the pulag experience

Last weekend I hiked up the second tallest mountain in the Philippines. It was a challenge, and probably one of the hardest things I've done in my life so far, but I loved it and I'm itching to go back.

The trip started out with a bus ride (Victory Liner) to Baguio, then a jeepney ride to the ranger's station with stopovers for meals and bathroom breaks in between. My friends, sister and I joined the Trail Adventours group for the trip, so everything was pre-planned by them (the bus ride, jeepney ride, 3 full meals, tents, and porter arrangements--though you have to pay for the porter when you get to the ranger's station).  

On the way up (from Manila to Baguio to the ranger's station to the camp site--camp 2 extension to be exact), everything was perfect. The view was nice (sitting atop the jeepney let us enjoy it more) and the weather cooperated--sunny with a cool breeze. 

The hike wasn't bad either. If you've climbed Pico De Loro, then you're definitely going to be fine in this hike. They said it would take a maximum of 4 hours to get to camp 2 extension, but we made it in 2. It was breezy as we ascended, and the trail was prettier than I expected! There were some flowers and a wide variety of plant life that it looked like you were going through a garden in some areas. 

Camp 2 Extension

This was where we set up camp. Or where Trail Adventours set it up. We just chose a tent, rushed into it and immediately put on our layers because the weather up there was intense. Though we were expecting the temperature to hit negative, it never did throughout our stay. But the immensely strong winds and mist/rain that hit us was a bit unexpected. 

We were freezing at night, our tents were shaking and on the verge of getting blown away, water started coming in, and our stuff got wet. We had layers to keep ourselves warm, but once the clothes got wet, nothing could keep us warm. Unfortunately for my sister and I, we didn't have waterproof bottoms so from 3AM up until we reached the rangers station, our leggings + warmers + sweat pants + underwear were soaking, and we were freezing the whole way down.

And after all the trouble of getting to Baguio, hiking up to the campsite and barely making it through the cold temperature, strong winds and rain, we didn't get to go to the summit. The tour guides said that the weather was not good and it would be unsafe to bring all 38 of us (if i'm not mistaken) to the summit. It was so disappointing at first, especially after freezing throughout the night (really, I can't even explain how cold it was. It was the most uncomfortable (almost painful) thing i've ever experienced). But after the struggle of it all, there were some things I learned and realised from the trip:

- Getting to see the sea of clouds (what Pulag is famous for) is not an everyday thing. Not everyone gets to see it, and if you do encounter clear skies on your first visit, you're actually really lucky. Some people do several hikes before actually seeing it. Our tour guide even told us of a hiker who lives in Palawan and flies to Manila just to hike Pulag, and it took him seven hikes to finally see it.

- Once you see the sea of clouds on your first hike, you're really lucky. But will you want to go back? I realised after that our tour guide was right. It was somewhat a good thing that we didn't encounter it on our first hike because that would mean we'd have to go back. And despite the discomfort I felt during my stay there, I'd have to say that I would go back just to see it. I'm itching to go back so I can see it.
- I've always been so eager to travel and visit many places, learn about different cultures, try different food, and meet different people. I still am. But this hike has opened a new door and made me realise that there's more to just city exploration. Nowadays, everyone can go online, book a flight, book a hotel, travel around via cab/bus/train/ship/plane, and learn and experience. But not everyone can say that they've hiked the mountains of (insert place here), or surfed the waves of (insert place here), or even dove the waters of (insert place here). It takes a little more effort (in my opinion) to be able to do things like that, because it's more than just comfortably sitting or walking or enjoying what you see or put in your mouth. Though these things (hiking, surfing, diving) are done for pleasure, it doesn't necessarily mean it's comfortable. And straying away from comfort is not always the first choice. So this year I hope to travel still, but also hope to have the courage to immerse myself more in these active experiences.

If you'd like to try this out, check out Trail Adventours. I suggest you do!