Mount Pulag 01: From Baguio to Ambangeg

Quick Facts:
Also known as: Mount Pulog
Location: borders of Benguet, Ifugao and Nueva Vizcaya
Elevation: 2,922 m or 9,587 ft
Type: mossy forest, grassland summit
Prominence: highest peak in Luzon, third highest peak in the Philippines, ranked 106th out of 125 most prominent peaks in the world, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

There are many mountains in the Philippines but if there is one that I would really like to climb, it’s Mount Pulag (or Pulog to some people). Exciting personal accounts, excellent photos from the summit, friendly people of Benguet— these suffice my eagerness to conquer this mountain.

Registration of participants at the terminal of the Victory Liner in Pasay

So when Oki and I heard about pinoymountaineer’s Pulag Charity Climb we did not hesitate in joining. Immediately, we signed up. Oki is a frequent reader of Gideon’s blog so she practically knows the drill. Another come-on to this climb is that it will support charitable endeavors from donating medicines to the Kalanguya tribes in Mt. Pulag to helping improve the conditions in PGH Pediatric Wards.

The mighty jeepney that brought us to Kabayan, Benguet

Registration was held at the terminal of the Victory Liner in Pasay—the rendezvous for all the climbers. I was informed that there were 80 participants. Through a chartered bus, we left in batches going to Baguio City (6-hour trip). Early birds get to register and sit on the bus ahead of time.

The curvy road going to Ambuklao

In Baguio, there were jeepneys waiting for us going to Ambuklao. We signed up for the first batch to go. The group of Gideon rode with us. It was less than 4-hour trip from Baguio to Ambangeg, Bokod which is located at the based of the Mount Pulag. Off-road we passed by Ambuklao Dam, the biggest rock filled dam in Asia. The main source of water comes from the Agno River, the longest waterway in the Luzon. We stopped by an eatery to have our breakfast-lunch before heading to the DENR office.

We passed by Ambuklao Dam

Boats at the dock

Pass bridge

We registered and secured our permit at the Mt. Pulag National Park Protected Area Office in Ambangeg. All climbers were required to undergo an orientation/briefing at the visitor's center/protected area office. Facilitating the orientation was Emerita "Mering" Basco Albas, protected area superintendent .

PAWB advisory for all climbers

DENR Information Office

Ms. Mering briefing the climbers after watching a video presentation

After the video presentation and an orientation of the DOs and DON’Ts, we headed to the Ranger Station—the jump-off point to Mount Pulag. On our way to the station, our jeepney got stuck in deep potholes that the driver had to try several times to rev up the engine.

Inside the jeep going to the Ranger Station, Oki looking at the camera

Alas, we reached the Ranger Station

Mount Kinabalu 05: Catching the Sunrise

I set my alarm at 2 am. My friend Charl and I were sharing the room with Jasme, a Muslim man who asked us if he could use the space to pray. His hair-raising chant broke the cold silence. Charl barely slept through the night. The night in the mountain was freezing cold. I had three layers of clothes and my hands and feet could not feel a thing. I was already curling like a freezing madman under the low temperature. This is the reason why I can't live in a temperate country, I could not bear such cold.

Around 2:15 am we were having our breakfast at the Laban Rata Resthouse. I had one toast, some mouthful of noodles, and scrambled eggs. Charl woke up with a bad stomach so she barely ate anything.

The hike started at around 2:35 am traversing through the dark, narrow stair trails going through the summit. There was a long traffic of climbers that every now and then we had to stop to wait for those in the lead to move forward. After an hour or so, we reached the granite massif wherein we had to use a rope to climb a steep, rocky mountain. And because it was still dark, we had to rely on our headlights to lead us and pray to the high spirits not to fall on that deep-mile gulley just below us.

After more than an hour, we reached the alpine zone of Mouth Kinabalu. This part is occupied by various jagged, rocky peak formations. The trail all the way to the summit is elevated making it extra exhausting to climb. And because of the high altitude, breathing and recovering was difficult.

Reaching the 3929 m. marker, Charl was extremely exhausted. Due to the lack of enough sleep the night before and the bad stomach, which she has been enduring since early morning, she could not go on. AMS got her.

Half kilometer away from the Low’s Peak, we rested for awhile and watched as sunrise unfolded before our sullen eyes. Slowly, a bright orange light spread through the vast horizon illuminating the dark portions of the alpine zone. I’ve seen so many sunrise in my life. But this one is special. Everything seems special that Tuesday morning. ^_^

I am literally standing above the clouds and witnessing the streaks of that orange light seeps into the vast horizon.

It was still dusk but behind those granite peaks is the sun making its presence felt.

I patiently watch the color subsides as the sun streaks start to perforate.

Slowly, even the little grasses growing along the gaps and slopes of the rocky mountain become more visible to the naked eyes. Light is spreading faster than I had expected.

The ravine is damp because of the rain the night before. From here, you can see them like a fine white line enhancing the texture of the rocky mountain.

Clouds, mountains and more...

Next stop...the Low's Peak!

Mount Kinabalu 02: Continuing the trail to Panar Laban

Mountain and mist

At 5.0KM mark, I was already exhausted. I was feeling the thin air as we continued to ascend. Passing the misty part of the forest, we came to a relatively warm zone with all those stunted, scraggly-looking trees which were really fascinating to watch. At this point, we decided to rest for awhile and enjoy the view. Not far behind, we saw this beautiful mountain covered in mist amidst the blue sky.

A trail to the bushes

A helipad at the summit trail

We continued the trek following the marked trails. I was leading the pack when our guide, Nani, motioned me to divert toward another trail. She said she’s going to show us something. Going through a narrow path, we found a helipad which surprised me. So this means, people could actually go to Mount Kinabalu from this point to hike without going through the exhausting part. The helipad was just few kilometers away from the Laban Rata resthouse and most of the supplies are transported there via human strength. They hire people to carry huge packs and boxes of food to the lodges.

My favorite trail

We passed by another type of trail consisting of patches of huge stamped rocks. This was my favorite among the trails because they don’t conjure strains into my feet whenever I walk. They are also not that elevated and would not require that huge of steps unlike the stair trails. The stair trails are torturous that I could not help cursing every time I see them come to view.

Alas, the Laban Rata resthouse

View of the Mount Kinabalu from the Panar Laban

View of the island from Laban Rata

After we passed by the last shelter station to the Laban Rata, a heavy rain poured. This zone is the worst as we encountered a combination of torrential rain and mist. The weather has also become utterly cold. My hands started to get numb and the drops of rain became painful to bear. We found out later that we have experienced droplets of iced rain. No wonder, they were prickly painful.

The Waras Hut

Nice-looking trees covered in moss just in front of the Waras Hut

Watching the sunset before getting our final rest for the day

A few minutes more and the Waras Hut and Laban Rata came into view. It was extremely cold in this zone. Every gasp I made emitted some mist from my mouth. We got inside the Laban Rata to check-in, rest for awhile, and enjoy the view of the Mount Kinabalu which was a just few kilometers away. We waited for our dinner while chatting with the other foreign climbers we met along the way. Tomorrow morning, we will hike again!

Mount Kinabalu 01: The Summit Trail

Quick Facts:
Known in Malay as: Gunung Kinabalu
Location: Sabah, Borneo
Elevation: 4,095 m or 13,435 ft
Type: Granite (batholith)
Prominence: a World Heritage Site, tallest mountain in Malaysia and Borneo Island, 4th tallest mountain in Southeast Asia, and well-known for its rich flora and fauna

I’ve been wanting to climb Mount Kinbalu the first time I heard it. But I was never sure how would I do. Will I make it on top? I am a pessimist by nature and I worry too much. I’ve done a few mountain climbs before (Peak 2--the highest peak in Mt. Makiling; and Mt. Ampacao of Sagada in the North) but I’ve never done Mount Pulag or Mount Apo (highest peak in the Philippines) which to me, are the best preparations before climbing Mt. Kinabalu.

Internet searching tells me that despite its height, Mount Kinabalu “can be climbed easily by a person with good physical condition, and requires no mountaineering training.” I run regularly so I guess that would qualify me somehow. Still, I was doubtful.

Entering the Timpohon Gate, the start of the Summit Trail, which is also the checkpoint for every climber who want to reach the Low's Peak.

After entering the gate is a sketch of the Summit Trail. Every climber is required to have a guide (preferably 1-3 climbers per guide).

There are actually two trails that will lead climbers to the summit of Mt. Kinabalu: the Summit Trail and the Mesilau Trail. Although the first one is more popular, the latter is a more challenging trail with richer collections of flora and fauna. For first timers, I think it would be better to go for the Summit Trail.

Starting the trail

Rocky road

Rocky steps that get all muddy when it rains.

The summit trail to Mount Kinabalu is a mishmash of uneven and seemingly never-ending stair trails and a risky hike to the granite massif which will lead to the Sayat-Sayat Huts, the last shelter on the summit trail. Before reaching the summit, there are shelter stations with toilets, and drinking water.

Pondok Layang-Layang, one of the marked shelter stations where we took our lunch. It has its own toilet at the back and adjacent is a water tank marked "untreated" to replenish drinks.

Never-ending stair trails.

More stair trails

The climb took us two days to complete following an 8-mile stretch from the Timpohon Gate (1866 m) all the way to the Low’s Peak (4,095 m).

Start of the foggy trail

As we moved up to higher altitude, we noticed the changing of climate zones starting from lowland vegetation to the mountain oak (foggy part), coniferous forest to the alpine meadow plants, and all the way to the stunted bushes of the summit zone. The change in climate and altitude could subject climbers to altitude sickness or AMS (acute mountain sickness), ankle and knee injuries, stomach problems (maybe due to the untreated water from the mountain). Lucky for me, I never encountered any of those...except maybe insurmountable exhaustion and breathing problem at the summit zone.

Conquering Mount Kinabalu

As of the moment, I am still worn-out and exhausted, but I am back from my Mount Kinabalu adventure. And I’ve reached the summit. Yehey! And even though I was hammered and beaten to death because of the exhaustion from those endless stair trails, it was all worth it. As they say, no guts no glory!

Climbing Mount Kinabalu, one of the highest mountains in SE Asia (4,095 meters or 13, 495 feet) and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a feat in itself. This trip is extra special for me as I celebrated my birthday there.

I’ll be writing a series of entries on this little adventure to Mount Kinabalu including the 3-day tour around Kota Kinabalu (formerly known as Jesselton), the capital city of Sabah, a state in Malaysia.

Personally, I would like to thank Ferdz for all the tips and for lending to me their itineraries during their trip to KK. It helped us plan our trips. Also for those out-of-the-blue inquiries which he never failed to correspond conscientiously. Salamat Ferdz!

I was faced with at least a hundred reasons not to go on with this trip (i.e., flight cancellation, Laban Rata bookings, people backing-out, money transfer problems, etc.) and had only one reason to go (which I will not say anymore, hehe) but I am just glad I went through all the troubles.