Mt. Pulag: The Sea of Clouds and 8-Man Tent Experience

This is a long overdue post, but I want to share my experience and a few photos from my hike to Mt. Pulag in Benguet last February. It was a last minute trip that was organized by my cousin Bea. Another cousin of mine Carlo, who came home from NYC, wanted to do something for his birthday weekend here in the Philippines. Due to the fact that the schedule wasn't flexible and Carlo only spends time in the Philippines once every two years, I was definitely up for a weekend getaway. A few emails and facebook messages later, we had booked a bus ticket going to Baguio for my first hiking adventure in 2014.

I've done a few hikes before, but I definitely do not fall into the category of seasoned hikers to say the least. The last trek that I did was Mt. Pinatubo last year, and we hardly did any physical exertion during that trip as we ended up riding the truck 80% of the time. Prior to Pinatubo, I did beginner hikes at Mt. Batulao and Mt. Gulugod Baboy in Batangas in 2010 and 2011 respectively. That pretty much sums up my track record in the mountains.

Suffice to say that Mt. Pulag intimidated me. It's the highest mountain in Luzon and the 3rd highest in the Philippines at 2,922 meters above sea level. What does that mean? Well, it means it's so high that when you're at the summit you can actually see clouds beneath you. It was an awesome thought, super mario-ing above the clouds; but when I look back at what I did while I was at the summit, I hardly moved not because of exhaustion but because it was so darn cold, I held onto Jim and my sister for body heat. More than the physical effort, the biggest challenge during the Pulag hike for me was the near-freezing temperatures at the mountain.

But I digress. Let me start from the beginning.

Bus ride date on Valentine's Day

We were supposed to take the 10PM schedule which arrives at 4:00 AM in Baguio, but the 10PM schedule was fully booked so we resorted to an earlier ride. Our group left the Victory Liner Pasay Terminal at around 7:30 PM  for Baguio on Valentine's day. Jim and I had brought the ever romantic combination of lugaw and siopao for dinner to be consumed during our 5 hour bus ride to the north. He even created a playlist with cheesy love songs that we could listen to during the ride but knowing us both, we just ended up sleeping throughout the trip. We arrived in Baguio at around 1 am and hung out at the Victory Liner terminal til 4:00 where we met up with our group, Club Travel Now. While waiting, I changed into my hiking clothes and organized my bag in a manner that would be convenient for me to get jacket and gloves when it got colder and my jelly ace/ granola bards when I needed energy. Hashtag: Takot magutom! Hihi

DENR/Visitor's Station

From Baguio, the ride to the DENR Visitor station was around 3 hours, and it was there where we got schooled by the candidly funny DENR Superintendent Emerita Abas about Mt. Pulag National Park and the rules surrounding the area and its locals. The orientation lasted for about 45 minutes because of her quips about the climbers that she encountered in all her years as a superintendent. One thing that I noticed when we were at the station was that no one from Club Travel Now was really coordinating with us. While other groups were getting acquainted with each other and having group photos we felt that we were left to ourselves. There were A LOT of visitors during that weekend--probably more than 100 climbers hitting the Ambangeg Trail had the brilliant idea of spending Valentine's day above the clouds.

(L-R) Randy, Maria, Carlo at the back, James, Me, Jim at the back, my sister Kat, and Bea

Ranger Station

It took us another 1 hour jeepney ride or so to reach the Ranger Station which is the jump off point for our trek. This is also where we had a chance to eat and do our final preparations for the climb such as restroom break and water refill. I brought 2 liters of water, some trail food e.g. jelly ace, granola bars and flat tops in my ever so reliable Jansport Backpack. At the Ranger Station, we also met the adorable sweet cheeked Kankaney/Ibaloy kids who were the inspiration for this post. I did not remember the Ranger station being too cold, but I always made sure my shell jacket and gloves were within my reach just in case it got colder during the climb.

Pretty local kids at the Ranger station

Isn't he the cutest? I wanted to hug him!

The Climb

We started walking on a paved road where jeepneys were parked and the landscape slowly changed into a dusty trail with a view of awesome greenery from below. We saw cabbage/lettuce patches, pine trees and wild flowers along the way. It was a pleasant walk on the rolling trails and I would stop once in a while to take photos. The view further changed into a mossy forest, the ground no longer dusty but covered with rocks, ferns and fallen leaves. As we did our hike, Jim and I did our usual clean up ritual: picking up trash during our trek. I love being surrounded by nature and it makes me furious to see cigarette butts and candy wrappers strewn about in some areas in the park. Mt. Pulag is considered sacred ground by its locals and is home to more than 500 species of plants including the Benguet Pine tree and 33+ species of birds. Reaching Camp 1 which was landmarked by a nipa hut, we lay on the grass, ate more trail food and rested our backs.

 I was a bit tired at this point and thinking in retrospect, I figured it was because of the following reasons:

1. I was not as fit as I had hoped. (Boo!)

2. I was ill equipped with my Jansport Backpack which did not have any provision for shifting the pack weight to my hip and chest. (Ouch!)

3. I was not used to the high altitude and was in the process of acclimating to the weather. (Brrrr..)

Just a few species of flora found at Mt. Pulag National Park

Needless to say, we continued with the climb, making sure we were properly hydrated and my group called for breaks whenever it was necessary. It was starting to get chilly after we passed Camp 1 so I started putting on my second layer of clothing. We reached two water sources between Camp 1 and 2 which was a huge relief because I almost emptied my first bottle of water during the ascent. From the second spring water source, we reached the grasslands in Camp 2 after 15-20 minutes. For future climbers, the second spring water source is a really good sign!

Campsite 2 and a Big Small Tent Issue

By the time we arrived at Campsite 2 at around 5:00 PM, there was a sea of tents already put up by other Pulag goers and we had no clue where we would set up camp. I knew then that we will not have flat ground to sleep on, as we tried to look for a decent spot to settle down. After the almost 3.5 hour hike and the decrease in temperature, all I wanted to do was find shelter where I can rest and keep warm. My sister, my cousins and I sat together at one spot and tried keep warm using our body heat while waiting for our contact from Club Travel Now to provide tents.

To give you a brief background, we paid Php3188 pesos to Club Travel Now for this trip. The payment did not include our bus tickets which costs around 450 for a one way ride. I knew prior to this trip that it was a bit expensive compared to other Pulag climb organizers, but my cousins and I figured that we needed to take the offer since February 15-16 was the only free weekend we had. Included in the package were the guide, the registration to DENR station, our meals, the jeepney ride from Baguio to Ranger Station and back as well as the tents that we would be sleeping in for the night.

Carlo turning 30 and the two most uncomfortable boys of that hour

 Imagine our surprise when our group of 8 were told that we would be sleeping in a single 4-man tent! It was hard to comprehend given that we registered beforehand, and the organizers should have known how many tents they needed to bring at the campsite. It would've been fine if it wasn't freezing cold--I would've volunteered to sleep under the stars, but given our situation, it was necessary for us to stay inside the tent to protect ourselves from the elements. We immediately asked why we were given a 4 man ten, even if they knew that we were 8 in the group. It turned out that Club Travel Now rented tents somewhere else, and their supplier did not deliver. I hated complaining about things like this, and I what you may want to call a non confrontational person, but the whole situation pissed me off. To be fair, the guides were nice and apologetic about the whole thing, but it the end, I just did not get the value for my money. Safe to say that I won't be booking any trips with Club Travel Now moving forward.

Despite the extreme discomfort because of the cold (by this time, I was already wearing a shell jacket on top of my fleece sweater on top of my long sleeved cotton shirt on top of my dry fit tee) , I was happy to be sharing that experience with my sister, 4 of my cousins, my cousin's friend, and Jim. We sat together inside the tent and bonded over our leftover trail food, some stories from our childhood and more silliness while waiting for my cousin Carlo's 30th birthday on February 16th. Big three oh at the highest peak in Luzon, I think, is a nice way to spend moving up day.

Mt. Pulag gang waiting for the sunrise

Summit and The Sea of Clouds

I hardly had any sleep that night, but we all got up at 3:30 AM for the assault to the summit. I put on another pair of socks, a bonnet, my gloves, leggings underneath my hiking pants, and 4 layers of clothing to keep myself warm. I kid you not when I say that after all that layering I was still feeling like my ears were going to fall off.

The hike to the summit took us another hour and 15 minutes. In the darkness, I saw a long line of head lamps moving towards the peak of Mt. Pulag. It was a pretty sight and a bit daunting too, because from where I was, I could see a large number people ahead of me and they kept moving up up up! It was a never ending line, I tell ya. I hardly saw anything else except for their head lights and the person walking in front of me. At one point during the assault, I felt a little breathless. The slightly steep area during the assault to the peak combined with the change in altitude caused me to feel my head and chest pound for a few minutes until we reached an area for resting. At 4:30 AM, we reached the summit and strategically searched for front row seats to the sunrise and sea of clouds.

Sitting on the grass on what felt like the top of the world, I had an epiphany: I wanted to collect mountains while I have the desire, the health and the time to do so. My track record at the mountains is not impressive, but I'm definitely excited to add more hikes to my short list. And so I added a new goal to my bucket list for 2014: I will do more hikes (at least 3-5) and spend more time with nature this year. (This prompted me to stalk follow Doc Gideon Lasco of PinoyMountaineer.com, days and weeks after the Pulag Climb and I can see myself referring to his experience for my future climbs as well).

Sea of clouds and hiker party at the summit

After a few minutes, we saw the horizon light up. A small yellow line of the sun that slowly converged with the blueness of the sky--it was like looking at the vignettes of a lomo photograph. Then I noticed the clouds, like dry ice emerging from below and I knew it was a blessed day. A mountaineer friend mentioned that some people aren't so lucky. After the whole journey to the summit, some hikers end up with just the bragging rights of hitting the summit, but not the privilege of seeing the sea of clouds. Sure you can see them in photos and yes, I can tell you the story, but they don't do justice to the experience because you had to be there and see it for yourself.

Cheesy photo op! Haha

Our Mt. Pulag via Ambangeg Trail Itinerary

Day 0
7:30 Take bus to Baguio City - Victory Liner Pasay Terminal
Note: You can take the 10 PM bus, but they ran out of seats, so we had to take the earlier schedule

Day 1
01:30 Arrive in Baguio City. Breakfast, freshen up, sleep til 4:00 AM
04:00 Meet up with climb organizers
07:00 Take chartered jeepney to DENR Station
10:00 Arrive at the Mt. Pulag National Park Visitors' Center for registration/orientation
11:30 Leave DENR for Ranger Station
12:30 ETA and lunch at Ranger Station
13:00 Start hike
15:00 Arrive in Camp 1
17:00 Arrive in Camp 2. Set up camp
19:00 Dinner at campsite; socials
21:00 Lights out

Day 2
03:30 Early morning trek to the summit
04:45 Arrival at summit
05:45 Sunrise and sea of clouds
07:00 Start descent from summit
08:00 Arrival at Camp 2 and breakfast
09:30 Break Camp and start descent to Ranger Station, freshen up/restroom break
12:00 Back at Ranger Station; Settle guide fees; jeepney descent
13:30 Back at Visitors' Center; tidy up and log out
15:00 Head back to Baguio City
18:00 ETA Baguio City. Dinner at Vizcos, get Strawberry short cake!
11:40 Head back to Manila via Victory Liner

Day 3
05:00 Back in Manila