Happily Baked in the Grassy Slopes of Mt. Sembrano

Grassy mountains offer a charm that is different from those that have a well-forested slopes. They give the mountain a somewhat manicured look from afar (think of the classic Windows XP wallpaper). After having been left unsatisfied by the Higantes, I decided to join the group's hike for Mt. Sembrano - my third grassy peak after Maculot and Batulao. As I did not really intend to join the hike, I was wearing a poloshirt, jeans, an ordinary rubber shoes and a knee strap - certainly not the best things to wear while trekking. I was off for a here-goes-whatever adventure.

From Angono, we rode a jeep for Tanay, then another jeep for Pililia. Can't recall how long we traveled but it was quite long. (EDIT: As per Ivan Lakwatsero, one hour for Tanay and half an hour for Brgy. Malaya, Pililia).

Fortunately, when we got to Tanay, I saw a sidewalk vendor selling shorts. I'm not really a big fan of trek shorts - altho I want to have one myself - but as far as my five previous hikes are concerned I didn't have any problems with ordinary pambahay shorts. The one I bought was particularly special - it's super short, it's stretchable and costs only P15. We took another jeep for Pililia and registered at the visitor's center - actually the Brgy Peace-Keeping Outpost.

Our trek started with a short walk on paved road which ran uphill - a great warm up, I thought. And thankfully, while walking, I found a nice piece of wood that would serve as my trek pole. I later upgraded when I found a better one half an hour later.

Very provincial. Reminds me of my hometown.

The trail was rocky and slightly muddy as it probably rained the previous night. It also appeared that we were trespassing into someone else's farm - there were crops, banana and coconut trees everywhere. As we didn't have a guide, Mina and Anthony, who have been to Sembrano previously tried their best to recall the right path. After encountering several forks, we reached the Manggahan Campsite after about an hour.

Refreshing buko juice.

By the way, there's something with the buko juice that they were selling at the campsite. Back in Romelo, a single coconut wasn't even enough to quench my thirst. At Sembrano, that single coconut left me bloated - actually drowned. I placed the remainder of buko juice in my water bottle. It was the most watery coconut I have ever seen.

Assault galore

Rocky trail

We resumed our trek across a shady forest of bamboos, vines and trees with intertwining branches that gave the trail a low-lying ceiling. For roughly an hour, we encountered nothing but pure assaults made even more difficult by the muddy trail full of slippery rocks. I grabbed whatever roots, rocks or branches that I could hold on to. We finally reached the grassy hills and continued for another hour until we reached the summit. This is where we started getting baked, and thankfully, we only had to turn our backs to catch the magnificent view of the West Philippine Sea and even the skyline of Manila.

The view from behind us.

Trek to the peak

Resting at the summit.

On our descent, we stayed for a while at the campsite to rinse - or more exactly - play at the nearby waterfalls known as Manggahan Falls. We didn't mind the murky water - it was cold, waist-deep and we were mud-drenched, tired and sweaty. This is where the group started getting a bit comfortable with each other. Come to think of it - we haven't really shared much conversation with each other when we started hiking - I've only joined Jef, Al and Ozcar on previous hikes, while the rest of the group were all new faces. Of course, there's no way we would be going home with remnants of murky water (with morsels of rice and food from previous campers) on our skin.

Fun at the mini falls

Here's a better view of the falls, from Mina's blog.

When we got to the Visitor's Center, we waited for each other's turn to take a shower at the only bathroom. Mina tried to make a nearby water pump to work, but to no avail. Fortunately, the personnel at the nearby barangay hall were generous enough to let us use their toilet. I should say, even when we first got there, they have been very friendly.

EXPENSES
Jeep from Shaw to Angono P35
Angono to Tanay Terminal P35
Tanay to Pililia P20
Registration Fee at the Brgy Hall P20
Entrance Fee at Manggahan Campsite P10

same route out

Buko juice P10 x 2

SUMMARY
I should have put sunblock on. The heat was really scorching.

Difficulty: 4/9. It just rained the previous right. If the trail was dry, maybe 3/9. Trail to campsite is easy, but from campsite to the grassy hills, it's pure assault. The grassy hills are also steep on certain portions. The grasses at the summit were so tall we didn't get a 360 degree view.

Photo credits: Jeffrey Sta. Maria, Anthony Arcilla and Thrasher Mina