What's taking her so long to show Pulag? 🤔 Well, aside from the fact that during this trip, it wasn't just Pulag that amazed me, that's why I really had to go through them one by one. In case you missed Parts 1-3, it's never too late to scan through them. Here are the links for Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.
Today, I'm giving birth to Part 4 of my solo (well not anymore since I've gained friends and made connections with the rest of the climbers) travel to Mt. Pulag.
Shall we continue the adventure? 😉
The calm before the storm
After watching the last of the last rays of the sun that day, we headed to our homestay. And as the name suggested, the place where we'll be spending the night was cozy enough not to feel at home.
While waiting for our dinner to be served, we took turns in using the bathroom to freshen up. In our dialect. we use the term "kandingon" (which is roughly associated with goats not wanting to be wet on any given occasion). Kandingon when used to describe a person simply means a person shows dislike for taking baths or showering. And that's exactly what I felt that night. The water was freezing cold that by the moment I poured a dipper full of water into my body, I felt something burning inside. It took me less than 6 minutes to take a bath; anything longer than this, I might die.
I personally opted to change in my climbing clothes after showering. I wasn't able to take a photo of the layer after layer of clothes I had to wear to ensure I wouldn't get hypothermia when we climbed at dawn. But I clearly remember I had five (5) layers of different types of cloth material: the first layer was a dry-fit jersey (as suggested by the organizers), followed by a cotton shirt, then a fleece jacket, then a windbreaker, and finally, a winter jacket to complete my look. I also had to wear socks to sleep soundly (extreme cold makes me uncomfortable).
In no time, dinner was served. The viand caught me off guard. At first, this green leafy salad-looking viand felt a little weird to eat as it seemed uncooked. But the more I tried it the more I'm convinced that life's perfect in Bokod. I ended up wanting to eat more of this but of course, I had to consider my newfound friends. They loved this, too.
The owner of the homestay also prepared one of the best Sinigang I've tasted in my entire life. Sinigang is "a soup made with meat, shrimp, or fish and flavored with a sour ingredient such as tamarind or guava." Too bad this one too is limited since it's for sharing.
Look at that long table for everyone to eat together just like what family and close friends do. The homestay's furniture might not look anything fancy but they are. They are made from hardwood. If you buy these kinds of furniture in the city, these will likely cost a fortune. But the ones you're seeing are just made by the local craftsmen in Benguet.
One last selfie before we devour what has been offered to us that night. The owner of the homestay was successful in making sure that our bodies will be fully energized for the early climb to Pulag's peak.
Final Climb Orientation
After eating dinner, our guides, Chi and Adrian, wasted no time. They immediately gathered all the climbers and gave final instructions for the early assault to Mt. Pulag. Chi had been chilling all this time, but when she gave the instructions, especially the buddy system, she was very strict.
This gave me the impression that what we are about to conquer is challenging and may cost our lives if we don't listen and abide by the set guidelines.
In my case, I have three worries at that time: (1) I've always found it difficult to acclimatize to cold weather. I'd turn off air conditioning systems in the office when I feel it's too much to handle (the temperature? not even below 16 degrees). But that week, Pulag's forecasted temperature may drop to below the freezing point. I was afraid I'd end up with hypothermia and die right there and then, (2) I have a disc bulge (almost a herniated disc) at my lower spine and my doctor back then told me I wouldn't be fit to climb again, and (3) It's been only 6 months since my appendectomy (surgery to remove appendicitis). Frankly speaking, anything could happen when you're already up there.
Lights off. We were off to bed as early as 7:30 PM.
Off to the war zone
We were up as early as 12 AM for the final preparation for Pulag. The team walked to the Ranger Station where many other climbers were starting to arrive.
Then we huddled for the last time; Chi gave the last of the last instructions and off we went. For the first 20 minutes, it was a chill climb through what seemed to be pine trees. We reached Camp 1 at 3:44 AM. We rested for a while, took group photos, and then we continued to hike.
In less than an hour, we reached Camp 2. It was 4:16 AM and we only have less than an hour to reach our assigned peak where we'll be watching the sunrise and of course, the much anticipated, sea of clouds in Mt. Pulag. Camp 2 was much wider than Camp 1. Hence, climbers that day were all over the place. Some waited for their entire climbing team to be completed while others were just resting. Others were taking bio breaks.
I couldn't recall if we passed by Camp 3 or we headed straight to our assigned peak. What I can recall is that Chi told us that we're on our final assault and in less than 15 minutes we'll reach our destination. She told us to brace ourselves of this will be the most difficult part of the climb.
Having heard that this was the hardest part, I started to cry and I told myself that every step closer and closer to Pulag represented my will to carry on despite my situation at that time.
A few minutes later, this view welcomed us. It felt surreal. I felt I was floating with the clouds. I felt my hands touch the sky, my arms embraced the sun, my lips kissed the freezing breeze.
This is must be it. This must be heaven on Earth.
That's it for now! We finally reached one of Mt. Pulag's peak, but this ain't the highest peak yet. No worries for I'll take you there. Stay tuned for the next chapter! 😊
Great weekend everyone! 🥰
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