SkimChix - island life

We were trekking the forest floors and all we see are tall trees, vines and wild flowers. The sun's rays would shine from time to time and we could measure how high we are by some openings along the path and see the opposite mountains but that is too seldom. There are also some strange noise and hiss, which our guides told us that these are sounds of snakes. Though I don’t wish to see any of them. I don’t want to disturb the peace of the forest because of my scream.

Before we push to reach Lake Venado, which is our target destination to eat lunch, we made a trip to Mainit Falls. This is actually one of the campsites, if we got to the jump off point earlier and we could bath in the waters before we start the trek. But since its only a side trip for us all we got was pictures. It was enough but to experience bathing in its water could be more rewarding.

So we started our climb and passed the killer 90 degrees trail. It wasn't that hard, since there were already ladders that helps us in the climb. We started to feel the cold air of the forest and you could see that the trees are covered with moss, the weather was inconsistent with unexpected rain.

Then we reach the swamps. Lake Venado is within our sight. It was magical. It left me speechless. I can find the right words to describe its beauty. We were the first to arrived in the group so I had the change to take a lot of pictures of the scenery even if it drizzles (I was told that this is because of the clouds surrounding us). During the time when the sun was out, we got the chance to dry our wet things, that includes my sleeping bag that was so wet when I slept the previous day.

I could see the peak and the different forest that we will be traversing. There's the tall trees, then midget trees den some fruit bearing trees that I thought was the wild berries. I tried tasting it and realized how spicy and hot it was. Then the real berries started to emerge, it taste delicious, though from the trail, you can find the ripe ones, maybe because the previous climbers have harvested it. Rain started pouring again and the air was cold. It was almost dark. I was so tired, too much effort needs to be made to take a single step. But I told myself that I can't stop, the peak is so near.

Then a flat view with cogon grass started to appear and I realize, I am already at the peak! Success!

There are really a few things that I fear of, but this one scared me. We were walking in the dark, with just the sounds of crickets, the river and seldom human voices are heard. The surrounding was so quiet most of the time. And the trail was slippery and muddy due to the frequent rain days before our climb. At one point we made a wrong turn, and the person leading the pack knew we were lost. Good thing the people who used to be behind us didn’t follow. We tried calling their names to get directions to go back to the correct trail. We made short cuts just to keep up with the group and that means descending from the tall grasses, sliding, and getting scratch from thorny vines.

When the altitude was higher, we had a glimpse of the city, the vibrant city light. I was amazed. This was my first time climbing RCPI tower and they were telling me, that there’s more to what I’m seeing when we reach the top. And as promised after hours of walking in the dark, we arrived at the camp site. It was beside a tower that was separated from a group of towers in the opposite peak.

The view was stunning! We were treated to an unobstructed view of the city. And it was wonderful. This has a better view than the chalet. And only few hikers would reach this site. It was heaven for me. After dinner, all I did was spread a cover on the grass and just stare at the beauty of the view.

Though we were force to sleep early because it started to drizzle then it rained harder. My tent wasn’t reliable enough because some of the rain droplets started to get inside the tent. I have to transfer to a different tent to keep myself dry. In the morning, I was treated to another beautiful sight, the sunrise, the city and the surrounding mountains.

It was time to go back to the city to have breakfast; we did not bother cooking since our butane (use to fuel our portable burner) was almost empty. I felt I haven’t fully savored the beauty of the place yet. I want to stay longer, but it would be too hot when the sun will be over our heads. On our way home, we were following a dirt road, passing the chalet and the Mountain View. We rode a jeepney going to JY Square to each our breakfast in Mc Donald’s before heading home. It was a very nice pre climb event and I wish to go back to RCPI Tower again.

The host group has been very generous to share their experiences and tips on the outdoors, covering the basic survival skills, to do’s and not to do’s, and how to preserve the mountains and the trails for the next generation of mountaineers. They gave us the basic information about the mountains in the Philippines and categorize based on the difficulty of climbing them.

The training room was full packed, but never the least it was a day of learning and a time to mingle with other mountaineering enthusiast. Best of all, the training comes with free snacks, which served as another highlight for the event because the food taste great and there was food for everyone.

In behalf of our group, Bagtaks, we would like to congratulate the host group, Inter-Mountaineering Society and Sir Rans of Ewit for inviting us. Keep educating everyone of taking care of Mother Nature! Good job guys!