Mt. Pulag Climb: Sea of Clouds at the Summit!!!
Woke up at 3 AM (Lost count on how many times we've woken up since 9 PM that night) and got ready for the ascent to Pulag. We immediately looked at the night sky when we got out of our tent and to our relief, we saw lots stars and few clouds which are good indicators that there is going to be a sea of clouds phenomenon during sunrise.
We started trekking at exactly 3:30 AM bringing only our cameras and headlights with us which is a wrong move 'cause we should've also brought some trail food and a bottle of water since the trek to the summit from Camp 2 will take an hour and a half or even more depending on your phasing.
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| I know that we shouldn't take comfort in knowing other people have it worse but the trekkers behind us became my strength too. As in. Sinasabi ko sa sarili ko, "Sila ngang nandun pa, kaya nila maka-summit. Ikaw pang andito na!!" Sunrise trek became harder as I started to feel thirsty but no one remembered to bring water so I have no choice but to bear with my thirst and drying throat. I told our fellow climbers, "Parang wala na kong laway. Natuyo na lahat." And he told me to just practice proper breathing which is to refrain from inhaling and exhaling through my mouth. Effective naman. Hindi nakakatuyo ng lalamunan. |
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| And we reached the summit. Not minding the dew covered grasses, I laid and sat there for a while thanking the God(s) for giving me the strength and for giving us, the climbers for that day, perfect weather and perfect view. |
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| Thankful to other climbers for not being boisterous all throughout our climb and our stay at the camp site that it was a perfect view for us. hahaha. It was mentioned in the DENR orientation that once the residents (kahit anong dimension pa 'yan) in the mountain get upset with the behavior of the climbers, it will start to rain and everything that we've gone through will just go to waste. Of course, don't go there when there's a typhoon and expect a perfect weather in return for your good behavior. :)))) |
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| For more or less ten minutes, I sat there marveling at the view and thanking God that I was able to reach the summit. Seryoso, I couldn't have done it alone. Yes, my fellow climbers were there but it was Him who gave me strength when I felt that my body was telling me to give up, and it was Him who held me everytime I stepped on something slippery and was about to fall. Hindi kasi ako nagsasabi na pagod ako habang paakyat pero nagbubuntong-hininga lang sabay dasal ng Angel of God prayer na hindi ako madulas kahit basa at mahirap 'yung ibang part ng trail. F.Y.I The place is also called Playground of the Gods since according to the beliefs of the tribes living in the area, Mt. Pulag is the place where the gods live, rest and play. It is also the place where the spirits of people go a.k.a life after death or afterlife whichever is right. |
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| The gods living there didn't only show us a sea of clouds but also a "waterfall" of clouds. Clouds everywhere. Ang surreal. The first few minutes were dramatic for me. Sobra. HAHAHAHAHA. Hindi naman sa point na naiiyak ako pero grabe lang. Speechless ganyan. Lahat ng hirap at kagustuhang makita 'yung sea of clouds ng personal; Ayun na eh. Then I deactivated the airplane mode of my phone to check if there was a signal and when there was, I texted some of my friends that I successfully climbed the summit. If you're buying your gloves, check out Saizen 'cause they have touchscreen-friendly gloves so you could operate your phone while wearing them. |
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| Looking at the most beautiful sunrise of my life yet on the second day of my most challenging two days yet. Nasa taas rin naman ako ng clouds pag sumasakay ako ng airplane pero iba pa rin eh. Mas maganda 'to ng 1,000%. :)) Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations. |
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| Very different from the sea of clouds at Jr. Pulag, the sunrise sea of clouds was calm and very serene. |
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| Haaaaaaaay. <3 Kahit nahirapan ako, willing pa rin ako maghirap in the future makita lang ulit 'yung ganito kagandang view. Pero kinain ko na salita ko nito ah. Sabi ko kasi nung araw na 'yon, never again. HAHAHAHA.
What does it take to summit a mountain?
More than things to bring and more than preparing physically, it's your mind eh. Your mindset, your will and your determination. |
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Para maka-akyat ka, ang una mong kalaban e 'yung paniniwala mong hindi mo kakayanin. Pero dahil napag-desisyunan mong gusto mong pumunta at makasama ang sea of clouds, kinakaya mo lahat kahit pa wala ka na sa comfort zone mo at kahit pa hirap na hirap ka na.
Medyo natagalan ka man at may mga beses na iniisip mong ayaw mo na, tinutuloy mo pa rin dahil alam mong sa dulo e andyan pa rin 'yung bundok na naghihintay sa'yo - may sea of clouds man o wala. Ang sarap lang kasi sa pakiramdam na hindi ka na nag-iisip kung may patutunguhan at may kasiguraduhan ang isang bagay eh. Diba, parang mas andun 'yung lakas mo na kumapit pag alam mong may naghihintay at kailangan mo lang labanan 'yung mga (internal) conflicts na meron ka. Kaso hindi sa lahat ng pagkakataon e ganyan.
1. Lumalaban kahit di mo nakikita kung ano 'yung dulo dahil sa palagay mo sapat na 'yung meron ka(yo) para makatagal. Sabi mo, "Life's uncertain anyway." Baka may chance, baka wala, bahala na. Gusto mong maging kuntento at umasa pero di mo maiwasan mag-isip minsan kung kakayanin nga ba talaga. Pero 'yun nga, dahil mahal mo (ang mga ginagawa mo!!), tinutuloy mo pa rin at pinipiling isantabi lahat ng doubts na meron ka sa pag-asang darating ang isang araw na babalikan mo 'tong panahon na 'to at masasabi mo sa sarili mong, "Buti na lang hindi ako nagpadala sa takot ko at buti na lang naghintay ako..." YAN. YAN. YAN.
2. Kung lumaban ka pero 'yung bagay/tao na dahilan kung bakit ka nagmatapang nung umpisa e mawala, siguro okay lang din. At least pagkatapos ng lahat ng 'yon, mas matatag ka na. Sa hindi niya role na magtagal sa buhay mo eh, kailangan lang niya ituro sa'yo na tibagin ang walls mo para magbigay-daan sa ikaw na hindi nagpapadala agad sa takot. Salamat pa rin. Kung wala ba siya, magkakaroon ka ng pagkakataon na magtutulak sa'yo para magawa ang mga bagay na inakala mong imposible? Wala, diba? KERI. :D
HAAAAAY. Very thankful that I got out of my comfort zone and climbed Mt. Pulag. Hindi perfect lagi ang sitwasyon sa summit pero buti pa ang bundok, hindi umaalis at hindi nang-iiwan. :))))))) Worth it agad lahat ng sakripisyo. <3
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| Dun sa positive naman: If you have a clear picture of your goals, you're going to withstand all the sufferings that come with it. The trek wasn't (always) an easy path but I needed to pass through all of those to get to where I wanted to be. Konting tyaga pa, konting push pa sa sarili, kayang-kaya. May mahirap kang pinagdaanan? Hindi mo pa man makita 'yung gusto mong makita pero dahil alam mong may patutunguhan 'yan, sige lang. :) |
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| At 2,922 MASL. :))))) Worth it lahat ng sakit ng ulo. HAHAHA. Maraming salamat talaga, Mt. Pulag dahil hindi mo sinayang lahat ng effort ko. |
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