With a towering height of 2, 922 meters above sea level, Mt. Pulag is the second highest mountain in the Philippines. Being dubbed as the “playground of the gods”, it becomes a dream destination of every Filipino outdoorsman.
It was a dream come true for us, members and officers of the Kamandag Barikus ASAS Mountaineering Group, to make it to the heart and to the summit of the majestic Mt. Pulag.
It took almost two months of preparation for us to gather enough donations for our Climb For A Cause entitled "Tulong-Dunong Para sa mga Bata ng Mt. Pulag" specifically intended for Barangay Palansa Elementary School located at Bokod, Benguet (5 hours from Baguio City).
In cooperation with the DENR-Benguet, our group started planning for all the target activities last February 2009. After having been informed of the details about the place and about the recipients, my group got more excited to pursue all our plans. Solicitation letters were immediately sent to prospect donors around Metro Manila and nearby provinces. Luckily, donors have been very generous so after the two-month preparation, we were able to accumulate twenty big boxes of school supplies, footwear, textbooks, clothes, teaching aids, and medicines for Barangay Palansa.
After much preparation and excitement, the group’s most awaited day has come. The eight-hour trip from Manila to Baguio City commenced our mission-expedition. After a light breakfast at Baguio around 2:00 A.M., we rented a jeepney that would bring us to Kabayan, Benguet.
Despite the seemingly unbearable odds such as muddy, slippery, and zigzag roads going to Ambangeg and some literal pushing of the jeepney along the road, we had finally reached the DENR-Protected Area Office around 6:30 A.M.
Ma'am Emerita Tamiray-Albas, the DENR Superintendent, has welcomed the group with a challenge of taking care of the environment. During the orientation, we were reminded to “RESPECT MT. PULAG the way every mountain should be respected”. Other pertinent details about the mountain were discussed including the background of the tribes residing within the vicinity of the said mountain. After the orientation and registration procedures, the group had to wait for a truck that would bring us to Brgy. Palansa because our jeepney could no longer penetrate the steep and narrow roads going to the said school. (It was raining hard the other night according to the DENR personnel which caused our travel more challenging).
The view going to Palansa was really breathtaking. The green scenery and the fresh air energized the group and after forty minutes, we arrived at the school where more than a hundred recipients, together with their parents and three teachers, were waiting. The group was welcomed with sincere smiles, waves, and inspiring presentations which really touched our hearts. Their song and dance presentations combined their ethnic pride and the youth’s dream for a successful future despite the crises the country is facing at present. Teary-eyed, each one of us gave our sincerest applause.
Before the mini-discussions and gift giving part, our senior officer, Ma’am Rose Luengas, and I explained to the kids the group’s mission and vision. Ma’am Luengas focused on the need to start performing one’s role in saving the environment by giving emphasis on the three Rs. I, myself, told the kids to study harder and not to give up despite life's difficulties they encounter and may encounter someday. I reiterated that those books and school supplies we’ve brought should remind them of the real essence of education and that those slippers, clothes, and medicines should inspire them to keep going... I ended by saying, “Your place is really beautiful. Continue taking care of it and be proud of who you are. We are more inspired by your presence and by your sincere smiles. As we climb Mt. Pulag this afternoon, we will bring the joy of meeting with you today.”
After which, the recipients were divided into seven groups for the fun games and for the mini-discussions on global warming and on Reduce-Reuse-Recycle Campaign which our group advocates.
With overwhelming joy, each recipient received gifts such as school supplies, pair of slippers, and clothes. Some have received school bags and vitamins. The three teachers, on the other hand, have also been given textbooks and teaching aids while their parents have received clothes. Each was so thankful for the gifts they have received.
They shared with us their “nilagang camote”, “rice coffee”, and green bananas for lunch. Their hospitality and our fulfillment made our snack time a festive one. Fulfilled, we bid them goodbye and promised to come back someday. Those sweet little smiles and innocent eyes of the locals of Palansa will never be forgotten…
Those same smiles gave us strength as we headed towards the Ranger Station, where mountaineers prepare themselves for the actual ascend. With our 40 and 60-liter backpacks, the way to the Ranger Station has become a challenging one…Each had to walk… Fortunately, a truck passed and the driver invited us to ride. The narrow and steep roads made everyone got trilled and a bit scared. We could see the cliffs and felt all their dangers…Our screams have echoed on the mountains of Benguet.
Finally around 1:00 P.M., we reached the Ranger Station. The cold weather at the Ranger Station (located at the height of 2, 500 meters above sea level) challenged us. We had our super late lunch around 3 P.M and at exactly 4 P.M., the group penetrated the foggy trail going to Camp 1. The sign reads 8 kms. away from the summit so the more excited we’ve become. Puzzled of what lies ahead, we moved on. It was already sunset when we reached the first camping ground and despite our trembling knees, we had climb to the higher grounds and had to pass through the forested area going to the next campsite. It was around 8 P.M. when we arrived at camp 2.
The freezing weather “knocked us out”. We had to set up immediately our tents so we could rest. Despite our thick sleeping bags and double-jackets, gloves, socks, bonnets, our bodies were still trembling. We felt freezing at Camp 2. Two of our members, Von and Mira, suffered form fever that night so each could hardly sleep. I think no one was able to rest…
Finally around 3:30 A.M. with Von and Mira, we had to prepare for the summit assault so we could see the magical sunrise. The guide says, “It’s a more than an hour walk before we reach the summit.”
So with our headlamps on, we started the trek. The more we got higher, the colder it became. We were so excited to witness the sunrise at Pulag with its “Sea of Clouds Phenomenon”. After an hour, we reached the grassland bragging its dwarfed bamboos as tall as our knees. It was already dawn and we had the first glimpse of the summit and it made us more ecstatic.
The sun was about to show itself and it was probably a hundred steps away from the roof of Luzon, so we felt that we had to hurry up for us not to miss the magnificent sunrise. Walking on a single file, we penetrated and crossed the beautiful grassland. Finally, the twenty-five of us, made it to 2,922 meters above sea level, making us be on top of Luzon, literally higher than the “Sea of Clouds” . The view was breathtaking. We felt playing with the gods of Pulag.
We were jumping, hugging, and congratulating one another for making it there. Those smiles from Barangay Palansa inspired us to reach the “Roof of Luzon”, that is Pulag. At the summit, we faced the sun, widely spread our arms and thanked God for the gift of life, for the gift of nature, for the gift of a beautiful country, Philippines.
With the memory of the locals of Barangay Palansa and of the trek that we had, we were one in saying, “God is great!”
We wanted to stay and play with the gods on the sea of clouds but we had to go back to Manila with a promise of meeting again with the locals of Palansa so I wrote on our tarp which we left at the DENR office: “See you at Akiki (the most difficult trail of Pulag) next time…"
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