[Throwback] Mt. Pulag

A few weeks after our white-water rafting adventure, my friend Mike organized a hike up Mt. Pulag in Benguet. At 2,928 meters above sea level, it is the second highest peak in the Philippines after Mt. Apo. I was definitely looking forward to this.

Mt. Pulag

The plan was to drive up to the basecamp and leave our vehicles there. We would then hike up the mountain and set up camp for the night. We would then wake up at the break of dawn and head to the best spot for photographs at the summit just as the sun rises.

Unfortunately, our plans got badly derailed. First, I got a flat tire on my way to basecamp. Worse, once we arrived, it started to rain heavily. Since we were already there, we all agreed to continue with our plans.

The hike to the campsite was about 4 hours long, made even more difficult by the fact that it was absolutely pouring. Once we got there, Mike and I set up our tent and invited everyone else to stay inside it to keep as dry as possible while we set up the rest of the tents. While this seemed like a good idea at the time, when we were done, we were absolutely drenched. Also, the inside of our tent was soaked. This made for a terribly cold evening that left me shivering badly all through the night. I'm not sure how I managed to fall asleep.

Our campsite

We woke up very early the next morning but I wasn't sure whether I wanted to get up because I was feeling sick (understandably). Still, all my efforts that weekend would be for naught if I didn't have the full Mt. Pulag experience so I willed myself to join everyone else. Thankfully, as soon as I started moving and it started to feel warmer and I felt stronger and more energized. When we got to the top of the mountain, we were all rewarded with some stunning views!

View from the top of Mt. Pulag

Unfortunately, we didn't make it there before sunrise, which I guess was expected given how tired and miserable we all were the previous night. Also, we didn't get to see a sea of clouds covering the mountains, a sight for which Mt. Pulag is known. Still, it was a truly magnificent experience being atop the tallest peak in Luzon.

I needed a photo despite my bedhead (hey, there's no shower on top of the mountain! haha)

Once we had our fill of taking photos at the summit, we made our way back down to our campsite. It was there that I had another unexpected and memorable moment: an absolutely sumptuous meal. We brought a lot of cooking equipment with us to the summit and there were three exceptional cooks (including trained chefs!) in our party. Together, they whipped up several delicious pasta dishes. After a difficult climb up the mountain and a cold, damp night, it was an absolute treat to be able to feast on hot pasta ! Even watching my three friends work together to prepare our meal was an absolute joy. They all really knew what they were doing!

Heading back down to our campsite from the summit

We took a few more photos at the campsite before packing everything up. Interestingly enough, it started raining again. I was just thankful that it rained when we were already about to head down. It took us about four hours to arrive at the basecamp. We drove to Baguio where we had dinner at a Mongolian Barbecue restaurant. A few folks spent the night there but the rest of us headed all the way back to Manila that evening.

It rained again on our way back down

This of course was way before TPLEX was built so the trip from Baguio to Manila was still several hours long. It was past midnight when we got home and I was absolutely exhausted but grateful that I was able to experience a very memorable hike up Mt. Pulag.