes of travel and acquiring supplies, we've reached the jump off.
THE TRAIL WE BLAZED
As soon as we have alighted the jeepney, my heart raced and my excitement grew. It felt like the first time. Walking on to that familiar trail brought me in retrospect of the feeling and company I had when I first came. Suddenly, my partner noticed something different. He realized that the trail is not the same anymore. The trail used to be clean and grassy, but it has transformed into a muddy, uneven path. The falls had gone mainstream and commercialized, so there were a lot of tourists coming in. The trail that was made just for people is now being used by vehicles. A local we've came across confirmed that it's still the same trail going up the mountain. We left our hesitation and carried on.
As we were treading the trail, we realized that we didn't have brought water so we stopped by a local's house and asked for it. While waiting for our bladder and water bottles to be filled, we chatted with them. We informed them of the upcoming activity we'll be having in their place- a tree-planting and medical mission. We invited them to participate and told them we'll be back to inform them about the date.
We pushed forward but realized that one year without hike made a lot of difference to our stamina and resistance. We arrived at the summit after 2 hours. The sun was still up then and the mountain did not fail to give us a grand panoramic view of the mountain range, Mt. Sembrano and Tagapo from afar.
THE NIGHT AT THE SUMMIT
The tent was toasty albeit not a stable shelter from the strong, harsh winds of the mountain. The wind kept pulling the tent from the pegs that we have to push it in a position where it could be secured. The strong breeze continuously beat our tent that I joked that we had to stay up all night to look after the tent. I was afraid that we might wake up without the tent above us. My partner assured that the tent will not fall short- and it didn't.
The night was long and we didn't have anything else to do. After dinner, we watched a movie to while the night away. Because we were too tired, we slept early. At 8:30 we paused the movie and dozed off.
THE LONG NIGHT
At 12 am I woke up with the wind still very strong. I looked out the door and saw the beautiful, shining lights from a distance. It made me contemplate what they were doing and where exactly the lights are coming from. Looking up, the sky's a scary, gloomy dark and gray. It was the very first time I felt so afraid of the sky. There were no stars, only scary dark clouds.
I really had difficulty sleeping. I closed my eyes trying to make me fall asleep, but failed.
The wind was howling and blowing hard on our tent and has pulled 2 lines from its pegs. But we did not notice that until the day. At 4 am my partner decided to wake up. We just continued with the movie until we did not notice the sun dawning from the sky. At last, it's morning.
TO KAY IBON
At past 6 we prepared our breakfast- toasted pandesal, skewered hotdogs and soup. After a hearty breakfast and a couple of pictures, we packed our stuff and we descended.
I have realized then that perhaps we lack lunch so it took us a long time to get to the summit. We have compensated our slack going up to the speed on our descend- it only took us 35 minutes to get to the falls! Hahaha. I was so happy that we have broken another record.
We took a dip in the cool, clear waterfalls. My partner climbed over the boulder to get to the other side and because of his thirst for adventure to know where the water's coming from, he acquired a wounded toe. Before going down the rock, he asked to have his picture taken.
My partner pulled me in to the deep part of the river. I was hesitant to get in, but after a lot of convincing and persuasion, I got in. I am not scared of the water, if it's shallow. Hahaha. I am not a swimmer and I have a fear of drowning (who doesn't) but honestly, I learned swimming before, just scare to relearn. Perhaps if there were training and a lot of motivation, I will gladly learn.
We cooked what's left of our supplies before heading down. At 9:55 am, we left the falls and went back to civilization.
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