October 2011.
Mt. Maculot Rockies
Cuenca, Batangas
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Rockies... that alone says a lot. Being a first timer, I knew from the get go that this was going to be quite a challenge. Tagged as a mountain for beginners I figured it's probably not that hard. I figured it would be just hours of walking along a trail - lined with huge trees. Camera on hand and with so much to see, you would not feel tired at all as you click away along with your friends. Turns out, I couldn't be more wrong. We tagged along with another group, forming a team of ten. Meet-up was at the Jam Bus Terminal along Kamuning to get on board the bus to Lemery, Batangas. Call time was 5:30am. We reached the kick-off point at 8:00am, then began the climb around 9:00am. As we began the climb our feet were met by pavement and a stone-filled path. We were kidding around that this was how it was going to be to the top. Before we knew it, we were faced with the real thing. |
'This climb was a moment in my life where I chose to hang on for life rather than the shutter. All photos in this post from this point were taken by a friend, who was fit and found the trail far easier than I did -- a whole lot easier.'
It was such a thrill climbing up, knowing you've overcome challenge after challenge - figuring out how to get up the rocks (which rocks are safe, which path is best to take) and actually being able to do it. There are resting points for when you want to take a breath and have a bite of chocolate or Jellyace (flavored gelatin), much needed energy boosters.
Mt. Maculot is a popular mountaineering spot, especially for beginners. As you climb, time and again you come across other mountaineers going down who greet you 'Good Morning'. Somehow, this helps boost your spirit and push you to go forward.
As exhaustion overcame us, we began to feel anxious to get to the top and asked people who were coming down how long before we reach the summit. "15 minutes", they answered. Excited that we were getting closer we had smiles on our faces and pushed forward, counting on getting to the summit soon. Funny thing though, after an hour of walking we got more "15-minutes" responses. We finally realized we should really just stop asking. It's undeniable though that those '15-minute' responses though helped me make it to the top.
   
| Along the way to the top, a friend told me to look at the view behind me (I was so focused on moving forward and getting the climb done with that this thought had not crossed my mind). As I turned back, I was in awe.
'I've always wanted to be able to look down on clouds while not on-board an aircraft... and I finally did it! And it felt fantastic! '
Before I knew it, I was at the campsite thinking to myself, 'We made it! ...I made it!'. It was here that we settled for lunch -- canned Tuna Paella. It was starting to look like it was about to rain, dark clouds were building up and we could hardly see the view from the top. As we were packing up, a fog swept by where we were standing. Standing still, I felt the cold mist flow against my skin. A thought then came to mind... Yes, all the effort was worth it. Now, off to the Rockies...where the trail turned out to be a whole lot harder and more dangerous. We were literally climbing rocks, where one wrong step meant hurt, or worse death. It was a long way down. This was the best part of the climb for me. I felt like I was Lara Croft (Tomb Raider) going from one rock to another with no problem at all. And once you reach the top, you forget all the trouble you had to go through. You get a view of Taal volcano from a different perspective, as well as other surrounding islands. While at the Rockies, rain began to pour. We had to stay for a while, waiting for the rain to pass since it would be too dangerous to go down while it poured. It was so peaceful sitting on a rock, under the rain in a raincoat atop a mountain with clouds around you. Then came the greatest challenge I've had to date.. we had to start going down. Climbing up was a whole lot easier than literally sliding down the mountain. The rain definitely made things tough for me. Factor in the Lack of Balance, Load from the Bag, Slippery Mud, Sharp Rocks, and Steep Trail: I knew I was in trouble. There was one moment that I slipped and fell. Sitting on the ground, as I looked to the left and then to the right, it was a long way down. I was frozen for a minute, held by thoughts of thanking God I was still safe, and asking that he keep me safe the whole way down. |
| 'As I continued down, the trail seemed longer than ever... it came to a point that I was at the brink of breaking down. Having the worst headache from the changing weather (rain-shine-rain-shine-rain) while overwhelmed by the fear of slipping and hurting myself...It was very much with the trust and support towards my friends that I made it all the way down, safe and sound.' It was one tough day, but definitely worth experiencing. About 6-7 Hours going up and back down Mt Maculot Rockies... not bad for a first timer I think. :) Will I do it again? Once I've worked on my balance and strength.... MT. PULAG, here I come!! Hopefully I'd be able to get pictures myself next time. :)   |
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