Mount Pulag is the second (apparently it's the third) highest mountain in the Philippines, next to Mount Apo (2,956 meters) and Mount Dulang-Dulang (2,938 meters), making it the highest in Luzon with over 2,922 meters above sea level. Just to give you a clue, Mt. Pulag is so high, it's climate is TEMPERATE with rains predominating the entire year. There are four major trails up the summit - the Ambangeg, Akiki, and Tawangan trails from Benguet and the Ambaguio trail from Nueva Vizcaya - all of them differ in difficulty. We took beginner's trail, Ambangeg, with two camp sites before reaching the peak. You can read more about Mt Pulag through Ambangeg trail here.
The ride from the DENR building to Ambangeg trail is as bumpy as anyone who has major acne, so sit near the driver!
Anyway, being the crazy person that I am, I decided to say yes when one of my officemates invited me to join the UP Mountaineers' Talikasan open climb last March 13 -15. I'm not physically fit (okay, I'm bordering on being chubby and being obese) and I'm far from being an outdoor person. I have never camped out in my entire life and I always prefer to use a toilet with ceramic tiles when doing my thing. Everything in Pulag was nothing short of excruciating for me.
The Ranger telling us that if we don't believe that it's cold in Mt. Pulag, then we should just charge all the shivering to experience.
My first major climb is in Pulag, with it's peak being the coldest point in the country. Great. So, if you're like me and if it's your first time on Mt. Pulag or anywhere else, read carefully as I'm about to share with you crucial survival tips that might be the deciding factor whether you keep your nose or not (because of frostbite).
Ambangeg Station
WHAT TO BRING
The elements are at work on your way to Mt. Pulag, so it's best to bring protection against both intense heat and cold, also strong winds and rain.
1. sun block
2. lip balm (if you have sensitive skin)
3. umbrella
4. cap
5. beanie caps or bonnets to cover your ears
6. wind-proof gloves and jacket(those that retain body heat, I recommend you bring leather gloves)
7. fleece sweater and scarf
8. socks (you'll be wearing two pairs of thick socks when sleeping, bring another for the hike)
9. sleeping pad (as an extra insulation just in case your tent gets wet)
10. hiking clothes made of synthetic fabric (should be lightweight, like Nike's Dri-fit line)
The rest of the stuff you should bring like a first aid kit and trail food are already kind of obvious when you're planning to go up a mountain, so I don't need to list them down.
Picture picture at Ambuclao Dam. See I'm wearing layers. Not fat, but layers of clothes. -_-
WHAT THE HIKE'S LIKE
Hikers will get to the campsite in about three to four hours. There are elevated slopes, so you need to bring rubber shoes with traction. If you don't get much cardiovascular exercise or if you have weak knees, make sure you bring a hiking stick for additional support or some freakin' knee wrap-arounds or something. The descent put more pressure on my right knee because the trail was very slippery and muddy. I suffered from knee pains for three days!
Anyway, the hike up isn't that cold, unless it's raining. You don't have to do some layering yet. Apply sunscreen when you get to Ambangeg station and please wear a cap if you don't want your face to look like roasted meat.
Everything may look warm, but it isn't.
HOW COLD IS 'COLD'?
The temperature at the campsite usually drops up to 10 degrees celsius. The coldest so far is -2 celsius. The problem is, while the cold is trying to sneak inside your clothes like a perv, you'd have to battle the strong winds and when I say strong, it's like having four jumbo electric fans follow you everywhere you go. That's not even the worst part. When it starts to rain, that's when you have to be ready.
WHAT TO DO WHEN IT RAINS THE WHOLE NIGHT
Unfortunately for us, the rain started pouring just two hours after we set up camp. Our tent was also made of pure fail - water literally flooded our sleeping bags with just an hour of rain. I was forced to sleep with people I don't know (they're nice, just in case they read my blog LOL). :( When it rains too much, I'm sure water will start seeping inside your tents even though you bought them at North Face. Yes, the North Face tent we were sleeping on was invaded with water, not that much though, but still enough to give campers frostbite.
It's starting to rain, the stuff of nightmares.
So, what the heck do you do when this happens?
1. Make sure you're all warm. Cover your head, neck, ears, hands and feet. If you have too much stuff on, remove them. It might cause you to perspire, making you feel cold all the more.
2. Stay dry. Have a towel ready to wipe your feet or hands dry just in case you become crazy enough to dance in the rain or when you need to go to the latrine while it's raining.
3. Eat. Food is like firewood for your belly. It's better if you can eat warm stuff, although it's kind of hard to boil water at 10 degrees Celsius. You may drink alcoholic beverages, just hydrate yourself. Also, I'm not just saying this because I like to eat.
4. Move. When you're given the chance to move around, do it. Voluntary muscular activity maximizes heat.
5. Wish that you have a friend who owns a helicopter. You don't know how many times I have wished for this while I was stuck wet and shivering inside a tent, with the ocassional wind blowing the tent to bitchslap my face.
Unfortunately, we did not reach the summit because the weather decided to do whatever it wants and it wanted to rain the whole day. We descended Pulag still raining. Well, I shall have my revenge next year and take awesome jumpshots with those famous floating clouds everyone's talking about.
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