Hiking in the Phils

[katie23]

^^Lol. Thanks Eddy/ Luigi.

After the photo ops, it took ~30 to 40 minutes to reach the summit.

[DrWilly]

Looks like a brilliant trek. I miss this!

[katie23]

My victory pose at the summit



^those are the organizer/ photographer & one of my millennial hike mates

[katie23]

@Willy - yes it was a good trek. Not too tough; medium difficulty I'd say. I reached the summit in ~3.5 hrs (with rest stops).

This pic is from the organizer's camera. This was the last stretch to reach the summit.

[DrWilly]

Victory well deserved!

thanks for posting.

[katie23]

^thanks, willy. Yes, it was a well deserved victory, I think. As I've said earlier, I'm happy that I was among the 1st group to finish the trek and my body didn't ache afterwards.

After some photo ops at the summit, it was time to descend the mountain and visit the waferfalls.

Some parts were muddy & slippery, so there were some roped areas.


Some rocky trails


The falls are in sight!

^the guy in blue is one of my mates

[katie23]

At the falls, we caught up with the earlier group who camped overnight at the summit.



They left ahead of us. After they left, it was nice that my group had the falls to ourselves.


^they stayed overnight, so they carried full packs. My group went on a day hike, so we had smaller bags.

More pics later...

[Topper]

Very nice Katie!!!!!!

[Edmond]

You gonna break out yer Lycra, Tops?

[Looper]

Your bag looks like it is sagging down under more weight in the summit victory shot Katie



I hope your cheeky young millennial walking buddies were not adding rocks to it at each rest stop on the way up!

[Joe 90]

Very nice Katie!

Did anyone cool off in the waterfall?

[Topper]

You gonna break out yer Lycra, Tops?

I wear lycra everyday...it gives me a certain feeling...if you know what I'm sayin'

It's like being stuffed into a sausage...where all your bits are out for an easy touch. I'll post up some pics if you want, I'm rather proud of my body!

[Joe 90]

I wear lycra everyday...it gives me a certain feeling...if you know what I'm sayin'

It's like being stuffed into a sausage...where all your bits are out for an easy touch. I'll post up some pics if you want, I'm rather proud of my body!

I concur!

[Mendip]

^^ I can only speak for myself but I don't think the pics are necessary!

Great stuff Katie, fantastic scenery.

[DrWilly]

^^ I can only speak for myself but I don't think the pics are necessary!

Seconded.

[katie23]

Thanks for the greets & greens.

@Joe - yes, we all took a dip in the falls at one time or another. We also had our (packed) lunch in the vicinity. My lunch consisted of omelette sandwiches - no pic, sorry. I also had a mix of trail food - mixed nuts, bite-sized chocolates, etc.

Natoy (the dog) had lunch when my mates and I shared food with him. He/it drank water from the stream, so he was well fed & watered.

@looper - Lol. Nope, my millenial mates didn't put rocks in my backpack. Maybe it's just the angle ofbthe pic. That backpack is a collapsible/ foldable one and lacks foam or other supporting materials. I had a bigger packpack containing my change of clothes, etc which I left in the van.

@topper - though I have a certain curiosity to seeing you in lycra, perhaps it's best to not show the pics on this thread, as per Memdy's & Willy's requests!

[katie23]

On with the pics...

After the other group had left, my group had the falls to ourselves. This was called Falls 3. (mountain had 4 falls total) Good time for photo ops!

[katie23]

After staying in that area for an hour or so, it was time to pack up & leave. We trekked downstream. The trail was at the side of the river/ stream.




^a mini falls

[katie23]

After ~30 minutes, we arrived at a smaller falls, Falls 2. We didn't swim there anymore - just took pics.

[katie23]

There's Natoy (the dog) looking back, as if telling me to hurry up. Natoy was usually in the lead group.



This was the 2nd wooden bridge that we had to cross. It was rickety and would probably be destroyed during a strong typhoon.



According to our organizer, some years ago (when he hiked this mountain), there were no bridges and they had to wade in the water to cross the river.

[katie23]

At this point, there were no rocks to step on. Those wearing hike shoes got their shoes & socks wet.



Natoy the dog still leading the way.


During the descent, we had to walk at the side of the river, stepping on the rocks. Several rocks were slippery and many of us lost our footing. I fell 2x - once on my bum and the 2nd time, I fell forward & got my shirt wet. Fortunately, none of us had injuries. Once in a while, high pitched shrieks would be heard, meaning a female member of our group had slipped.

[katie23]

Another mini falls



^that pic is from the organizer's camera

[katie23]

The 3rd (and last) wooden bridge. Natoy the dog was still with us. There were times that he had to be lifted/ carried since the steps were too high for him to climb.



Another rest station. We took a breather here for ~10 minutes.

[katie23]

Further down the mountain, we had the choice whether to enter a fork and visit another falls (Falls 1) or to go straight and proceed to the jump off point. This was maybe 1340H. Then it started to rain. So we decided to forgo Falls1 and instead head for the jump-off/ village hall.

Some of us got our ponchos out. The others preferred to get wet.


^that poncho hasn't been used in 2 years. Natoy the dog photobombed my pic!

The lead grp (including me) arrived at the village hall ~1500H. We then showered and changed clothes at the village hall. There was a P20 shower fee (it's common in these hike areas).

We bought some snacks and chit-chatted a bit at the mom&pop store. Then, we left the place ~1630H. This was the view of the Caraballo mountain range, as seen from the van.



We had a brief stop-over for dinner in the town of San Miguel, Bulacan at ~2030H. Our journey back took ~6 hrs since there was traffic in many areas. We arrived in Cubao, Quezon City (north of Metro Manila) at ~2315H.

That's it for this trip/ hike. Cheers!

[Topper]

Very nice Katie, thanks tons for sharing! I look forward to when you can get down my way!