Mt. Pulag: A Walk in the Clouds

I can liken the climb to Mt. Pulag to that of a pilgrimage. Mt. Pulag has been calling me, calling from within the depths of my soul.  I wanted to go there, I needed to go there! I needed to experience the walk in the sea of clouds. I needed to experience the wonder of that first light of a sunrise. I needed to! God! How much I wanted to climb that sacred mountain. And so I packed my bag and my camera and told myself I can do it!

Notice the barely hanging sole of my shoe, I was praying really hard that my 7-year old trek shoes won't give up on me, and it didn't!

Mt. Pulag is currently the official 2^nd highest in the Philippines at 2,922 meters above sea level and the highest in Luzon. It would be a test to my limits, a test of courage to put one step after another. I have prepared myself. I am ready.

DENR has been limiting the number of climbers at the peak, otherwise it will no longer be the 2nd highest peak!

We left Manila by bus at 2200 to Baguio City, we arrived at 0500. Then we took a chartered jeepney to Ambangeg.

Can't hide excitement, eh?

Tired from an all night trip to Benguet and yet smiles are still the warmest, way to go!!

The ‘we’ refers to our company’s Green Team, it’s called Reed Elsevier Philippines Green Team. The members are passionate about Mother Nature; we want to enjoy its beauty as much as the need to protect it. Our motto, 'Climb with PURPOSE. Climb with a CAUSE'. I am one proud member of the team. One thing about our group, we just don’t climb a mountain or visit a place and take pictures. No sir, we don’t. We give something back to the community, a small token if you must say. This is just one of the activities of our company in the practice of corporate responsibility. The ‘pasalubong’ (present) from our company are slippers to be distributed to the students of Palanza Elementary School. The children are grateful and happy to see us. The children, some with parents must have climbed mountains to meet us. They are beautiful and warm people, I see the purity in their eyes; that smile that reaches the eyes. It just broke my heart that we did not bring enough. Some of the slippers are too small for the kids; we allowed them to take it home anyway for their siblings or friends. They said the sincerest of ‘thank you’. We hugged them and wished them well and told them to study hard. They wished us well.

The children of Palanza Elementary School

The children are beautiful with their flushed cheeks, friendliest and most innocent of smiles

Hey girls! I love your sweats and your cheeks! Smile for me..

These children are siblings, they are now going home with their new slippers. When asked where is their home, the 'Ate' pointed to the next mountain

I just love this photo, it's perfectly framed and look at their priceless expressions! I particularly like the smile of that little girl in cute purple sweats and that doubtful look of the boy

When you come climb Mt. Pulag, you might want to visit them as well. Anything you bring will be appreciated and accepted with smiles

Imagine if you are the reason behind the smiles of these children, it will be more than heart warming

The RE Green Team with the kids, we say thank you too..

We are a little bit early for the registration at the DENR office, so Manong Driver offered to take us to the sulfur spring. It was beautiful out there. The sulfur assaulted our nostrils but it did not stop us from getting inches away from the boiling lake, we were just too fascinated. 

The boiling sulfur spring

Angas look!

I was feeling like a girl on fire!

Asupre in its rawest form

Me-says this is picture perfect!

We attended the orientation and registered at the DENR. The orientation was a bit lively; several mountaineers attended it with us. I was actually amused by the souvenirs left by the people who climbed Mt. Pulag, rosaries, pictures (lots of it!) and other items intended to leave a mark.

From the DENR office to Ranger Station we were on top of the jeepney. Zigzag and rough roads, inches away from the cliff, with branches of pine trees on the way, it was truly exhilarating and pure adventure!

Now, the real fun begins.

We left Ranger Station at 1300 and started trekking. We passed by first the pine forest, then moss forest and the grassland. Grassland is actually dwarf bamboo, which are really very cute! (I wished I could bring a bunch at home). But of course the sacred rule must be observed at all times: "take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints and kill nothing but time". Even the trees, the moss and the grass know how to follow the rules of the forest, it respects each other’s territory, the forest never encroached upon each other. You pass along the moss forest, and you would not see a single pine, nor a solitary tree in the grassland. It seemed that there was an unseen line between each. The law of nature, amazing.

Trekking at the Moss Forest, it was cold and creepy in there. As scared of snakes as I am, I was getting all paranoid, just the thought of green snakes!!

There goes your unseen territorial boundary between the grassland and the moss forest. Amazing, really.

Man, I was the sweeper. Well I assigned myself to be the sweeper along with our local guide, I was so out of shape. One step at a time (sometimes baby steps) and after about ten years I reached the camp site. The tents were fetched; hot coffee was waiting for me and applause from my team mates:  The perks of being the slowest.

When the night sets in, it was 8 degrees cold. I was chilling to my bones, I did not get my ZZZZs despite the exhaustion. I promised that if I survived the night, I will take good care of myself! I will enroll myself to a gym, run more, eat healthy food and religiously live a healthier lifestyle. Yup, like a fool I made a lot of promises to survive that fateful night.

Forced a smile at 8 degrees cold

We were hungry, cold and exhausted, but more than that  we were happy, adrenaline is still running, summit is waiting!
At 0300 we were up, well, I was up on my trembling knees and feet that I cannot feel. We just had coffee and off we climbed to the summit to be there in time for sunrise. That walk to the summit was quiet. When we reached the summit, it was still dark, the team even grew quieter. Maybe we were tired and cold, still sleepy but I love to think that something has enveloped all of us. 

I am proudest to have climbed Mt. Pulag with this team.

Meet sweet Jazzy..

and what are you doing there?!

this girl is as sweet as the strawberries

I am happiest and most excited to announce that she found and met the love of her life in Pulag

of course I was there, Mhe-ann must be there too..

Mhe-Ann welcomes you to Mt. Pulag, she was a guest of REPH Green Team, my guest

Mhe-ann sporting her Ms. U pose

Glad to be with Sir Bong up in the clouds..

where to Sir Bong?

nice..real nice

But of course, meet Nick!

This is the most perfect jump shot ever that I have taken, one wrong move and both the subject and the photographer will be rolling down the mountains

Husband and wife in an adventure, never stop exploring right?

Sir Marlon!! The REPH Green Team's President

We thank you for organizing the climb for us

for cooking for us..

and making sure that we are safe and having fun, Salamat!

Hitler?!

Sir Ed..

I could tell from his quiet self he must have climbed  a number of mountains

to more climbs with a cause, cheers!!

Get ready to meet Beejay, and his endless stories of alamat..

mula sa alamat ng Pulag, strawberry, manga, santol, lahat na, alam niya! Hanggang makatulog ka, pag-gising mo ngkikwento pa rin siya ng walang katapusang alamat!

nag-iisip na naman yan ng mga bagong alamat!

The climb would never be as fun without Mama!

your person is as bright as the sun Mama, mwaaah

thank you for waiting up for me at the trail and urging me on. 'Push mo lang' - I love hearing those words from you

Mhez..

Bring it on!

and several others that I was not able to take pictures of.. 

Marlon preparing our dinner..

The walk at the summit

Who would have thought?! I get to meet Superman!

.
. of course, where can you find Bob Marley but in Mt. Pulag!

and there we were, at 2,922 meters above sea level, we were literally high!

The stories and the pictures I have seen did not do justice to the sunrise. It was epic, it was grand. It was amazing, it was holy. I kept on praying. I prayed for blessings and for me to be a blessing to others. I prayed for my family and friends. I prayed for my country. It seems to be the most perfect time to talk to God, He was right there with us you can feel His presence, so close He could be standing and watching the sunrise with us. I was humbled, blessed and honoured to be there.

res ipsa loquitor

The summit was packed with about a hundred mountaineers. But it was almost solemn up there, I didn't  know what they were thinking but as for me, I was praying. It was beautiful out there, sitting right at the peak of one of the highest mountains in the country. It was a really touching moment. I wanted to capture every moment, every emotion, every smile. I felt like crying, I was proud of myself and of the rest. I was thanking God of all my 32 years. I was grateful that I can walk, that I can breathe and how privileged I am to witness the most beautiful sought-after sunrise. And when the sun is up and above, I continued praying, there was just too much to be thankful and grateful for. How we needed to go to a desolate place to remember and feel HIM in our lives. I was feeling free and loved and wonderful. I felt that with that kind of beauty and wonder around me, there can never be impossible with Him. I prayed some more. 

That moment will be forever etched in my memory and in my heart. I was there. 

I particularly love this photo, the mountains, the sun and my oh-so-awed-look

we were pilgrims..