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| Marlboro Hills in the Morning. Day 1 Camping spot before taking another day hike to reach the Summit |
2922 MASL
Major Climb
Third Highest Mountain in the Philippines
Philippine Difficulty 3/9
As the chilly wind of February blew, we were preparing for a highly anticipated climb. Mt. Pulag, Luzon's highest peak (2926 MASL) and third in the country, was the mountain we set our sights on. Photos all over the internet bring promises of the famous sea of clouds that can be seen from the mountain top. The challenge of the trail also enticed the group to test limits, to measure the extent of our physical prowess and the toughness of our mind to overcome extremities. We chose to take part in an activity organized by Challenge the Summit Group with Akiki-Ambangeg as the chosen trail on February 23-25.
Akiki Trail lived up to its other name which is "The Killer Trail".But as scary as it may sound, the euphoria of the rewarding new sceneries and discoveries covered up all the exhaustion. And yes, we were able to traverse the length of the path the mountain has to offer. Everyone had a good tired, one which brings joy in discovering how much one can accomplish if you just stop thinking and start doing. To share some parts of our journey, here are photos of before, during and after the hike:
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| Victory Liner Bus from Cubao. ETA to Baguio 5-6 hours. |
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To DENR and Akiki Jump-off.Waiting for 4 AM meet up with the group.
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Stop over for registration at DENR Ambangeg is a must for all the groups. The office opens at 8 AM. We were a little bit early so we had some wait time which we spent at a store nearby. The store offers items for last-buy like jackets, bonnets, cups, headlamps and other necessary camping gears which some might have missed out to bring. After registration is a brief orientation for groups about Mt. Pulag and the practices which should be followed while on the mountains. During the orientation, we were able to discover that the mountain is called Mt. Pulag because in the local dialect the term "Pulag" means bald-headed which resembles the look of the mountain from afar.
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| Stop Over at DENR for Registration and Orientation |
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| DENR Ambangeg |
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| The group awaits. Waiting for our group to be called for registration. |
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| Akiki Trail Map (also knows as Killer Trail) |
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| Akiki Jump-off |
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Ranger Station First Stop Over
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Akiki Trail offers the full experience of the hike for as you gradually trek to the summit, you'll notice the three noticeable changes on the vegetation. At first, you'll be greeted by rows and rows of pine trees covering the slopes. It was full assault starting from Edith River to Marlboro Hills. We started hiking on February 23 at 12 PM and we reached the campsite at around 6 PM.
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| Warm up hike. The trail for the first one hour or so. |
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| Mountains from afar. Viewing some mountain ranges to hike. |
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| Beat the Heat. Open field trail. |
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| Pine Trees Everywhere |
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| Near Edith River. Second stopover. |
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| Hanging Bridge |
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| More Pine Trees |
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| Marlboro hills at Night |
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| Marlboro hills in the Morning |
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| Look a Stick Insect! |
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More of Marlboro Hills
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The second day, from pine trees the vegetation transitions to moss-covered trees. The trail is called "Mossy Forest" for that reason. We started trekking at around 9:30 AM. The hike was just about an hour or two.
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| The Mossy Forest |
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| Quick Rest |
After the Mossy Forest is an open trail where cogon grasses and dwarf bamboos covered the slopes. The heat was still bearable because of the cold wind. The hike, starting from the grassy trail to the peak was around 5 hours.
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| Grassy World |
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| Quick Breather after a Steep Hike |
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| Catching up with the Guides |
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| More walk and Dwarf Bamboos. |
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| Seeing Mt. Pulag's Peak after Some time |
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| Getting Nearer to the Summit |
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| More Distance to Cover |
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| Up and more up |
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| Foggy walk |
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| At last the Summit |
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| A Well Deserved Rest |
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| To Camp 2 |
We reached Camp 2 at around 5-6 PM and started setting up our tents. The cold drove us to the meager warmth inside our tents. Our group slept early after our dinner.
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| Reaching the Destination |
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| Setting up home for the Night |
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| Starry Night |
We woke up at around 5 AM to witness the lovely sunrise. Throngs of hikers joined in the sunset fest near the tower situated on one of the mountain peaks. It was all worth it. Everyone was silenced by the rising sun and the sea of clouds which enveloped the mountains around.
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| Hooray for mornings like this! |
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| Waiting for Mr. Sun |
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| Grass-covered mountains |
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| Sunrise at Last |
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| Morning at Camp 2 |
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| Shelters from the Cold |
After the sunrise, it was time to finish the journey. We descended via Ambangeg Trail. The hike was about 2-3 hours to the exit.
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| The Descend. Ambangeg Trail. |
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| Hike Almost Over |
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| Ambangeg Trail Exit |
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| Food for the Tired Ones |
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| Chicken Soup for the Soul |
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| Carrot Ice Candy Treat |
This was an experience worth investing for. Although your muscles and bones are challenged to their limits, mountains always have a healing effect on all of our souls searching for beauty and rest away from the demanding work life. And again, for more mountains to climb!
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