Mt. Batulao- Nasugbu,
Batangas
My
third mountain adventure set my foot in Mt. Batulao. At the height of 811+
MASL, this was the highest mountain I climbed so far since Mt. Maculot (Rockies). This mountain has a
difficulty of 4/9 under minor climb category (source: pinoymountaineer.com) which is good for newbie that plans to
have a major climb in the future (My own
opinion).
The adventure began
in Pasay City (Coastal Bus Terminal).
We rode a bus that ply for Nasugbu, Batangas and after 2 hours and a half travel
we alight at Evercrest Golf Course (Just
tell the conductor to drop you there). This is one of the good mountains to
visit near metro manila. Pass 7AM when we reached the jump off (Evercrest) and
in the nearby sari sari store we started to look for a guide. Mt. Batulao has
lots of visitors especially on weekends so expect shortage of guides. In our
case, since it was weekend (Saturday),
we had difficulty finding a guide and so we ended up joining a group of
climbers that got one. Good thing is, the cost of guide fee was lessen since we
split the total cost to the number of climbers in the group. The bad thing is
weren't able to follow our own itinerary. Our half day itinerary ends in a long
long long day hike because we finished the whole trek almost 8PM. (WTF!). By
the way that group is also newbie's, their 2nd mountain to climb at that time.
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| Evercrest Golf Course (Jump off) |
From Evercrest, we
simply took an easy hike until we reached the fork where the new trail and old
trail meets. We took a minute of rest and then we continued our hike via old
trail.
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| Along the trail to the fork with Mt. Batulao at the backdrop |
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| Nipa hut at the fork |
Old
trail is composed of uphill and downhill trek in my observation including some
rappelling before the summit.
Lots
of talahib along the trail so be ready to safeguard yourselves. Mt. Batulao is
not only popular for mountain hikers but to trail runners and bikers as well.
During our lunch at camp 1, we saw some bikers at the trail. Their disc brakes
are highly noticeable to secure themselves during downhill. The campsite where
we took our lunch is very relaxing and peaceful. It is also clean, so watch
your own garbage during your visit to maintain the cleanliness of the area and
practice the leave no trace policy.
We have our packed lunch of chicken adobo and rice.
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| Camp 1 |
It is nice to stay longer in this site, to take a nap or even stay for overnight as the place is so relaxing and the cool breeze of winds refreshing your tired bodies. I think, I will keep on coming back and spend overnight in this mountain. After our lunch, we proceed to our hike and passed by campsite after campsite. There is also store in the one of the campsite where you can buy some refreshments like buko or mountain dew.
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| Campsite |
During
dry season, be extra careful while on hike because along the trail especially
during ascending, there is a lot of loose rocks. Dust is also present. There
are also steep part that you need to crawl a little bit just to be safe. Every
campsite we passed, we cannot hold ourselves not to stop as the view is getting
better. It nice to witness the beauty when you are on top but this is not the
summit yet.
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| One of the campsite with store |
We are lucky that
time because the weather bear with us. A day before, it says that there will be
rain in the afternoon but gladly it is just cloudy skies. Cool wind and a fine
weather made our hike so relaxing.
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| Trail to Camp 8 at the backdrop |
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| At campsite 8 with stone marking on right |
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| The summit view from campsite 8 |
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| Mt. Batulao tooth shape peaks From campsite 9, we are now preparing for the rappelling activity. First, our guide gave us some information and briefing on how to do it. The important thing is "No matter what happen, do not lose your hand from the rope". This is very interesting, since all of us are new for this rappelling, our guide climb first and looks very easy for him. After that, we followed one by one and hooray, we made it. The summit is just a few meters away from that point.The tiring climb was replaced by excitement when we reached the peak. We witness the 360 degrees of beauty of nature. The sun is not so hot, the wind blows is cool and all I can say is "wow" it's perfect. Mt. Maculot is viewed in the summit as well as Mt. Talamitan and Pico De Loro.   
Group picture at the summit
  
Deuter Futura 32L (Blue) Deuter Spider 22L (Red)
 
After
picture takings, rest, and exchange conversations we decided to commence our
descend so at least we can catch the jump off before dark. But unfortunately,
climbing down is more tricky because of lose rocks and cliff on both sides. We
were extra careful and presence of mind is important to avoid some mishap. Be
mindful that climbing mountains is not just like going to the park. Safety
precautions should always be put in mind, that how easy the trail is, mountain
is still a mountain.
Another rappelling section
For
those well experienced hiker/ climber, they do night trekking on this mountain.
I am wondering how they do that? Very impressive! Actually we met a group of
climbers along the trail that do night trekking via old trail when we reached
the fork once again. There are also climbers pitching their tents in the
campsite in the new trail. Some of them are cooking their food for dinner.
    
At peak 8
We
took our final rest at the hut in peak 8, after that, we continued a non-stop
hiking until we reached the fork. It's getting dark that time at around 5PM but
still we are on the trail. Lesson learned. You should know how to manage your
time and limit your stay in every campsite or resting hut to avoid this kind of
scenario.
  
Sunset at Mt. Batulao
Exactly
after we passed by the hut in the fork, the sunset started. According to our
guide we need to hike for couple of kilometers before we reach the place where
we can opt to ride a tricycle. We are all exhausted and tired. This is where
you can hear somebody is complaining and arguing. We are all tired and all we
want is to take a rest and eat.
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