I was on top of the world looking down on all the mountains and forests that stretched as far as the eye can see. I was standing on the highest peak in the island of Luzon, and the 2nd highest peak in the Philippines. Even though this was my second time to climb this mountain I was expecting that I would get a rush of excitement when we reached the peak. But there was no jubilant leap, nor high fives. I walked away from the group and I was by myself thinking, I knew I had a decision to make and it wasn’t gonna be easy…
If someone was to ask me what favorite places are, Mt. Pulag would definitely be included on that list. A climb up Mt. Pulag is definitely a unique experience. Pulag is made up of three distinct eco-systems. The first one which is also the one located at the lowest elevation is the pine forest.
Pine Forest
As you go up, the landscape changes to reveal the mossy forest. As the name suggests the trees are covered by moss and is often shrouded by clouds. I often describe it as something similar to an enchanted forest in the Elvish realm of Lothlorien, from the Lord of the Rings. That was the thought that came to mind when I first entered the mist covered forest. But when the clouds lifts, a very colorful garden like forest is revealed. The leaves of the trees seem to be made up of flowers and it’s a profusion of colors and shapes.
Mossy Forest
As you go further up, a different landscape emerges. You are now at the grassland where memories of Julie Andrews singing “the hills are alive with the sound of music” quickly comes to mind. This continues all the way up to the summit.
The Grassland
The summit it self is more like an island in the middle of a sea of white clouds. Once at the summit, you have climbed up so high that more often than not when you look up you see a clear blue sky and when you look down you see masses of cotton white fluffy clouds below.
My first trip up Mt. Pulag was not easy. Instead of jumping off at the Ranger station which would mean a relatively easy three hour trek, we had to start trekking earlier with full packs on the Ambangeg trail because the road was being repaired and our jeep could not pass. What was supposed to take 3 hours turned into a grueling 8 hour trek which was exacerbated by the freezing temperature that Mt. Pulag is known for. Exhaustion was apparent in all our faces as we made our way up to camp 2, which was on the very edge of the grassland. The wind was blowing with a strong gust when we reached the campsite, making the already cold temperatures even more difficult to bear. We did manage though with a lot of difficulty to pitch our tents and cook our meals inside our tents because it was just too cold outside. Sufficing to say I learned a lot of lessons about climbing mountains from Mt. Pulag.
So when we started planning for Pulag, I knew what to expect and I knew I should be better prepared. We were planning to go up via Ambangeg and then go down via the more difficult Akiki trail, which is aptly called the killer trail. The climb was slated for February, but I had started preparing for the trip by November. I went back to the gym to prepare my self physically and I started buying gear, mostly cold weather clothing. So when the time came I would be ready for Pulag.
February came and I was on the lead of the group and was having a good time trekking. The pace I set was easy and leisurely but it soon became apparent that not everybody was having such a good time and Pulag was proving to be quite a challenge. I don’t think I was remiss in telling people how challenging and out right difficult Mt. Pulag was gonna be, but apparently the preparations made by the group was not enough. Some people in the group had a difficult time with the trek up to camp 2.
The next day we broke camp, with packs on back we headed up to the summit and the plan was to descend via the Akiki trail. But it had become apparent that not everyone was ready for the challenge. The question in my mind was do we push on as planned or do we just turn back and go back down via Ambangeg and head back to the Ranger station.
In the end I decided to head back via Ambangeg. I could not in good conscience risk going down the Akiki trail in the condition some of those in our group was in. However, some decided to push on down the Akiki trail. It was a sad moment because our group had to split up since around half would proceed down Akiki while the rest was going back down Ambangeg.
The trek back to the Ranger station made it apparent that I probably made the right decision, because even that wasn’t easy for some of us. Everything turned out well in the end, as we all met up again at the DENR office in the town of Bokod (Benguet). Our group headed back to Baguio, reunited.
Mt. Pulag once again taught me a lot of lessons about climbing mountains. The second time around it also taught me a lot about people, about my self, responsibility, making decisions, and about looking at the bigger picture.
Since I wasn’t able to visit the Akiki trail, I made a personal decision that another visit to Pulag was in order. I don’t think Mt. Pulag is a mountain that one climbs and conquers; it is a place you visit like a place of pilgrimage where one goes for more than just the view.
To know more about climbing Mt. Pulag just click on this link: Mt. Pulag
If someone was to ask me what favorite places are, Mt. Pulag would definitely be included on that list. A climb up Mt. Pulag is definitely a unique experience. Pulag is made up of three distinct eco-systems. The first one which is also the one located at the lowest elevation is the pine forest.
Pine Forest
As you go up, the landscape changes to reveal the mossy forest. As the name suggests the trees are covered by moss and is often shrouded by clouds. I often describe it as something similar to an enchanted forest in the Elvish realm of Lothlorien, from the Lord of the Rings. That was the thought that came to mind when I first entered the mist covered forest. But when the clouds lifts, a very colorful garden like forest is revealed. The leaves of the trees seem to be made up of flowers and it’s a profusion of colors and shapes.
Mossy Forest
As you go further up, a different landscape emerges. You are now at the grassland where memories of Julie Andrews singing “the hills are alive with the sound of music” quickly comes to mind. This continues all the way up to the summit.
The Grassland
The summit it self is more like an island in the middle of a sea of white clouds. Once at the summit, you have climbed up so high that more often than not when you look up you see a clear blue sky and when you look down you see masses of cotton white fluffy clouds below.
My first trip up Mt. Pulag was not easy. Instead of jumping off at the Ranger station which would mean a relatively easy three hour trek, we had to start trekking earlier with full packs on the Ambangeg trail because the road was being repaired and our jeep could not pass. What was supposed to take 3 hours turned into a grueling 8 hour trek which was exacerbated by the freezing temperature that Mt. Pulag is known for. Exhaustion was apparent in all our faces as we made our way up to camp 2, which was on the very edge of the grassland. The wind was blowing with a strong gust when we reached the campsite, making the already cold temperatures even more difficult to bear. We did manage though with a lot of difficulty to pitch our tents and cook our meals inside our tents because it was just too cold outside. Sufficing to say I learned a lot of lessons about climbing mountains from Mt. Pulag.
So when we started planning for Pulag, I knew what to expect and I knew I should be better prepared. We were planning to go up via Ambangeg and then go down via the more difficult Akiki trail, which is aptly called the killer trail. The climb was slated for February, but I had started preparing for the trip by November. I went back to the gym to prepare my self physically and I started buying gear, mostly cold weather clothing. So when the time came I would be ready for Pulag.
February came and I was on the lead of the group and was having a good time trekking. The pace I set was easy and leisurely but it soon became apparent that not everybody was having such a good time and Pulag was proving to be quite a challenge. I don’t think I was remiss in telling people how challenging and out right difficult Mt. Pulag was gonna be, but apparently the preparations made by the group was not enough. Some people in the group had a difficult time with the trek up to camp 2.
The next day we broke camp, with packs on back we headed up to the summit and the plan was to descend via the Akiki trail. But it had become apparent that not everyone was ready for the challenge. The question in my mind was do we push on as planned or do we just turn back and go back down via Ambangeg and head back to the Ranger station.
In the end I decided to head back via Ambangeg. I could not in good conscience risk going down the Akiki trail in the condition some of those in our group was in. However, some decided to push on down the Akiki trail. It was a sad moment because our group had to split up since around half would proceed down Akiki while the rest was going back down Ambangeg.
The trek back to the Ranger station made it apparent that I probably made the right decision, because even that wasn’t easy for some of us. Everything turned out well in the end, as we all met up again at the DENR office in the town of Bokod (Benguet). Our group headed back to Baguio, reunited.
Mt. Pulag once again taught me a lot of lessons about climbing mountains. The second time around it also taught me a lot about people, about my self, responsibility, making decisions, and about looking at the bigger picture.
Since I wasn’t able to visit the Akiki trail, I made a personal decision that another visit to Pulag was in order. I don’t think Mt. Pulag is a mountain that one climbs and conquers; it is a place you visit like a place of pilgrimage where one goes for more than just the view.
To know more about climbing Mt. Pulag just click on this link: Mt. Pulag
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