Mt. Pulag: Ascent by Akiki (Part 2 of 3)

I'm afraid I won't be modest here (I apologize in advance). According to (one of my favorite blogs) Tramping Philippines, the Akiki trail doesn't quite live up to its notoriety as the "Killer Trail". I believe that we all have different lungs and legs - the two parts our bodies that determine out fate in the Akiki trail. At least to me, this feat, as of date, sits as my crowning achievement (LOL). I have never pushed myself beyond what I thought I could. For days I kept on moving and carried my body and my 12-kilo backpack across steep slopes that didn't seem to end. even if my energy reserves have been completely depleted. What kept me from giving up was ... oh well, giving up was not really an option when you're halfway on a difficult trail.

See Part 1 of 3: Mt. Pulag: Overview
See Part 3 of 3: Mt. Pulag: Descent via Ambangeg

Day 0

The journey starts with a bus ride for Baguio at the Victory Liner Terminal in Pasay. By the way, before that, I took a cab, ended up making the rounds along Taft - with the meter ticking - I started doubting the driver's claim that didn't know where the terminal was. When the ride started to take a while, he was even reluctant to stop so we can ask for directions. I insisted heavily anyway. When we got to the terminal, I only handed him out part of the fare - I've had too many not so savory experiences with some taxi drivers, that I thought, there's no way I'm going to not stand up for my right this time. As expected with abusive taxi drivers, he even demanded for an additional amount! Good thing, he was blocking the driveway of the terminal while we were arguing that the guard forced him to go. Not a great way to start my dream trip to my dream mountain - add the fact that, while on the cab, I got nauseous from transferring the eggs from the tray to the Graham Cracker box so they won't break.

Day 1

When we got to Baguio, the jeepney that we hired was already waiting. We stopped at a carinderia in Benguet to eat our breakfast and get our packed lunches. I had a really aromatic brewed coffee and a not-so-delicious bulalo (P80) for breakfast and bought a humongous fried chicken (P60) for lunch. Full and fresh (I took a dump and brushed my teeth as well) - we continued the ride - topload!

Enjoying the roadside view.

An early treat: Clouds!

We reached the DENR, attended the mandatory seminar on "Respect Mt. Pulag", signed up and paid the fees. Among the rules that I remembered:

1. Stay on the trail.

2. Refrain from making unnecessary noises as the mountain is considered sacred by the locals.

3. Use only the designated latrines. (I broke this rule eventually. Couldn't help it, sorry).

We opted to say inside the jeepney for the remainder of the ride as the sun was already up and the driver told us that the road will be dusty. We weren't very far from DENR when the road was blocked with what appears to be a road-widening project (or was there landslide?). Fortunately, the road was cleared after half an hour.

When we reached the Akiki jump off, we were greeted with a foreboding sign: Difficult Trail. True enough, the trail starts with a steep ascent towards the ranger station via a difficult cemented staircase. My 12-kilo backpack began to take its toll; I couldn't imagine how the rest of the trail would be like. We ate  our lunch at the ranger station, where we met a group of three hiker - the only other group who chose the Akiki trail that day.

Uphill early on!

When we resumed hiking, the sun was already scorching hot and the trail was treacherously uphill. It wasn't until we reached the first resting station - actually a campsite - that the trail went on a downward slope. Tired as we were, we got an early boost when we saw the summit of Mt. Pulag.

Crossing Eddet river by a hanging bridge.

Eddet River

We reached Eddet River by where we refilled our water containers, took a rest and admired the view. There's no way that we could reach the Marlboro Campsite before sunset, so we decided to continue hiking until we reach an emergency campsite known as Helipad.

It is actually after the Eddet River where the real Akiki trail starts. From the foot of the mountain I could only an endless forest of pine trees on a 60 to 70 degree slope. We had to carefully balance ourselves as a slight mistake - such as looking up - could make us fall on our back and send us rolling down to nowhere. I couldn't count how many rests we took before we reached Helipad - we were tired and panting all throughout. At every ten steps I stopped, relaxed my legs and filled my lungs with as much air as I could gulp.

Hunchbacked from a heavy backpack.

Reaching the helipad was in itself, a big achievement. We then pitched our tents and prepared our dinner. The other Akiki group came shortly. It was already quite cold and we weren't even close to the summit. I wore a dry fit shirt, fleece jacket and Ian's jacket and slipped my body inside my comfy sleeping bag.

Dinner at Helipad

Day 2

We woke up at 4 AM the following morning and ate our breakfast. By the way, I had an extremely regular bowel movement - I automatically felt an intense urge to unload right after waking up. There's a makeshift latrine not too far - but not too close either - and as could no longer hold it, I decided to release somewhere nearby (not on the trail, of course). I am sending my apologies to the spirits of Pulag - please forgive me for having possibly desecrated the mountain.

Pine trees everywhere

Anyway, we resumed our trekking to yet another uphill that did nothing by go up. We reached the Marlboro Campsite, which had a water source and a designated latrine. This is where the rest of the group took their turn to release their pent-up anger.

The scenic Marlboro Campsite

A further trek uphill and we finally reached the mossy forest, which also went uphill. I have never been this tired in my life that I did everything I could to keep my boost my morale. I started singing worship songs (even if I’m not a Christian), then Christmas jingles and finally anime OSTs.

Not-so-mossy forest

Reaching the final water source only meant one thing - we had to completely fill our containers. At this point, my backpack probably weighed 13 kilos - note that a liter of water weighs exactly one kilo. 

Savoring everydrop at our last
water source.

We resumed until we finally reached the last strings of the mossy forest - rolling hills of grasslands - uncovered and unshaded. It was hot but it also began to feel cold at the same time. The view at this part of Pulag is breathtaking – and the hills weren’t too steep that the hike was rather laid-back. 

New environment - grassy this time!

At 1 PM we set foot at the Saddle Camp. It’s amazing how the temperature at the camp can change in an instant – the clouds were drifting very fast it gets cold when a cloud is above us and really hot otherwise.

Saddle camp!
Featuring dwarf bamboos and guides' quarters.

The summit of Mt. Pulag is only 15 minutes away ; we decided to catch the sunset at 4:30 PM. We even had the summit to ourselves. It wasn’t until 6PM that other hikers from the Amba started coming in throngs.

What a wonderful world.

Success!!!

Playing with the sun

By 7 PM, the campsite was already teeming with people. Temperature started to drop that I added another layer – a thick down jacket with fleece lining on top of my fleece jacket. Allan started wearing his rather noisy thermal blanket – which he swears kept him comfy throughout the evening - while Gen and John wore their ponchos.

The sky was so clear that it was dotted by countless stars. While looking up I saw a streak of light – my first shooting star, as I failed to see one on the equally clear and starry sky of Tapulao.

RATING

Pinoy Mountaineer: 6/9

Mine: 6.5/9. I don’t think it’s fair to put it on the same tier as Tapulao, which is also rated 6/9, unless you hired a porter to carry your things.

Photo credits: Ron, Gen, Allan, JB and John.