Last November 2022, I joined my mountaineering group to hike up one of the tallest mountains in the Philippines (1st in Luzon and 3rd overall, to be exact!); a real major climb in terms of distance. Our group, the mountaineers we are, spent 2 days and 1 night there. We camped in the middle of the mountain and woke up at 3 AM the next day to ascend to the summit (we chased the sunrise).
We hiked through the Ambangeg-Ambangeg Trail, which is the easiest (and the only open) trail to Mt. Pulag. What I loved about this trail was its surreal scenery. There are ‘sections’ and each of them gives you a different, breathtaking view and environment. You get to see rice terraces, the mossy forest, and plants endemic to Mt. Pulag.
"What I loved about this trail was its surreal scenery. There are ‘sections’ and each of them gives you a different, breathtaking view and environment. "
Day 2 was the day we’d all been waiting for—reaching the summit. It’s a 1.5-hour hike from the campsite, and kid you not, when they say to wear warm clothes in Mt. Pulag, you do just that. Despite getting our cardio in and layering our clothes (I had 5 layers top and 3 layers bottom + a scarf and bonnet! ), the cold still seeps in. Our group had to scooch together when we reached the summit (just before dawn) because it was that cold! Luckily, we all got distracted from the cold as soon as the sun started to rise, and I’m gonna tell you, I cried.
The view at the summit of Mt. Pulag explains why people call it the Playground of the Gods. Photos don’t do this mountain justice!
This is one of the things I love and value about mountaineering. It teaches us so much about our environment, ourselves, life, and facing challenges. It also shows how we’re all just a tiny speck in the universe and that there’s so much more out there than what we’re all used to. I hope you get to experience this one day too.
-- Trisha, Head of Accounts at Lit Digital
