celebraTINg exisTENce

A panoramic shot of the clouds + mossy forest + grassland summit.

We told ourselves, "Descent will be easier."

Nalagpasan na namin 'yung mahirap na ascent eh, ano pang hindi namin kakayanin?

Turns out we were right because the descent was really easy compared to the ascent (except for some uphills na kinailangan namin magpahinga sandali). It was also during that time that I got to appreciate the view from the mossy forest. The mossy forest looks like a scene taken out from fairy tale but I don't think I'm willing to do a night trek in the area. Hehe

Then, may nakasalubong kaming climber whom we greeted and told us, "Ang ganda na ng mga ngiti oh, naka sea of clouds na kasi."

Kuya, HUHUHUHUHU, totoo. :))) Grabe, kung alam lang niya hirap na hirap na hirap din kami nung paakyat.

Walking through the fog felt like the mountain is applying ointment on my body to relieve the ache and to prevent the body ache that I might feel the next day. It also felt like a goodbye embrace that the mountains gave us.

And since we were walking at a leisurely phase, I was reminded of Genting Highlands in Malaysia that time. They look the same; mossy forest and fog. Only this time, it is more 'cause we trekked our way down rather than just ride a cable car.

Konting NatSci: Mossy forest is also called cloud forest. Since the moisture from the clouds/fogs are effectively retained, there are abundant mosses covering the ground and other vegetation.

Mixed emotions at the sight of the pine forest.

Unlike the temperature and the shade in the mossy forest, there are lesser trees in the pine forest so the trail is unshaded.

We rested for a while here.

One of the effects of mountain climbing? You couldn't care less where you're seating as long as you get to sit.

JUST GOT LUCKY? Baka JUST GOT HAGGARD.
HAHAHAHA. CHURA KO B3H.

Almost back to where we started...

This time though, we're better and stronger persons.

Our Ate porter/guide.

One of the people that I am thankful for during this climb. Hehehe.

Lahat ng pagod, ng hirap, ng lungkot (paminsan) napalitan na lang ng ngiti pagkakita namin sa ranger station. Parang charger. Parang electric shock. Bigla kaming nabuhay ganyan. HAHAHAHA.

Maraming Salamat sa dalawang araw na marami mang hirap ay puno pa rin ng masasaya at magagandang alaala. :)

Hindi naman siguro siya magtatampo na ang tagal ko siyang pinangarap tas nung naabot ko na, iniwan ko na lang ng ganun ganun, noh?

Ang tagal mong pinangarap, gagawin mo lahat ng paraan para maka-akyat.

Ang gagawin naman ng bundok? Aalagaan ka habang nandun ka at gagamutin ka sa paraang alam niya. Ipapakita rin niya sa'yo 'yung mga lugar na magaganda, itutulak ka niya para lumabas ka sa comfort zone mo at papatunayan niya sa'yong you're capable of achieving a lot of things kung gugustuhin mo lang. Lahat ng 'yan ginagawa niya nang walang hinihintay na kapalit.

Pero sa kabila ng lahat ng 'yon? Iiwanan mo pa rin naman siya. Kasi may iba kang buhay at may iba ka pang gustong puntahan.

Iniisip ko tuloy na ganung pag-ibig pala ang dapat: isang pag-ibig na mapagparaya. Isang pag-ibig na hindi ka pipigilan na gawin ang mga gusto mo, isang pag-ibig na aalagaan ka kapag nandyan ka't yayakapin sa pag-alis mo, at isang pag-ibig na magibibigay sa'yo ng lakas tuwing aalalahanin mo.

Kagaya ng pag-ibig na namamagitan sa mga umaakyat ng bundok at mga bundok, hindi naman kailangan na laging magkasama eh. Ang mas mahalaga ay 'yung koneksyon ninyong dalawa.

Nagustuhan mo ba ko? Babalikan mo ba ko? 'Yan 'yung mga tanong na hindi na kailangan tanungin ng Mt. Pulag sa'kin.

Hindi ko pa man masagot kung kelan basta alam ko sa sarili kong babalik ako. At alam ko rin na kahit matagalan at magbago man ako, tatanggapin pa rin ako ng budok. YAN. :))

Sabi nga sa quote, "So when people leave, I've learned the secret: let them. Because, most of the time, they have to. Let them walk away and go places. Let them have adventures in the wild without you. Let them travel the world and explore life beyond a horizon that you exist in. And know, deep down, that heroes aren't qualified by their capacity to stay but by their decision to return.

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"Let yourself move to the next chapter in life when the time comes. Don't remain stuck on the same page."

This is a quote that seems relevant to this post and for other things na niri-ritwalan ko ngayon. Shems. Shems. Shems. :)))) Lahat na lang ba, gusto ko?! Sana hindi pa napapagod ang universe. Hahaha!

After staying for almost an hour at the summit, we descended. Alam mo 'yun, no matter how hard it was for you to reach the summit and no matter how much you dreamt about it, you can't stay there for the rest of your life eh. 'Yun 'yung constant sa'tin, movement... :)

Sobrang daming clouds. Grabe. Lakas talaga maka-dream come true.

Take your breath awaaaaaaaay.

The only sad part about it being an item in a lot of people's bucket lists is that it would be difficult to maintain the mountain as it is. New trails are created and it is something which is not supposed to happen. It was even mentioned in the DENR orientation that trekkers should walk in single file just so they won't create new trails but as we were descending, we saw a lot of trails. :( Pwedeng nagmamadali kaya nakakapag-overtake 'yung iba, pwedeng kasi madulas 'yung existing. Tsktsk

Lahat kasi ng lugar may carrying capacity and even though may effort naman sila para ma-regulate ang climbers, 'yung mountains hindi agad siya nakakarecover, nasisira 'yung dwarf bamboos saka marami pang trail na nagagawa instead na dapat isa lang. I'm not perfect. Humawak din ako sa damo nung descent kasi natatakot ako masubsub so... kung bawat araw may mga kagaya ko, edi makakalbo na 'yung grass kakahila, diba?

Leave none to minimal impact when mountain climbing. 'Yan dapat talaga 'yung practice eh.

Mossy forest, grassland and the rolling hills of Mt. Pulag.

It was during the descent that I was able to look around. Dun ko lang na-realize na ang scary pala nung ibang parts ng trails kasi maliit lang 'yung daanan tas bangin pa. HAHAHAHA. Ge. Ginusto ko 'to eh.

The rolling hills of Mt. Pulag National Park, the "endless" and "heavenly" sea of clouds, everything - everything was a sight to behold.

The moon didn't leave us. <3

Then we reached the part of the trail where it's just mist everywhere. Fog siguro din 'yan. IDK.

Malabong sun.

Even the sun wants a silhouette shot.

And there was also a part of the trail where there are a lot of spider webs in the dwarf bamboos.

The grassland summit was just 1.5 km from this marker? Woah! That has to be my longest 1.5 km ever. Parang 15 km eh!

Still foggy but we're already near the Camping Grounds.

Sa mga lugar na ganito ka dapat magtatanong at magi-isip ng sagot, "Ano nga ba ang buhay?" HAHAHA. Lakas maka-emo. Di maka-picture kasi baka madulas, di rin makapagkwentuhan kasi isang tao lang kasya sa daan. Haaaaaaaaay. <3 Loved the foggy/moist surroundings pa rin.

Also my first time to see a white rainbow/ fog bow.

Noah's Ark ang peg? I'd take it as a sign po, God. :) This fog bow shall symbolize HOPE and the GREAT THINGS THAT ARE TO COME. *fingers crossed*

Just so you'd have an idea how cold it was... parang nilagay sa ref 'yung tubig pagbalik namin sa tent.

SUMMIT! SUMMIT!!!

We ate the most delicious instant noodles and sky flakes for breakfast.

Morning Dew

Mount Pulag is the summit in the left and the rest that are almost the same height are summit 2, 3, and 4 if I'm not mistaken. <3

Panoramic Shot

Clouds, Mossy Forest, Grassland :)

Konting NatSci: The "great divide" of the mossy forest and the grassland is called the tree line. It is defined as the edge of the habitat where trees can no longer tolerate the environmental conditions.

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People say that Christmas is not an emergency since it comes at the same time every year but why is it that when the holiday season is about to arrive, our finances scream like there's an emergency? Hehe. What if I'll tell you that you have a chance to give someone a gift (from an excellent brand at that!) FOR FREE?

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There's no harm in trying. Good luck.

*This is a sponsored post.

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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.

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.

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.

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. :))))

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.

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.

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.

Very different from the sea of clouds at Jr. Pulag, the sunrise sea of clouds was calm and very serene.

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.

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

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. :)

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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Sunlight. Oh, sunlight.

It was hot that afternoon because of the sun but we appreciated and "enjoyed" all the heat because we knew that the temperature will drop at night.

My side of the tent. HAHAHAHAHA. Ako na may nakaayos na gamit lagi.

Featuring: ANG TSISMOSO NAMING KAPIT-BAHAY.

I was organizing my things to get ready for the freezing night and for the summit trek. And as I was rummaging the things I brought, I told my friends, "Ito ang 10 kgs. kong gamit! Nakakainis talaga lagi akong nago-overpack."

Then, ang tsismoso naming kapit-bahay shouted,

"Ikaw na nag-overpack."

At pinagkalat niya pa talaga sa iba na may narinig siyang nag-overpack. Peace. Kung mabasa mo 'to, alam kong di mo sinasadyang marinig. Malakas lang talaga boses ko. Hahahaha

We slept for around an hour or two to restore our energy and rest our bodies that got tortured during the ascent. The sun was still up the time we slept but it was almost sunset when we woke up which explains the colder breeze.

And ang tsismoso naming kapit-bahay heard that we were awake so he invited us to climb what they call Jr. Pulag which is adjacent the camp 2 extension grounds.

We agreed to go with them saying, "Summit Training" as our reason for doing so.

I went out of our tent wearing three layers of clothing but I went back to put on another one.

During our Jr. Pulag sunset ascent, I was wearing four layers of clothing, bonnet and gloves.

This is what the camp 2 extension looked like.
Sobrang bet, noh?

Looking at that view, all the hardship we experienced wereworth it. Nasa gilid lang namin 'yung clouds!!! Understandable because we were 2,000+ MASL.

Left side na tents is camp 2, 'yung nasa middle part, yan 'yung camp 2 extension and taga-dun kami. We were almost near the summit of Jr. Pulag when I took this picture. Look how far we've come. :))

Hiningal ako, men!!!
Humiga na lang ako sa damuhan niyan for a while.

Here's a picture of the clouds from the summit of Jr. Pulag.

If I were to compare the clouds with waves, they're like the waves at Bangui Bay in Ilocos Norte. Mataas na waves na parang may galit.

When I was in Baguio Cathedral, gusto ko 'yung fog na unti-unting bumabalot sa view. Grabe. Sobrang galante ng Mt. Pulag, hindi lang fog kundi clouds talaga bumalot sa view namin at ang bilis nila. From a clear view, one minute after lang, puro clouds na sa paligid.

Our fellow climbers told us to trek down immediately after taking some pictures since none of us brought head lights... baka daw mahirapan kami bumaba pag sobrang dilim na so we followed.

Halfway our descent, one shouted,

"Guys, akyat dito ulit. May sea of clouds na!"

We took the risk of descending without flashlights and spent around 10 minutes in one of the summits there.

Again, the clouds didn't look peaceful and calm that time but they will still take your breath away.

Ang magical. Ang saya. Ang lakas maka-dream come true.

Raging Sea of Clouds at Sunset. <3 <3

At that point, I was fully convinced that I made the right choice.
Konting-tiis na lang, Tin. Andyan ka na.
:)))

Nakakawala ng pagod at nakakawala ng sakit ng katawan.
All my energy was restored as if I'm ready to trek my way to the summit. AS IF ah, gusto ko rin magpahinga muna kasi.

I might not have seen the sun while setting but even if the clouds were blocking the view, I couldn't care less.

I'm just so thankful that I was there at that moment. <3

Open fires aren't allowed at campsites. You'd have to bring your own cooking materials and portable stove.

Dinner... :)) Makeshift gloves at lalagyan ng food. Ang lala. Hindi ko na idi-detalye kung paano kami kumain basta naging sebo agad 'yung mantika ng adobo.

It was already lights off at 8 PM and our climb mates kept on reminding us to wake up at 3:00 AM so we could start the trek to the summit by 3:30 AM. Dahil ba babae kami, kaya akala niyo matagal kami magbihis?! O hindi tayo pwede ma-late ng alis kasi hindi tayo aabot kasi mabagal kami? Hahaha. Nonetheless, thanks to our time conscious climb mates that we were able to make it minutes before sunrise. More of this in the next post.

During the orientation, Ate from DENR told us that we should keep our voices down and limit the noises that we will create not only to respect other campers but to respect Pulag as well. Sabi rin na pag maingay 'yung umaakyat at 'yung mga nasa camp site, madalas umuulan pag sunrise. No one took the risk. Ang tahimik namin lahat. :)))

Before sleeping, naglagay muna kami ng Omega sa likod and sa paa to soothe the possible muscle ache and to feel warm na rin. Effective naman! Nakaramdam ng konting init and medyo nakaalis din ng sakit ng katawan.

Ayan, clothed in three layers of jackets, leggings and jogging pants, two socks, two gloves and a bonnet, I tried to fall asleep. Sabi ko naman sa inyo, hindi uso palit outfit dun. Gusto mo magpalit ng outfit? Ipatong mo na lang. :)))

Nakatulog naman ako pero nagising ako and when I looked at the time, 10 PM pa lang. Huh? Bakit parang forever na ko natulog?! hahahahaha.

'Yun 'yung cycle, matutulog tas in less than an hour magigising tas makakatulog ulit tas magigising ulit. Pero in between tulog at gising, nagdadasal na akong, "Sana po maganda 'yung weather bukas. Sana po makayanan ko. Sana po hindi ako magkasakit. Sana po makatulog na ako ng maayos." I don't remember everything that I prayed for kasi marami-rami 'yon.

The coldest time was at around 1 AM, nagising ako kasi it felt like my feet were about to freeze. Hindi ko na rin alam kung anong ikot gagawin ko nun kaya naupo na lang muna ako para di masyado in contact 'yung katawan ko sa ground. 'Yung lamig kasi galing sa lupa parang nanunuot sa katawan eh kaya nga lagi lang kami naka-side na higa. Tapos parang may humahampas sa tent namin and when we peeked outside, malakas na hangin pala. Sobrang foggy na may mist 'yung itsura sa labas at buti na lang full moon nun kaya hindi masyado madilim.

If you have no sleeping bags, okay rin na ipatong sa sahig 'yung mga insulators. Basta anything na hindi magsi-seep in 'yung lamig ng lupa, pwede na 'yun. Ginamit ko 'yung sarong ko na pang-ilalim tas medyo nakabalot sa'kin 'yung blue ko na kumot. Buti na lang, marami akong dalang jacket at marami rin akong adipose tissues sa katawan.

Pero sobrang lamig talaga. Hindi ako nakatiis, nagpatong ako ulit ng isa pang jacket. That time, I was thanking myself for overpacking. HAHAHAHAHA. Nagamit ko lahat ng jacket na dinala ko eh. SINONG OVERPACKING? Mukha lang overpacking pero sakto lang pala. Hehehe.

Thankful for the sea of clouds during sunset. <3
Thankful that I made it through the night.
Thankful for the people we climbed Mt. Pulag with, they made our first major climb a whole lot easier . <3

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