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Depending on whom you believe Mt. Pulag is either the 2nd or 3rd highest peak in the Philippines. But unless some Hollywood- sized tectonic activity takes place its summit is still considered the highest mountain in Luzon. 



Travel Factor, a company that specializes in adventure tours, recently provided Choose Philippines the opportunity to take part in its “Byaheng Victory” trips in the Northern Luzon to see what it’s like going on a weekend adventure to what has been described as the “Playground of the Gods”. Here's what happened...



CUBAO



Friday, 9:47pm: I was in a cab en route to the Cubao terminal of Victory Liner when Joven of Travel Factor called me to ask where I was. Based on the apprehension in his voice, I knew then I got the schedule all mixed up. The bus was leaving at 10pm, not 11. It was a good thing traffic in EDSA was better than usual. 



It was a fully loaded Baguio-bound bus that promptly left at 10pm. Aside from the guy calling me I did not know any of the 51 people who were part of this edition of Byaheng Norte. I made a mental note to make friends asap or else it’s going to be a boring trip. 



There were two stopovers during the 6-hour trip. During the 1st stopover, I went out to stretch my legs and had a quick chat with the five Travel Factor guides whose job it is to make sure we not only reach the summit but to get down safely while having fun in the process. The fit, all-male crew was on the young side but were already veterans, each having at least 20 climbs to Pulag under their belts. I knew we were going to be in good hands. 



BAGUIO 



Saturday 3:30am: We arrived at the City of Pines 30 minutes early. For what lies ahead, make sure you try and catch some sleep before you reach Kennon Road because if your butt isn’t bolted to your seat you won’t be able to- the constant swaying will make sure you won’t. The weather was cold enough to make us put on our jackets and bonnets.



After I collected my gear, I made my first buddy for this trip when I met Dong Ho, a long-time blogger (www.escapeislands .com) making his 2nd trek to Pulag. After nearly choking on some hot taho (Php15), I was herded to one of three 4X4 jeepneys that would take us on the four-hour trip to Ambangeg. I was pleasantly surprised that one of my fellow passengers was an acquaintance from Facebook and a college batchmate. 



Our merry band had breakfast at the Sab-atan Canteen where we tried the Sab-atan Special Fried Rice (Php100)- a plate of fried everything: chicken, pork, egg and rice with a side of sautéed veggies- a filling, no-frills meal if your stomach is running on empty. The guides also distributed our nifty souvenir shirts and climb IDs which we were advised to wear during the duration of the climb.   



The jump off point to the Ambangeg Trail is about a four-hour trip along a winding road that can make an unprepared traveler nauseous (make sure you pack some Bonamine!). 



All visitors to the Mt Pulag National Park are required to attend a 15- minute seminar at the DENR Visitor Center that explains the do’s and don’ts while inside the park. Aside from getting souvenir t-shirts, this is also a good place to rent trekking poles, extra- thick blankets and other camping items you might need.  



The ride from the DENR office to the Ranger Station took another hour and was punctuated by mountain vistas of pine and fog. Once we arrived at the Ranger Station, our group assembled in one of the houses where we got our gear and ourselves ready. An hour before we started the trek were served a filling lunch prepared by the Travel Factor team.



This was also a great chance to get to know some members of the group which included the Bloomfield's Louie Poco and his entire family out to fulfill their 50 year old dad’s bucket list. Also out to conquer Pulag was Howell and Pam, a nice young couple who share a passion for climbing. 



THE AMBANGEG TRAIL



12:30 pm Saturday: The weather since we left Manila was pretty dry but since we were now so high up in elevation that incessant rain is considered normal 365 days a year in this part of the Cordilleras. Pretty soon, we left the rocky mountain road serving the vegetable farms and found ourselves along a muddy path in the middle of a forest which seemed to cover the sky. 



“Wet” was the Word of the Day. Well, you can also add “Mud”. For four hours our group literally had to trudge a seemingly endless trail that took a toll on our knees and legs. Just when you think you managed to climb a series of “steps” there’s another one waiting at the top! 



During the trek I was amazed by one observation- a lot of climbers were decked out in brand name trekking shoes while the locals hired as porters (Php250 per pack, one way) were effortlessly passing us by in rubber rain boots. 



The CAMPSITE



Due to a severe case of the cramps, I was one of the last to arrive at Camp 2. The rain, cold temperature, heavy sweating combined with a lack of water caused both my feet to lock and turn inwards. It got so bad that I thought I wasn’t going to make it! 



Fortunately, Travel Factor follows mountaineering S.O.P. by employing a a sweeper whose responsibility is to make sure everyone in the party makes it to the destination. Due to my condition our sweeper had me drink Gatorade and kindly carried my pack the remainder of the way. (Maraming Salamat, Fonci!). 



After the longest 20 minutes of my life, I managed to limp to Camp 2. The tents of our party were thankfully pitched in place which was fortunate since I barely had time to greet Dong, my tentmate, before I plopped down and caught some much needed sack time, my dripping jacket for a pillow (I hope he doesn’t put my pathetic state in his blog). Before I lost consciousness I heard someone shout that there was an awesome rainbow so close to the camp. 



I woke up about two hours later to the sound of our team leader Ron announcing it was time for dinner. With great effort I scrounged for my kit and dutifully fell in line at the mess tent for chow, hot pork and vegetable stew with steaming white rice. 



While I was gratefully munching away, I noticed that the few tents I saw earlier had grown into a small barangay as other groups finally reached Camp 2.  It was still drizzling and in my current condition I started to have second thoughts about the summit assault scheduled for 3am.

(to be continued…)