The magical Mt. Makiling

Thank fully our net is back and I'm back again, ahahaaay its been a month since my last blog. sadly because there are a lot of things to do I was not also able to go to computer shop to net and right now I have numbers of blogs that are already overdue.. well lets me start from here...

Mt Makiling which is said to be enchanted and magical. Before I go on further let me first share a small detail of this mountain.

Major Jump-off: Station 1, UP College of Forestry
LLA: 14.13°N 121.20°E, 1090 MASL (Peak 2)
Hours to summit / days required: 1-2 days / 4-5 hours
Specs: Minor climb, Difficulty 4/9, Trail class 3
Features: Tropical forests, variety of flora and fauna
(http://www.pinoymountaineer.com/2007/09/mt-makiling-1090.html)

Magnificent view of Mt. Makiling

 Maria Makiling, sometimes spelled Mariang Makiling, in Philippine Mythology, is a diwata or lambana (fairy or forest nymph) associated with Mount Makiling in Laguna, Philippines. She is the most widely known diwata in Philippine Mythology (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Makiling)

May 11, 2014, this is it pansit after so many times I made an invite to climb this mountain, which I've been wanting to climb this even before, thou there were invites however there's a conflict with schedules, then there are some who forgot to invite me, there was also time when everything is already set then it was cancelled a night before.. haiiisstttt that was so bad... but then I just thought probably it is not time yet. Mt. Makiling will just be there patiently waiting.

sea of trees, inside Mt. Makiling

 And finally someone who knew the way there came with me to explore the enchanted Mt. Makiling, thanks kap Omeng. I said that it doesn't matter how many will come as long we just push thru with this. A day before the climb I thought that it will be cancelled again due to lots of activities that finished not till 11pm... but then I'm so damn decided that this climb must push thru so even thou that I already got home at 2 in the morning, we'll meet up at 6 am will do a late dayhike.

I saw this wild flower

Thankfully kap Omeng didn't put me down thou I know that we are both tired still he patiently went with me.
The day started at 6am of May 11, 2014 meet up at Mcdo EDSA Rotonda, had breakfast checked the bus bound to Lucena nearby but there was none so we end up at JAM bus terminal at Buendia and board the bus going to Lucena. We took the Maktrav via Sipit trail in Sto. Tomas Batangas and we finished at UPLB. When we reached the registration time check it was already 11am, right after we registered we immediately started our walk and after a few minutes I already found my self being engulf by this moutain. As we go on we are getting deeper and deeper inside the world of Makiling, and keeping in mind that this area is where the limatik also lives luckily it was still summer so my friends limatik are still out and roaming around somewhere and didn't bother us.

While taking the trail and with all faith that my company knows the way so we didn't ask for a guide, however after station 4 that's when we started lose our track, inadvertently we found our self exploring out for about 30-45minutes already using the old trail that they've used w/ yellow marking but the new trail is in Orange marking, good thing out of the blue a man with his son came from nowhere and helped us lead back to station 4 going to station 5 and from there everything went fine.

OB reached the top too

Just in the right phase we reached our destination peak by peak and finally the summit of Mt. Makiling with a nice view of Mt. Batulao, there are sea of trees, crawling insects that are rare to find in cities, blooming flowers and a 360 degree of beautiful God's creation. It was already quarter to 5 when we reached the summit, so we only took a few  minutes and pictures from there and started our descent even before it gets totally dark. The descent is not bad it was only gradual so it was a bit easy for me and with all the roots and branches to swing on that gives me thrill. eheheh. Next stop was AGILA BASE thankfully a few light is till peeking thru, after the take 5 at AGILA BASE our loooooooooooooooong rocky, tiring, descent walk started. With no water nor food left, and darkness already enveloped us we need to double our steps but without getting injured at the same time enjoying the serenity, quietness, rich land of Mt Makiling with all those big tress watching us, It was a none stop walk, talking, story telling... and atleast 8 minutes before 8pm we've hit the UPLB site, Thank God.

I will not forget this climb, because aside from this is one of my dreamed mountain,this is also one of the coolest and chillest climb I had. The natural beauty I saw, the challenge I experienced, the happiness I felt is so incomparable and something hard describe to someone who's feet are just always landed on the cement. Or probably its just because of the person I've been with this climb, but what I know of there's a magic that that Mt. Makiling brought us.


Mt. Makiling down, Natib to go.

Mesmerized by God's creation

itsmejackie   c",)