Stargazing at Mt. Batulao

When a childhood dream doesn't get fulfilled, it often becomes an adult's frustration. I still have quite a number of unfulfilled frustrations on my list - visit any of the Disneylands for example - but let me tell you one that I have accomplished recently - in excess!: I watched a freakin’ meteor shower.

Last night, I ran out of wishes as stars - actually meteorites - fell from the skies like a soft drizzle form an imminent rain. Picture this: I laid out my tent on the ground - I was too lazy to set it up and I thought it would serve a great mat. I cuddled myself myself like a spring roll inside my warm and comfy sleeping bag. I lied down, facing the sky. The sky is dotted by uncountable stars – I don’t remember seeing this many stars before. With my viewing deck completely set, I waited for the anticipated meteor shower. I wasn't in some fancy observatory though. My naked eyes were treated with a great show at Mt. Batulao. Hayahay ang buhay!

Earlier, the group - Sir Frank, Allan, Ozcar and I - took a bus for Nasugbu, Batangas from Manila. The travel took around three hours. We dropped off at Evercrest Golf Course and started trekking at around 9:00 PM. This is my second time at Mt. Batulao, but I could hardly recall the trail. After a series of carefully-thought guesses, we were lucky enough to make it to Camp 7 via the "new trail". We didn't have to wait until 1:00 AM - the forecasted peak of the meteor shower - as stars continued falling even while we were on our way.

The last time I watched a predicted meteor shower was in 2010 in Butuan City. Butuan isn't as urbanized as Manila - but even on a clear sky the visible stars are not as numerous as those of Batulao. We waited until early morning but didn't see a single shooting star. I finally saw my first shooting star at the Saddle Camp of Mt. Pulag - a single streak of light that I thought would be my last. When the Geminids meteor shower was announced on TV - I didn't think twice in setting up an invite in our humble mountaineering group.

By the way, this is also first time that I stayed overnight at a campsite without using a tent. My sleeping bag was enough to keep me warm the whole evening. Nothing beats just sleeping in open air - makes you feel one with nature.

The following morning, we resumed our trek to Peak 11. I noticed that a great portion of the trail have been shaped/carved into stairs. At Peak 11, we met a group of hikers who camped there last night. I can't imagine how these brave souls managed to sleep given the strong winds at the summit - the wind at the ridges was strong enough to knock my balance.

Sunrise!

We ventured outside a trail. Dead end pala. It was fun though.

The three guys from the left were the hardcores who camped at Peak 11.

Optional rapelling. Easier than it looks.

We reached the highway at 11:00 AM the following day and left at noon after taking our lunch at a carinderia. Because of the horrendous traffic along EDSA, I arrived in Cubao at 4:00 PM and Diliman by 6:00 PM. (I missed the Oblation Run and much of the Lantern Parade.) I survived the windy Batulao with just a story to tell. Our cameras weren't high-end enough to capture the shooting stars (yup, the cover photo is from Wiki, :P). Deep inside, though, I was fully satisfied after having accomplished one of my bucket lists - to sleep under a meteor shower. Two weeks ago, I crossed yet another entry on my list when I caught sunrise from up above the clouds. I couldn't be any happier.

For more info on Mt. Batulao including a detailed itinerary, click here.

About the Geminids Meteor Shower

When the earth passes through an area with a higher than usual concentration of debris, some of these debris are attracted by the earth's gravity. They burn and lit up when they hit the atmosphere, causing the streak of lights that we see in the sky. (Yup, real stars don’t just fall like that, as though God used a substandard celestial glue to keep them in their place.) Friction with atmospheric gases is enough to obliterate these meteorites – if this didn’t happen often the earth would have been pockmarked like the moon.

The Geminids meteor shower occurs annually (yey!) around December. This time, we were blessed with a clear sky and a new moon, thus making the meteor shower more visible. It is also more advisable to watch using the naked eye as telescopes can limit your field of vision. Pollution, cloud cover and city lights can all obscure what could possibly be a great show. Mountains in the countryside are considered good sites for watching meteor showers.

The shooting stars occurred everywhere, but they seemed to be concentrated on a certain portion of the sky - the vicinity of the star Castor in the constellation Gemini.

Another - and grander - annual meteor shower to catch are the Perseids, which happens from late July to August. I might just be in Batulao again.

Resources

General info on the Geminids 

How to locate Gemini

Catch the Perseid next year!

Photocredits

Cover photo from Wikipedia.
Other photos were from Ozcar Jhay Quililan, Allan Espano, Frank Uy and myself.