Mount Pulag

2nd Highest Mountain in the Philippines. (2922+ MASL)

i was given the opportunity to hike one of the promising mountains in the country when i got invited by a friend to hike this mountain & since i needed the Training for KK, i grabbed it.
after work, i went straight to the Bus Station where i slept in the 6hr ride to Baguio HighLands. 

from there, we met our companions & took a Jeepney Ride to the JumpOff. goin through a zigzag rough road Asleep, i have no idea how i did it too. i was a little bit tired i guess.

Killer Trail : Akiki-Ambangeg Traverse
.26-DECEMBER  to  28-DECEMBER.

with a 90 degree uphill slope trail ahead of me, im not sure if i was ready for this.
all i know is this is where i wanted to be at.
the Pine Tree leaves are a challenge climbing up too.

i especially enjoyed crossing the Hanging Bridge. (i Love Bridges i dunno why).

i was surprised i got my pacing on & we were ahead of our game plan. so we just took our time & pushed ourselves until past the Eddet River towards the Helipad where we will be spending our 1st night Camping. 

yes you heard me right, we're still a long way to go before reaching the Summit.

everybody woke up early to eat breakfast, breakcamp & we started trekking again. the Hike was Fun.
i was w/ friends who makes me feel safe in the mountains. & i enjoyed their company.

the trek consisted of simple talks & mostly laughs, it was a happy hike.

we reached the Saddle where we will spend our last night pretty early too. there we met other friends who came from the other side, as they decided to take the more easier trail.

This was a Unity Climb where two teams starting from two different directions would be hiking meeting unitedly at one point.

after dinner, i wasnt able to join them in the socials since i decided to sleep right away, it has been a long day, i was tired & cold.

i have been blessed to be at such a great place right before the year end & be able to witness the Most Beautiful Sunset & Sunrise of my life.

this was not my first time to see the 'Sea of Clouds' but seein it this CLOSE was definitely a first & i was just speechless standing on top of this mountain, feelin every cold breeze brushin the cheek of my face & sweeping through my hair.
it has been a Perfect Moment for me. it was almost Dream-like.

im climbing down w/ a Smile definitely. i think i dont even want to go down.
i wanna spend another night at this Amazing place.
i have to convince myself that soon this beautiful dream is gonna end & i will wake up to the ugly reality.

the moment we got back to the City, our Baguio Boys showed great hospitality. we hanged out almost every night at local bars. something i enjoyed. somethin very filipino. 

after which, we would go & buy stuff at the Night Market.
Thank You Kuya Fabz for buyin me a Pooh Stuff Toy! :)

& on this trip, i lost my camera for some reason i cant remember. i dunno how i lost it honestly.

it broke my heart big time! i got totally depressed because i just hiked one of the Best Mountains in the Philippines & im goin home w/o a single souvenir picture at hand. it may not be a big deal for some because i know that the experience u bring w/ you from a Hike is what really matters. but bein the picture addict that i am, this is a big part of me. & i just felt really down. so yes, all the pictures you'll see in this particular blog was grabbed from the cameras of my friends. all the pictures i took (Sea of Clouds, Sunsets, Sunrise, Pine Trees, Nature, Flowers, People, Friends, etc) were gone along w/ the lost Camera.

we went to a nearby town known for one of its Church. Manaoag.

it has been a spiritual journey for me. i met this little girl who gave me a spiritual booklet.

at first i thought she was selling it, so i said im not interested in buying, she told me that its for free & its a prayer book for safety. i gladly took it. it was sweet of her. i was touched.

my friends had been tryin all day to cheer me up & never did i expect that a lil girl i dont even know would make me smile, yes i have a heavy heart  :(

for some reason, i never realized that what i blurted out was a question askin for her birthday.
(weird, i know right, here i am, inside a church, talkin to some random girl i dont know & the first thing i ask her is her Birthday?!?)

i froze w/ what she answered me. she has the same birthday as my brother.
(whats wrong? its because my brother is already dead, she made me miss him that day)

i dunno what the significance of this lil girl is to me at this Church. but that day, i prayed, i decided to let things go, i prayed for a lot of things, my family, my bro, my friends, this girl & her family too.

i realized im too blessed to be cryin over spilled milk. i can save up for a new camera right? there are other people who are worried because they dont know where to get money to feed their families or whatever major problems there is existing & here i am all wimpy over a freakin camera. so immature dEz!

i left the church feelin a little better. i decided to look for the girl & give her money, unfortunately she was no where to be found.

Yes. this had been a Trip of Roller Coaster of Emotions for me.
but it was definitely worth the ride.  all the way!

what a nice way to end 2009. to get my *ss up a mountain & have Nature at its Finest!

(btw i Salute all the Guides & Mountaineers out there! HATS OFF!)  \m/