Conquering Mt. Pulag

A few months back, I walked 7 km to the crater of Pinatubo and trekked the Aguid Rice Terraces in Sagada. So, just before the rainy season started, I decided I was ready to climb Mt. Pulag and find myself in the sea of clouds.

I planned a trip with my work colleagues and friends, organized by one of the Pulag tour groups. There are several trails to the summit and since I was a hopeless when it comes to climbing, I took the Ambangeg-Ambangeg trail. This was the beginner’s trail, which was a well-beaten track.

I was determined to do the full climbing experience in Pulag. After all, it was my first overnight climb. So, I prepared a checklist of things I should do in order to say that I've conquered Pulag....

¨  Carry my own backpack containing a sleeping bag, about 3 liters of water, clothes and other essentials. Check!

¨  Ride the monster jeep “top load” (ride on top of the jeepney). Check!

¨  Pee in the wild. Check!

¨  Trek with my 400 PHP kids’ rubber shoes . Check! My rubber shoes survived the trip but it was so muddy that I donated it when we returned to the ranger station.

¨  Camp in the mountain. Check!

¨  Reach the summit. Check! It was quite embarrassing because I was practically gasping and wheezing all the way up. In my mind, I was constantly telling myself that I should start exercising.

¨  Wear beach attire at the summit. Check! Before the trip, I read a lot of articles saying that it was often rainy and almost freezing in Pulag. So, just for kicks, I wanted to dress up in beach attire at the summit, just long enough to take a photo. The weather was actually good when we were there. There was a slight drizzle during the night, but other than that, the weather was good.

¨  Watch the sunrise at the summit. Check!

¨  See the sea of clouds. Dot. Dot. Dot.

To my disappointment, we never saw the sea of clouds. Just some clouds at the distance. Oh well, I’ll climb Pulag again next year. Or more likely, after 5 years.

On the bright side, I lost 4 lbs that weekend.

See all photos

Summary of Expenses

Item		Cost (PhP)
Tour Package		2500.00
Tent Porter (PHP 600 ÷ 15 pax)		40.00
Transportation			146.00
	Taxi, Ayala Ave. to Victory Liner	100.00
	Victory Liner Change Fee	46.00
Food			80.00
Others (Toilet)			20.00
Total			PhP 2,786.00