Ambaguio-Akiki 17-21 January 2007

38 hours of trekking. 20 hours of bus and jeepney rides. A full pack of shelter, clothing and provisions. All spread out on five days of cool and calm weather. Our destination was Mount Pulag. A journey which would take us from Bayumbong in Nueva Ecija to Baguio City via the Ambaguio - Akiki trail.

The fun part of traversing the mountains is that you'll never know what to expect- land slides, bad weather, medical emergencies, equipment malfunction and getting lost. So, in preparation, expect for the best but plan for the worst. We were lucky.

Days one and two had us counting waterfalls, hanging bridges and waiting sheds. The sights were wonderful but this was probably the most uneventful time of the climb. We had accomplished to tire ourselves of the long trails, trekked with our headlamps to light our path and condition ourselves mentally, for the cooler climb ahead.

Day three was going to meet up with the second half of the team joining the climb to the National park. We were more relaxed, more rested as we got closer to day three campsite. We even took our time to cook lunch and rest at the grasslands camping ground. The planned campsite for day 3 was at the saddle, past the summit of Mt Pulag, a good hour-thirty of walk from the grasslands.

With lots of time to spare, the team rested at the saddle. Pitched camp and prepared our hot dinner. The saddle is an open area where the wind comes from all directions and adds the bite to the already chilly weather.

Sunsets at Mt Pulag are always a treat. On the summit, as you scan the horizon, 360 degrees of mountain ranges. The sun sets, the temperature at the valleys drop and create oceans of clouds around the neighboring mountain tops. A sight so unreal.

This was an Induction climb for the members of the BMC 2007 who were not able to join the first. We had set our sights at Lumot-Sumagaya in Mindanao. Everything was set except that the board felt that we needed more members to join the induction. So, they scrapped it altogether and dictated Mt Pulag instead. An induction clmb is what it is and just as long as you enjoy the climb, thats all that matters.

The new members got inducted on day four at the summit of Mt Pulag. The golden rays of the sun came up to greet them. Spectacular!!! I have been on this summit at sunrise a couple of times and its always the same. Not too many people wake up to a sunrise as wonderful as this.
Trekking down Akiki trail is one experience you shouldn't miss. A bright rainbow shown in front of us as we were decending. The Local DENR calls it the killer trail. It’s a killer to the knees, thats what it is. Some of the members of the team were complaining of dead toenails. I'm just glad that was the worst that happened.

Day four campsite was at the Eddet River. There was a pool in the river where we could soak our tired bodies in the freezing waters. This was the rest we had all been waiting for.

The last day was just a short three hour trek and a wash-up area. The jeepney ride to Baguio was long though. We got to Baguio in time for dinner before I got my bus ride to Manila at 10pm.