Mt. Maculot Traverse 2010

I organized a MacTrav (Maculot Traverse :P) last June 26. This is not a traverse per-se as the mountaineers define it (please see my previous post for the details). Its just a dayhike and I organize this mainly for these friends.. A former officemate who wanna try hiking, an American friend who is a veteran in climbing but is new to the tropics and two old buddies who is on/off on their climbing career. The last time I've been here it was raining and now its el-nino so surely the trail is different. Its not just the trail that is different but also is the cleanliness of the place! There a lot of plastic trash along the grotto trail and onward to the summit. My hunch is that the trash was the result of the recent 'holyweek' which several Roman Catholics influx this site. Seeing no trash going down the traditional trail confirms my observation. The traditional trail is normally the route of climbers
Maculot will always be one of my favorite mountains. The climb is not that difficult but the view is more than rewarding. And what a day to end our trip with a visit from my friends aunt who lives in Cuenca. To our surprise his father was a native of this city, there are several stores in Cuenca which bore their surname. And then his aunt served us their bakery's 'monay' bread which their family is famous for. After eating several pieces, now I know why.

Here lies two mountaineers... Jus Kidding!!!




Resting at the 'Grotto'



Rope a Dope


On the way to saddle


Group shot at the Rockies

Magalawa Island

As a self proclaimed nature tripper I had been in constant search for a place I can go and enjoys Gods creation, and if possible share my knowledge on how to protect it. For this year I went to Nagsasa cove and last weekend (May01) to Magalawa Island.
Magalawa Island can be found along the outskirts of Zambales too. From the mainland you just have to take a short boat trip to reach it.I brought along some of my climb and trip buddies to share the place and probably bond together.
So how is the island like? First off, the place is surrounded by several other islands so the water is very calm. I did'nt regret bringing my snorkling gear and there's even a designated and protected place where you can snorkel. The island also resides near a fishing community, so snorkling even just on open water will lead you to view several sea creatures (good and odd looking hehe) Secondly, the shoreline is quite long and the sand is fine. Definitely an A-class beach. Camping wise, there are several trees on the island so you dont have to worry about pitching your tent in the open sun.

But since its summer I'm expecting there will be lots of guest. Not just from far flung Manila but also from near localities. But it turn out there are more than I'm expecting, probably because its a long holiday. (labor day). Good thing is that the influx of guest came when were about to leave.
All in all its a very good place, I will probably come back here on a off-peak season. To enjoy the place to the next level.




The island



The Beach



Campsite



Snorkel Man!


Snorkel Man meets SeaWeed kid.


Superheroes at work






Newly arrowed fish



Grill them!



"Lato" (edible seaweed). Yum yum.



A hermit crab.



Starfish are everywhere (be careful not to step on them)

Mt. Nagsasa Traverse to Nagsasa Cove : 3rd Time's a Charm!

You may call me a climb addict. But yes, I returned to Nagsasa again last weekend. And the decision was very much worth-it. We had a PERFECT climb - the weather was good, we were the only visitors on chiefs Ogos place, the beach was calm and the food was great. Since its the cove that I dont have much entry on my previous blogs, this is the one I will discuss (I didnt enjoy the beach much on my previous trips, one of the reasons for the return trip)

• the sand is better than Anawangin. Much finer, that one of colleague told me if it was white sand the place would look like Boracay.
• the water is clearer.
• the place still pristine due to less visitors compared to Anawangin. Less visitor means very quiet place. Very nice for relaxing.
• there is a chance to buy a newly haul fish from fishermen.
• your 70-100 pesos payment of the place is very much worth-it. Locals are very willing to assist you if you need help. And you can use their equipment if in case you need any (stove, water container, etc)

And dipping to the crystal water of Pinaglabanan river is an added bonus.

Dara our guide dog.



the beach


campsite


water up to my knee


water up to my waist


our kitchen
sunset!


our pulutan (and became breakfast too!)






our dinner
why so serious?



jump for joy!


sad to leave.... =(


pinaglabanan river

Mt. Nagsasa Traverse to Nagsasa Cove Part Deux

After my typhoon trip to Nagsasa last September its inevitable that I will return to fully appreciate the place. Since Nagsasa Cove is a new place for outdoor lovers (especially the trail way), I proposed to PALMC to make it an official climb of the club, with me taking the job as the EL.
I won't go much into details on how to go to the place since I've already done it in my previous entry to this blog. For starters, its already summer and the most noticeable difference from last time is that the trail is very dry. With almost everything colored brown. Most of the rivers don't have water and what you can only see are big chunks of stones. The very opposite the last time. Its still recommended that you trek very early morning so that you can escape the scorching heat of the sun. And be at the cove around 09:00am before the heat of the sun peaks.
There are parts of the trail which had been burned by locals. According to our guide some locals do this to refresh the grass(new grass will grow for cows). Some parts was still burning when we passed by that we can still feel the burning heat. The cove is now starting to be commercialize. There are several picnic tables now and several bathrooms have been erected. There are a few sari-sari stores too, with the price of goods double that of SRP.
The next day there are participants of the climb who took the boat. We were scheduled to trek back, other than I don't want to ride a fishing boat for almost two hours, I also want to dip at Pinaglaban River. A big river that almost look like a small lake, where water is continually flowing. The only problem with trekking back is that you cant escape the burning heat of the sun. We left the cove around 11:00am, just when the sun is directly above us.

I have several experience in organizing climbs but this is the first time I have this much participant (25pax). And most specialy this is the first time I've been an EL for PALMC official climb. I never imagined it was this difficult hehe. But it was a very succesfull climb. I learned a lot from this experience, and hopefully I can use it if ever I'll be an EL again.





Balingkilat on the background

Dry Trail

Nagsasa cove from top of Mt. Nagsasa

Can't believe its this dry

Nice Sand

Pinaglabanan river

Mt. Manabu : Gianne's First Mountain

After the several cancellations, our climb to Mt. Manabu was finally put to reality. It was still raining for several days last week but the sun came out on thursday prompting us to proceed with our hike. Five of us were originally scheduled to climb, but at the last minute two back-out which left the three of us (Gian, Cris and Me) proceeding with the trek. This is Giannes first climb and it was organized for her.
This is not may first time to climb Mt. Manabu, but since this is the mountains first entry to my blog, I'm also adding the some details on our Itinerary. From Buendia bus station we took the bus going to Lipa, Batangas. From Lipa we hired a trike that took us to the jump-off. There is a 'kubo' bath/rest place at the jump-off, but I was surprise to see a new man managing the place. I later learned he was the husband of Ate ___, who died last march due to breast cancer (may she RIP). The last time I was here she was just diagnosed with the diseased, cancer is really a fast-silent killer.
Going back to the climb. We arrived at the jumpoff around 12PM, the weather was good. We immediately started to our hike. Starting from the jumpoff up to the 1st river crossing, the trail was also being use by locals for their livestocks path (cows, horses etc) hence eventhough the soil was not that wet its very beaten. This mountain is really for beginners, the trail is very easy after the river. It only got steep after Mang Pirings place, but was immediately compensated by the ropes stationed along the way. we arrived at the campsite at around 4:00pm and we were so surprised that we were the first climber to arrived. After a bit of rest we set camp, cook our dinner and enjoy the surroundings. According to my watch the summit measures 750++ masl, but I was really amazed how cold it was. Fog was everywhere when it started to get dark. At around 2:00am the next day I woke up chilling.Good thing I brought my jacket.

Start of trek

Nice river

 At the trail

Cold while cooking?

So whats for dinner?

The next day we woke up to a good weather again. We were able to view sunrise from our campsite. After taking our breakfast we broke camp and headed for the summit. We took several pictures then decided to go down. And then it started to drizzle, o-oh the trail is gonna be muddy - plus the fact that several climbers went ahead of us. But Gianne was able to manage her balance well, I was really amazed. To think that she grew up in the city (I grew up on the country side). I'm not sure if this is due to genes or that I brought her to jogging 1x a week or maybe a little bit of both? After several hours of trekking we arrived safely to the jumpoff. We cleaned up, went back to Lipa bus station and headed back home. But of course not before taking a hearty lunch in Lipa with their famous Goto Batangas.

Theres a Mountaineering saying that the first climb is always the deciding factor if a newbie will climb again. So whats the verdict for Gianne? Very positive. She really enjoy our climb and even asked me when are we gonna be climbing again. She's very curious with critters and we saw several fauna on our climb. 

Sunrise!

Group shot

At the summit.

Gianne's First Mountain Jump Shot

Cross at the summit