A Muddy and Slippery Adventure at Mt. Romelo

After weeks of monsoon rains and a typhoon, I decided to push through with a long-planned trek to Mt Romelo despite a bleak weather forecast (“scattered rain showers and thunderstorms”). I held to the hope that it looked sunny anyway and that the weathermen probably made a mistake. It turned out that PAGAGA made an accurate forecast this time - but this did not keep me from enjoying my first ever hike.



I met a fellow traveller named JC of Pinoy Backpackers at the Robinson’s Ortigas (on the avenue where the EDSA Shrine is) and boarded a bus for Infanta, Quezon. The trip took about two hours. We followed exactly the directions from a blog, only to find out that things have changed since the blogger had last set foot on Romelo. There wasn’t a sight of a Caltex Station at the Famy Terminal – it turns out the Caltex Station was bought by a local distributor and hence renamed (which I forgot). From Famy we took a tricycle for Brgy Macatad. We realized that shouldn’t have left the bus at Famy but dropped off instead at Brgy Macatad because the bus passes through the jump off point. This bad decision cost us 70 pesos – a hefty tricycle fare for such a short distance.

After crossing a shallow part of the river we finally reached the familiar greenhouse with the mayor’s HUUUGEEE face plastered on it. Her face was even larger than the picture of the falls I wondered if she was the main attraction of the town.

Talk about EPAL!

Anyway, we paid the registration fee of 50 pesos, which was originally 30 pesos according to blogs (talk about inflation!). A guide, which used to cost 200 pesos now costs 300 pesos, which is way beyond our budget. We decided to wait for other hikers whom we can share the guide fee with. When we got to the camp site, we were too shy to pay for our share of the guide fee.

Already panting, but this funny couple made our trek
a lot bearable. And sorry if we did not pay our
share for the guide.

The first fifteen minutes of the trek was nothing but torture it’s amazing that our guide wasn’t even sweating or panting. I was making huge leaps on a muddy staircase. After a while, our bodies seemed to have adjusted, but the trek nevertheless seemed like an eternity, simply because none of us, save from our guide, have been on a trek this long in our entire lives. For two hours we ascended and descended muddy tracks, flat terrain, dug out horse paths, areas with lots of cogon grass, etc.

Entering a rainforest.

Tall grasses.

At every twenty minute or so we passed by a hut where we can rest. Some of the huts are actually sari-sari stores that see buko juice, and oh well, mountain dew. On the fourth hut, the vendor told about a group of hikers who went without a guide and got lost somewhere where a local resident hanged himself. All the forks (i.e., a portion of the trek that branchs out) we have encountered eventually meet, I wonder how these hikers got lost.

Benches like these are cues for some rest.

Some portions of the trail had cement posts. According to a blog, these posts are supposed to hold ropes to help hikers climb the steepy portions. Alas, some of these posts have fallen, and others have (gasp) barbed wires on them. Nevertheless, they were indeed extremely helpful. I had probably fell down one of those slopes if not for them.

These poles were a big help as they were strategically placed
on the steep portion of the trail.

When we got to the campside, I couldn't believe what I saw, or rather heard. A loud speaker was busting Gangnam Style – the last thing I’d expect to hear in this part of the planet. There were some  fifty or so campers in the area in clubbish revelry. The camp site was little disappointment. There were rubbish everywhere. As new to hiking, I was expecting not a single plastic bag or tin can in sight.

After setting up our tent, we immediately headed to Buruwisan falls. We had to descend a steep “cliff” with only roofs and rocks to hold on to. It wasn’t really a cliff, but rather an 70-80 degree slope. Pinoy Mountaineer tells of some hikers who plunged to their death on this cliff.  The adventurous can skip this cliff and make a tarzan jump off on the rocks above – a short walk from the camp site. We didn’t really see anyone who did this. I dont think any tarzan would survive such a jump if he accidentally lands on the outer portions of the basic, where the waters are quite shallow.

The steep, slippery 80 degree cliff that
descends to Buruwisan Falls.

Buruwisan Falls is teeming with bathers.

Lanzones falls is a short trek from Buruwisan, but it was smaller. I was more than happy to have a orange life vest with me, even if it kinda solicited strange looks from other hikers. It was offered to me for free by a generous ate from a sari-sari store in the camp site when I asked if she rents salbabidas. The life vest allowed me to swim to my heart’s delight (I am not a swimmer by the way) and allowed me to get to the falls as close as I wanted to.

Thanks to this orange life vest I was able to get as close
to the falls as I wanted.

We spent the evening in our tent, but it was too noisy all throughout the night that I didn't really get a descent sleep anyway. It continued to drizzle, and we could only surmise how the trail would be slippery when we leave next morning. Indeed, the trail was even muddier and more slippery, it’s amazing that hikers continued to come even during the wee hours of the morning with probably just headlamps on. I can only thank myself for bringing shoes – ordinary rubber shoes, by the way – but which were nevertheless helpful. I originally intended to bring my ordinary sandals, which proved to be slippery even on dry rocks. On our way home we met a group of hikers in full hiking gala, and one of them looked like a weak man in his early fifties. I hope he made it fine, or am I just underestimating him?

Muddy! I can probably make palayok using this mud.

The trip was memorable, but somewhat bitin. My very first climb, on a supposedly easy trail that was made twice more difficult (and dangerous) because of the rain. The locals told us that there are actually six falls (some say eight) in the area, the other two are on the other side of the road and accessible by a quicker hike. We only saw two. Ergo, I’ll definitely visit you again, Romelo, maybe next year.

RATING
Elevation: 300 MASL. There isn't really much of a peak in Romelo, just a small hill that doesn't offer much view. The main attraction are the falls.
Difficulty: 2/9. Freakin' slippery since it rained the night before we trekked, and drizzled on the night when we stayed overnight. I'd give it a rainy day rating of 4/9.

ITINERARY AND EXPENSES
Day 1
10:00 AM Took Raymond Bus (P116) for Infanta Quezon
11:30 Arrival at Famy Terminal, took trike (P70/trip) to jump off
11:45 Arrival at jump off, short trek to registration area (P50)
13:45 Arrival at campsite, set-up tents, lunch, begin exploration exploration
21:00 Dinner, lights out
Day 2
08:00 Wake up call, break fast
09:00 Start trek towards registration area
11:30 Arrival at registration area, lunch
13:00 At the highway, waited for Pasay-bound bus

TIPS
1. The trike drivers offered a ride to the Famy Terminal, claiming that loading is unloading is not allowed at the side of the highway. This is not true.
2. You can take a shower at the river near the registration area for free, of course. I wanted some privacy, so I bathed at a nearby shower stall for P25.
3. The lazy hiker can rent a horse.

Just a final message to would-be campers: please, oh, please, don't just leave your freakin' trash anywhere.

Photo credits: JC Sabio.