Mt. Maculot - My first climb

My long time friend texted me a month ago if I wanted to go hiking with her and her husband in Mt. Maculot located in Cuenca, Batangas. I got excited upon reading the text since I have never done it before. Oh wait, I've done hiking during my girl scout days, back in maybe high school or elementary days in Davao but that wasn't a REAL hike in a REAL mountain. Naks! Hehe. She said we'll climb on a good Friday because that's the nearest date they'll be having a long weekend. I asked her the estimated budget for the trip because I really don't have much money these days. She said 700 pesos would be enough for one person since we would only pay for our transportation. I didn't have any plans for Holy Week and 700 isn't that much so I said YES!

I told my mom about the trip and as expected, she was hesitant. She had zero idea about the place so it was just normal that she would ask me bazillion of questions of the hows and whats in Mt Maculot. But after I explained and assured her that it was just an easy climb and that my friend had been there many times already, I convinced her. :p Okay, I know I'm already 30, and I can and should decide on my own but I still live with my mama so yeah, I still need permission from her especially trips like this one. :)

March 29

The morning of the trip, I woke up at 4am, showered and cooked my baon (smoked milkfish and sauteed shrimps). I was told that we will meet in a bus terminal along Taft Ave. cor Buendia, fronting Jolibee at 6am. I was there at 6am sharp. Wooot! Since my friends have not yet arrived, I went to 7-Eleven and bought a litre of bottled water, bread and some personal stuff I needed for the trip. Then my friends came and they bought some stuff too.

We daparted at 6:30am.

After 2 hours we arrived in Lipa, Batangas. We rode a jeepney going to Cuenca and alighted in Cuenca public market after 30 minutes.

We rode a tricycle and told the driver to send us off to the Brgy Hall so we can register ourselves. You SHOULD register before going up so that whatever happens during the climb, the barangay will have a record that you really went there.

Before we started the hike we decided to eat first and stretch our legs since we just arrived from Manila. There were a few stores located at the trailhead where you can rest and freshen up. There's even this house where they built bahay kubos in their lawn so that people can rest before/after the hike. They also built rest rooms where you can take a bath (15 pesos/pail) or do number 1 (5 pesos) and 2 (10 pesos). My friend told me that the last time she went there those weren't  built yet. Lucky us!

After an hour of rest we started the hike.

 

I really had difficulties in this hike because 1. my bag was too heavy for me, 2. the soil was loose and arid and 3. the last time I worked out (run) was last February. I was huffing and catching my breath the entire  hike. Just after 30 minutes of walk I slipped and brought my butt down to the ground to think it was just a normal surface. Grrrr! I thought it was because of the shoes I was wearing, but later on I realized it was because of the pebbles. After the slip, I was very careful of my steps, calling out my friends' names whenever I need help. I'm glad my friends were really patient with me. My friend even have to lie to me saying, "Konti na lang! Malapit na tayo.", just to keep me motivated. Haha! I was really noisy the whole time. I was also scared because our ascend towards the end of the trail was very steep, with no big trees to hold on to. As we reached the summit, my friends confirmed that we were indeed ascending a new trail. They said that the new trail is a bit difficult and longer compared to the old one.

After a lot of complains to my friends, I still managed to reach the top after 5 hours. Normal hikes will take you 2-3 hours, by the way.

It was around 3pm when we arrived. It was so hot that afternoon but my friends decided to immediately look for a good spot and pitch the tent because we might ran out of space since a lot of campers are expected on that day. We ate merienda and talked to some people. We then took a nap and woke up just before sunset. :)

Two of my friends went to see The Rockies. It's a must-do when you climb Mt. Maculot because of its breathtaking view of Taal Lake. But because my knees were still shaking, I passed. The view from the summit was enough for me at that time. :p We exchanged chitchats from other people just to kill time and at around 8pm we ate our dinner. I thought there would be less people at night but I was surprised that a lot people kept arriving.

It was also full moon that night. It was the most beautiful moon I have ever seen. It stood there in the dark night sky, so close to us, shining so BRIGHTLY. You know the kind of moon you see in romantic and horror movies with clouds passing through it and is like hanging on a twig of a tree? Hahaha! There was so much mystery in that particular moon. Our cameras couldn't capture it so we just enjoyed the view.

I didn't have a good night sleep not just because we had noisy and rowdy neighbors, mostly teenagers, but also because the winds were crazy strong. Haha! 

March 30

We woke up at 6am and the winds were getting stronger. It was really scary. But I noticed that the other campers were just enjoying the wind while sipping their coffee. I think they're used to it already. Okay, kayo na ang mga strong! Hehe. People kept arriving from the Grotto trail, mostly in groups. I even saw a group of hikers who wore blue shirts with texts on it that read "KEEP CALM AND CLIMB". How nice! Two of my friends went back to The Rockies to get more pictures. Honestly, the boys had more pictures than us, girls. :p When they got back we ate our breakfast and disassembled our tent.

We left the summit around 8am

Descending was better but still not easy. Hehe.

After 3 hours and two more slips, we were back at the trailhead. Wooohooo! I survived my first climb!!! Akalain mo yun?! Haha!

That is one happy smile. Pure happiness! One item off my bucketlist

We headed to that place at the trailhead I mentioned earlier, took a bath, charged our phones and rested for awhile.

OHWHATTA hike! :)

I would like to thank my friends Lhen and Paulo for inviting me and letting me experience this kind of activity. I want to thank them for pushing me to continue the climb when my knees were about to surrender. I also want to thank my new found brother, Carlo who was very helpful to me, holding my hand when I am about to slip and for giving me something (tree, plant, grass, rock, baging) to hold on to. Thank you guys, for being so patient with me. Thank you for making my first climb a memorable one.

Thank you also to all the hikers and mountaineers we met along the trail and offered their hands to me. Mabuhay kayo! :)

The thing that struck me during our hike to Mt. Maculot is that the people, including fellow hikers, are all very friendly. Everyone we came across either greeted or smiled at us. We made small talks to a couple of people, sharing experiences about the hike and exchanging "goodluck and ingat" with each other. Some of them were very chatty and funny . Maybe because my dear friend, Lhen was effortlessly funny too. It was really nice to feel that instant bond with strangers. It’s something you can only experience in the mountains, I think. :)

I know that during and days after the hike I said that though it was such a blessing and accomplishment for me to be able to climb a mountain that high, I will never climb again (Not anytime soon). But today, as i am writing this, I will say that Mt. Maculot will NOT be the last mountain that I will set foot in. :)

JAM Bus fare to Lipa, Batangas - P254.00 (roundtrip)

Jeepney fare from Lipa to Cuenca - Lemery route - P50.00 (roundtrip)

Tricycle to Brgy Hall - P40.00 (roundtrip)

Brgy. Registration fee - P10.00