DIY Mt. Pulag via Akiki-Ambangeg Trail

January 31- February 2, 2014

MT. PULAG (AKIKI TRAIL)
Kabayan, Benguet
Major jump-off: Brgy. Doacan, Kabayan (Akiki)
LLA: 16°34'58"N 120°53'15"E, 2922 MASL
Hours to summit / Days required: 10-11 hours / 2-4 days
Specs: Major Climb, Difficulty 7/9, Trail class 3
Source: Pinoy Mountaineer

I'd say this was the hardest trek I've ever had in my mountaineering experience.

The only physical preparation I had for this was working out in the gym for 3days, 2 hours each and climbing the stairs on my way to work and on the way home. What I really prepared on was my clothing. I brought a down jacket, a fleece jacket, a wind breaker, a wool sweater, long socks, fleece socks, and gloves to fight the cold.

DAY1
We left Manila at around 12mn and we arrived in Baguio around 6am. It was already 12degrees at the terminal of Victory Liner but it was bearable. By the time we arrived there, the jeep we rented was already waiting for us. We ate some strawberry taho first and some went to the comfort room then off we went to the registration for Mt. Pulag. We had our breakfast in one of the stopovers along the way.

Top Load!!!!

View while on top load. It was mesmerizing.

Finally we reached the jumpoff point for Akiki Trail. It is commonly known as the "Killer Trail" and it is obviously hard with the sign "difficult route" at the jump off point.

We started our trek at around noon and the view of pine trees all over the mountain is just amazing. I felt like I'm not in a tropical country.

We arrived at Eddet River at around 3pm. The original plan was to camp there for the first night but suddenly, the plan changed. The team thought of pushing until Marlboro Country and camp there for the night. I thought to myself, "Wow. I am with Mountain Monsters. I swear it feels like they don't get tired."

So off we went climbing again, pushing with the plan. The trek started to get harder from Eddet River because the heat of the sun was directly on us. Also, as the elevation rises, the oxygen becomes thinner and it gets harder to breathe. I had to give some of my load to my boyfriend because I was really running out of breathe every after 5 minutes of trekking. I even said to myself, "Why the hell did I agree to climbing this mountain via this trail?!" It really tested me to my limits. I realized we also didn't have a decent sleep since we got here and I guess that's one factor to consider.

As we went up going to Marlboro Country, we really got tired so me and my friend took some nap along the trail. Yes, we really fell asleep. You will actually feel sleepy while trekking because the oxygen becomes thinner.

After 30 minutes of sleeping, we continued hiking.

 

The tree with a bull head

The sun was starting to set and I could already feel the cold creeping through my skin. This alarmed me because I don't want to do a night trek during the first day with the cold air around. I know my muscles are already tired and I might get cramps so we increased our pace going to Marlboro Country.

The sun, peeping through the pine trees

The last 30 minutes before arriving at Marlboro Country was a beautiful and scenic trail. You can see the sun setting down and there were these beautiful bushes with white wild flowers all over. It was really beautiful.

the ascent going to Marlboro Country

Finally, we arrived at the campsite at around 6pm. The moment I stopped to rest, the cold air immediately seeped into me. Even though I was perspiring like a dog and my dri fit was full of sweat, I put on all my clothes to prevent hypothermia. I swear it was really cold!!!

After putting on my "winter clothes," we immediately set up our tent. It was warm and cozy inside the tent and I didn't want to go out but of course, we had to take our dinner. After having our dinner, we cleaned up a bit and then we had our socials. Everyone was warmed by the booze that night and it felt like we were the only ones making noise and having fun at the campsite. Good thing we were a bit far from the groups of people so no one was affected by our noise while we were having fun.

I almost forgot to mention that Marlboro Country Campsite has a water source and a makeshift comfort room.

DAY2

We woke up to a rainy morning on our second day and I knew this was not a good sign. We had our breakfast, changed into our trekking clothes and left the camp. The trail from Marlbory Country to Saddle was hard because of the assaults through the mossy forest and it became harder due to the harsh weather. Yesterday, we experienced extreme heat and now it's raining really, really hard. It felt like the universe was really testing us.

the wonderful mossy forest of Pulag

The wind here was really blowing at us and it was hard to trek because of the rain and wind

 I was not sure anymore what time we arrived at Saddle Camp but I know that we looked like "basang sisiw." And yes, it was still raining. I was really, really feeling cold and I wasn't stopping from moving my arms and legs to prevent hypothermia (again). Fellow mountaineers who were also waiting for their tents were all under that little house in Saddle Camp. One even gave me a piece of ginger and he said I would just have to bite into it and it will keep me warm. I took a bite, a big one and magically, it worked! Unfortunately I had to spit it out because it was too big and my mouth was already flaming. Haha. After about 30 minutes of waiting, our tent finally arrived. After the tent has been set up, we went inside and my boyfriend was really, really feeling cold. I felt a pang of fear while we were inside the tent because the wind was blowing our tent and it felt like it might collapse anytime. I swear it was really scary! Imagine there's a storm outside your house and you can hear the wind blowing in your windows? That was what happened to us except that we were only in our tents and not in a sturdy, stone house.

After everyone's tent was set up no one in our group wanted to go out of their tents except for Javee and our team leader, Annie who cooked for us. They're our hero, otherwise, we would have starved the whole night.

During the night, me and my boyfriend put on everything that could be found in our bags. Socks, pashmina, gloves, thermal foil, jackets, everything! We even wrapped ourselves with our sleeping bag and yet we still felt cold. Well actually, my body felt warm enough with 5 layers of clothes however, my legs and feet were the ones feeling really cold even though I was wearing pajamas and 3 layers of socks. I guess I didn't prepare enough for this kind of weather.


 DAY3

We were awake even before our guide went to our tent to awaken us. We couldn't sleep with this cold weather. It's time to get up and wait for the sunrise in the summit.

Even though it was cold, I was actually perspiring on our way up to the summit. It was ascent all the way. But when we arrived at the summit and I stopped moving, I felt cold again.

The sunrise and sea of clouds at the summit was just soooooo amazing. All the hardships to reach this moment was all worth it. I thought to myself, God is really a wonderful creator and I thanked Him for letting us see the beauty of His creation.

After some photo-ops in the summit, we decided to go back to Saddle camp and have our breakfast.

This was the trail on the way back to Saddle Camp

The last group photo-op before descending via Ambangeg Trail

This is me and my boyfriend doing some photo-ops in the Saddle Camp. Thanks Renan for this! :)

After doing photo-ops, we continued on our journey to finish the trek.  The original plan was to descend via Tawangan Trail but after all the hardships that we went through for the last 2 days (heat and extreme cold), our team leader also decided to go via Ambangeg Trail.

This was the Ambangeg Trail and to me it looked like Batulao

Ambangeg Trail which is also known as the "commercial trail" is way easier than Akiki Trail. Well I guess Akiki won't be named as the "Killer Trail" for nothing. It was an easy breezy descent for us and I just enjoyed the trail.

After around 5hours of trekking, we finally reached the end of the road and saw that our hired jeepney was already there waiting for us. I thought it was the end of all my challenges for this climb but I was wrong. When I was about to clean myself up, the water in the comfort room was ICE COLD! I swear! Maybe that was how Jack and Rose felt while they were in the sea. I really abhor taking cold showers but I had no choice. At least I felt clean after. Haha. Finally, we boarded the jeepney and went back to Baguio.

After this climb, I really felt fulfilled. I am the type of person who gets cold easily but in this climb, I was able to prove to myself that I can push myself and go beyond my limits.


Tips:
1. Be prepared physically. If possible, go to the gym. But if you do not have the time, just climb stairs and do some squats in your room weeks before your climb.
2. Prepare for a cold weather. Sometimes the temperature may reach below zero and 5 layers of clothes is advisable. Also, do not forget to bring socks and gloves to protect your arms and hand from the cold.
3. Water source are available in the campsites except for Saddle Camp so it won't be a problem.
4. Be prepared mentally. It's not going to be easy but you'll make it through.
5. Pack as light as possible. Do not bring anything unnecessary. Any added weight is an added burden for you. Well unless you will hire a porter. However, porters have limits of 15kgs each. They even have a weighing scale before you climb to make sure of the weight they will carry.