We were very surprised to see such a beautiful pine forest on this peak, as opposed to the usual jungle in the region. We all agreed that this walk reminded us of the Alps in Europe, although there were some differences, such as the leeches we found along the way. Fortunately I did not get any, but I did see them. Knowing that the path might be open and without shade, we set off early in the morning before sunrise. After registering, we drove along the paved road for a while, then walked and passed a few houses before climbing up a wide, gradual and rocky path, easy on the way up but more slippery on the way down.
There are beautiful pine forests all around us, with nice views through the trees. There is a campsite before we enter the moss forest, the last bit of jungle is less than a kilometre and there is a relatively easy climb on the well visible trail.
The top was a rock in the bush. There was not much to see because of the vegetation and the clouds. I took the last picture with my primary mobile phone. It already had a cracked screen and when I dropped it again on a sharp rock it shattered completely. The photos were later synchronised, but I was never able to use the phone again. On the bright side, the end of one thing is often the beginning of another. Now I have no reason to put off replacing my phone!
Rob and I detoured to a small sub-peak that looked quite prominent, but Rob later measured it to have a prominence of 18 metres. We had time, so Petter, Rob, the local guide and I then detoured to another peak on the southwest ridge which had a prominence of 49 metres. Soon we met a team of motorcyclists practising on the ridge. This was the second surprise after the pine forest.
This climb was a quick win and we count five out of seven ultra peaks on this trip. The next planned summit is Luzon’s highest point – Mount Pulag.
