Dulang to Maagnaw Part 2

The best highlight of this trek was the traverse trail from Mt Dulang Dulang to Mt Maagnaw. The mossy forest was so enchanting and still pristine. The trail was not as used as the trail connecting Mt Kitanglad to Mt Dulang Dulang. 

The mossy forest

The trail was a series of rolling uphill and downhill, inside the forest of kitanglad mountain range. After a few hours of walking we emerged on a clear part of the ridge from there you can see both the peak of Kitanglad and Dulang Dulang.

You can see the summit of Mt Kitanglad

It is always a good idea to have lunch where there is a water source nearby. So we push forward to get closer to our destination point and try to maximize the good weather and sunlight that we have. After a few action packed moments we arrived in our lunch area. 

Re Group point

After lunch we continue our journey to reach the campsite.We then emerged to Langkayugan ridge. 

The trail going up to Langkayuga

The ridge.

Our hopes for the good weather was suddenly abated. At 3pm the rain started again and it made our ascend to Langkayugan peak challenging. And the plan to camp on that peak was not a good choice as the area was exposed to strong winds and rain. Our guides decide to look for an area inside the forest to be our campsite for the night. We cut the distance from the Langkayugan peak to Mt Maagnaw peak by more than 30mins. At 6pm just before the sun give way to the darkness we arrived on the campsite. Immediately pitch our tent as the rain starting to get intense. We hope for a good weather the next day as we will now close to set foot on top of Mt Maagnaw. 

To be continued.. 

All pictures used courtesy of John Arvin Ramos. 

Dulang To Maagnaw Traverse

After a year of waiting we finally nailed to set foot on the mountain that will complete my quest to finished the 9 out of 10 highest mountain in the Philippines.

We could have finished it last 2013, however due to mis communication we had not. So we need to ascend again Mt Dulang Dulang for the 2nd time. We could have just chosen to just ascend Mt Maagnaw, however since we have days to spend we choose to traversed these two mighty peaks.

So just a few months after our Kitanglad to Dulang Dulang traversed I already do my assignments of finding the right contact to help us with our Maagnaw Ascend. The climb would have not been possible if not for those people who helped us in every way possible.

Then the journey begins..

Day 1

Arrival in Laguindingan Airport - Proceed to Malaybalay - Spend the night in the house of Kagawad Gola.

Day 2 - Ritual and Proceed to Jump off

Most of the morning was spend hearing the wisdom and virtues of Datu Migkatay.

Ritual Part 1 ( Picture courtesy of John Arvin Ramos )

Ritual Part 2( Picture courtesy of John Arvin Ramos )

With Datu Migkatay and family after the ritual ( Picture courtesy of John Arvin Ramos )

10 mins before 12pm we arrived in Bulogan Jump off - Meet our porter guides and then the rain starts as we are about to start walking.

The wide and muddy trail leading to the forest of Mt Dulang Dulang ( Picture courtesy of John Arvin Ramos )

We reached the campsite amidst of the dark and cold rain at 7pm. We immediately pitch our tent, settle ourselves inside it , trying to get warm.

At 6am we awoke and gets mesmerized by the mist and beautiful garden of mossy forest.

Morning at the Campsite ( Picture courtesy of Mari Porlit )

We are thankful because after the nights incessant rain, we are blessed with the morning sun. We have now a chance to dry our tent and our wet clothes prior to the day's battle. We prepare our breakfast while waiting for our clothes to dry or to just lessen its wetness. At 9am we start our assault to the peak of Mt Dulang Dulang after 45 mins we reached the peak of the 2nd highest mountain of the Phillipines.

Iconic pose on top of Mt Dulang Dulang ( Picture courtesy of Bon Pajotal )

The tree ( Picture courtesy of Bon Pajotal )

Gears for the Great Outdoors

Having the right gear is crucial for any outdoor endeavors. And for beginner outdoor enthusiast your choice of gear can spell a sweet adventure, or a nightmare that might put a stop to your next plan get away.
So choosing what you wear and what you bring on your next trip is very important. Some gear can be purchase second hand or trough a ukay store, however some should be purchase new. Your investment in your gear can go a long long way and will surely give you a peace of mind for what ever nature drops at you.

Shoes - This is the most important gear for beginner hiker, trail runner, or backpacker. You will spend more time walking, hiking or running, so having the right shoes that fits and grips should be your first priority. Yeah, sandals might work for an ideal situation, however for those rocky and muddy trails, some wet roots and grass a nice pair of shoes will give your feet a nice defense against the beatings of the trail. Technically, your shoes is bringing you to your choice destination.

My Favorite shoes of all time 

Backpacks - If your shoes is bringing you to your adventure, your packs actually carry all your gears and supplies. A good packs can be purchase new or second hand depends on your budget and mentality. Theres a lot of available packs in the market today. Adventurist now have more access to the imported brands than those people who came before them. Before the choices are limited, now your choice can only defined by what you want to spend for your gears.

Osprey Exos 38

Daypack - which you can use of course for your dayhikes, trail run, sight seeing, field trip and easy get away. Just choose a size that can carry all you needed for the given trip.
What do you usually bring in your dayhikes ? Set of clothes for return trip, trail foods, headlamp, cap and shades, umbrella or poncho. Normally you dont need a big stuff for this classification.

Overnight and Multi day hikes - Gone are the days that hikers carry a pack that goes way above their head. Yes, we can still see those what you called hardcores and attention grabber, but if your wise enough and know what your doing, you dont really need 60 liters above for an overnight even for a week climb. It all boils down to what you carry , your choice of available gears and of course your team work. Even though you want to appear and looks tough by being self contained, You dont really need to carry your whole cabinet just to spend an overnight in Pulag, Ugo, Purgatory and most likely in Pico De loro, Batulao, and any nearby mountains.

My different packs for different adventures

What do you usually bring in an overnight and multidayhikes - Tent can be shared with another person - stove and cookset as well. Clothes for sleeping and for return trip, Your jacket for layering. Cap and shades for sun protection. Your water supply , headlamp, first aid , camera. Many mountaineers I met on the trail have their carry on wallet, sling bag, scarf , and any other fancy clothing and gears that they can get away with. Of  course that is your choice, however if you bring a lot of dead weight, it will still be your back and knees that might suffer.

Tent - this could be the most expensive gear that you might spend on. If your just a beginning your career as a hiker or backpacker,  you can get away by sharing it with another persons who have a 2 person tent - there are only few hiker who have a one person tent by the way, so chances are you will have someone to shared it to. Just make sure that you are willing to share the load to. You and your partner can divide the tent , you can bring the poles and pegs, and your partner can bring the tent body and rain fly. Just make sure that you and  your partner can hike on the same pace. Imagine if the rain and night catch you and you are far away from each other, You cannot pitch your tent and sheltered from the rain. You get the idea?

At the aplaya campsite

Clothes - Each one of us have their favorite clothes when we are outdoors. We all want to look good in the pictures that we can post and share in facebook. We want the best smile and best pose for our profile picture. We can score nice clothes at a price in Rox or any outdoor shop like the north face, columbia, mountain hardware , etc. Some people just used their singlet and finishers shirt for the race that they have participated to. Just wear what you are comfortable at, and what looks good on you. Other things just dont matter.

Water proof jacket or just plain old poncho ? - You decide, if you have a budget to spend. A water proof jacket will look good on the summit of Mt Pulag and Mt Apo. If you dont have money at the moment - Poncho will do the trick as well. Black trashbag is also a good alternative if your not too concern about how you look. Theres also a lot of second hand waterproof jacket on Ukay that you can find. Make sure you know the right materials to look and your fine.

My outer shell

Facebook have a lot of sellers of outdoor gears , you can find your dream item for a price there.

So if your a regular and serious hiker you can start investing for the gear that help you summit the mountain tops you dreamed of.

If you are just a weekend warrior or just want to test the water before you venture to the unknown , you can start by just borrowing or sharing gears from other people.

The Big H

MT. HALCON 

Baco, Oriental Mindoro

Major jumpoff: Brgy.Miyabig, Baco, Oriental Mindoro

LLA: 13° 15.749N 120° 59.703E, 2582 MASL

Days required / Hours to summit: 3.5-4 days / 15-18 hours

Specs: Major climb, Difficulty 9/9, Trail class 2-5

Features: River crossings, mossy forests, rocky ridges

** From Pinoymountaineer.com

Team Hotdog at the jump off - all smiles after the climb

Having heard that Mt Halcon was initially open last year, one group who have contacts in the area successfuly ascend its peak , posted their pictures in facebook. This action arouse the interest of many waiting to set foot in Mt Halcon. That time finding the right contacts who can help you organize a climb proved to be difficult. As those who have climb it, doesnt want to give you any information about the climb, they point you everywhere, then you realize that their making a fool out of you. Soon this group organized monthly climb to Mt Halcon - with a fee of P3500 and foods are not included. And of course they make a lot of profit out of it. Then you just realize that everybody else is organizing their halcon climb. It seems that they are just in their circle of friends, trying to make money out of curious , uninformed, interested individual. 

At the Campsite

I dont want to spend that much for a climb knowing that the cost is not that much. It took me a year to finally climb Mt Halcon. I do my homework before then , I tried to reached out to tourism office in Baco but they said that there is no official statement yet that Mt Halcon is open for hikers. You should climb at your own risk.

Slopes of Halcon

An invite was sent by My Mentor - Alex that its now possible and safe to climb Mt Halcon and the fees will be divided equally to the numbers of the participants. And that is the great opportunity for me and my climbing buddy - Errol to finally experienced the Halcon challenge.

Kawayanan Campsite

The weekend before our Halcon climb - I have an organized Mt Purgatory traverse climb that served as our tune up climb. With little rest , and lots of excitement - Halcon was a successful climb. 

The ladder

The trail of Halcon is just pretty straighforward. Theres a lot of trail sign in forms of tree hacked. The only confusing part is when you crossed the river. 

Water source is not an issue, as you will crossed a lot of river and waterfalls stream. 

Arm raised in a V at the famous dive board

Hiking it in summer can also cause difficulty as there are lots of open trail that can fried your skull , Having to do it on the rainy season - crossing the raging dulangan river can give you a nightmare and the cold temperature can send your body to chill. 

Dulangan River Rocks

When you plan to climb Halcon - please do so if your mentally and physically prepared. and you have the right equipment to regulate and control your body temperature.

Kubo at the Jumpoff with Alex Strong and others. 

In 1994 and 2004 two fatalities happened with different cause. The authority plan to close halcon this year as they fear that every 10 years - the mountain will take life away. 

Good thing - no bad news until this time about it. 

As they always say.. the rest is history.. 

Mt Halcon is closed for the rainy season and will open again next year in February to June.

For contacts : reached out to Halms 

Inov 8 rocklite 295 (old version ) review

For every hikers and trail runners , to have the right shoes is very important and crucial to finish the hike or the race with great satisfaction or dismay. To have just the regular cuts and bruises over the more painful blisters and dead nails. 

Just purchase from Aktiv Trinoma

To find the right shoes that fits and feels comfortable is one thing and to find the shoes that will help you ascend and descend without landing in your butt is also another. For us, we are too attached to brand and some marketing advertisement, we most likely to purchase the most expensive shoes we can find hoping that it will help us with our goal, for some people especially the new or beginner hikers they used merrel- because they might read it on pinoy mountaineers. Cant blame them, for I have used merrell also on my first year of hiking, only to find out that the grips and traction is not enough for the muddy, roots and slippery trails that we have. For my second year of hiking I purchase Teva forge pro and just a few months, the columbia master of faster, they are much better than my Merrell, however Im still looking for something more. More grip over the slimy mud and rocks, wet leaves, loose soil, etc. Then I found out to my research the brand Inov-8 and I was in love with the model rocklite 295.

The model itself says it was only 295 grams and what I love more about the shoes is the outsole. If you check the lugs was deep and evenly space so that it can grip even the muddiest trail you can imagine. It also have a glow in the dark lining for added visibility. 

I have used this shoes for some of the most unforgiving mountain terrain, to the deep forest of Mt Talomo to the rocks of Mt Apo. To the wet and wild trails of Mt Kalatungan, Dulang Dulang , Kitanglad, Mt Lumot, Sicapoo, and most recently in Mount Halcon.

Taken from Dulang Dulang Summit

Taken from dulangan river of Mt Halcon

I higly recommend this shoes for beginners and veterans alike whose looking to have a comfortable and solid footing in mountains trail here. 

Just hoping you can stil find the same models, because Inov-8 just release a new update version of the rocklite 295.

If the only trail you run and hike is just miyamit and nuvali - I suggest you get out more..The trail there is just easy you can hike and run there with just your regular running shoes. 

I love the brand so much that I have 3 Inov 8 shoes. The rocklite 295, the trailroc 255 and the road shoes roadxtreme 208.

Rocklite 255 just out of the box

At the summit of Mt Kanlaon

Road Xtreme 208

What shoes are you using? 

Purgatory traverse

Mt Purgatory Traverse 

Mt Pack-Mt Purgatory-Mt Kom-kompol

Entry Point : Japas Bokod

Exit   Point : Ekip Bokod

Partial Group Pic

Mt Kom-Kompol Peak

               

The Trail that will remind you of Mt Pulag akiki and Mt Ugu's Trail

For more information please visit http://mtpurgatory.weebly.com/

Tarak Traverse Dayhike

TARAK RIDGE
Mariveles, Bataan
Jump off point: Brgy. Alas-asin, Mariveles
LLA: 14°30.357′N, 120°30′E, 1,006 MASL (ridge); 1,130 MASL (peak)
Days required / Hours to summit: 2 days, 5-6 hours
Specs: Major climb, Difficulty 4/9, Trail class 3

**Source
Pinoymountaineer.com

The group a few minutes after we start.

Ive been wanting to experience the trail to Mt Mariveles peak via paniquian river for months. Just like Mt Palali, this peak is always elusive. Something always happen to abort the hike. This time with the right group of people and with strong determination and luck, We finally nailed it. We did the Tarak Circuit Loop.

The start of the cogon grass trail to paniquian river

The climb was made possible by Team Look up and our guide Bernie ,and our driver Mac. The traverse or loop was possible for a dayhike via commute if your climbing with veterans and strong hikers. For newbie and not so strong and your at least 10, It would be better if  you can rent a service. That way , the transportation going back home should not be a problem in case you experience some delays.

Entry to Paniquian River on top of Paniquian waterfalls

The trail was not that difficult if you are an experienced hiker, but for the new ones, of course it would be a challenge for them. From the paniquian river you need to walk on rocks so maintain your balance, one slip and who knows what would happened. From the falls the trail was all uphell with some bouldering along the way at least it was forested to help you with the heat. The final stretch to the summit more like 10 to 15 minutes open trail. You can sea the entire mariveles sea at the background. From the summit you can either pass in El Saco Peak or back trail a little then turn left to the tarakridge.

The Paniquian River

Sllaj Falls

From the ridge to the papaya river it was all downhill. From papaya river to exit point it was an easy rolling terrain. You can finish it within an hour or more than an hour depends on your pace.

Uphell trail to summit

Open trail to the peak

The Tree at the Tarak Peak

Tarak Ridge

For guide please contact Bernie : 09198114849

Group Pics at the Peak

A link of the blog who help me get in touch with the guide. Thanks sir.

http://iamnoempty.weebly.com/1/post/2013/04/tarak-ridge-reverse-traverse-dayhike.html