Mt. Hibok-Hibok via Brgy. Yumbing

About a year ago, Arzy, Totskie and I started going on road trips with the specific purpose of trying out the best food products of that place. For example, we went to Kidapawan to try their pizza. We also travelled to Liangga bay to sample their freshly caught crabs. We also visited Lake Sebu and ate every imaginable tilapia dish you could think of.

Last August 22, 2008, because Davao was celebrating its annual Kadayawan Festival, we decided to avoid the "madding crowd" and visit the island born of fire, Camiguin. Agnes and Lily, our resident Senior and Junior Muses, hosted our road trip.

Being avid mountaineers, they included in our itinerary, a day trip to Mt. Hibok - Hibok, a prospect I did not particularly relish. For one, I read in the PinoyMountaineer web site that the trail from Ardent Hot Springs to the peak had no forest cover, which meant cogon and talahib everywhere. And secondly, I also read about the exorbitant rates being charged for the registration, guide and porters.

Not to be deterred, they insisted that we would be passing through a new trail, via Brgy. Yumbing. As it turned out, Paras Beach Resort, where we were staying, is in Brgy. Yumbing. 

To prepare ourselves for a short and easy trek to the peak of Mt. Hibok - Hibok, we went on a bike tour of the island and visited the usual sites...

sunken cemetery,

old ruins of Guiob Church.

To recover some of our energy, we had dinner at this quaint italian restaurant along the highway near our hotel. The pasta and pizza was simply marvelous at reasonable prizes. And because we expected a walk in the park, we had a couple of San Miguel Pale Pilsens too! Or maybe four.

Early next day, we registered at the Yumbing public market and proceeded to our rendezvous area, about a kilometer from the market. There we met up with Manong Gorgonio Idago, our lead guide. his son Albert and son in law Ronald, our porters. The fees were a reasonable P1500.00 for the three of them.

We jumped off at 6:14 am. This was actually a traverse climb because we had to pass through Mt. Carling before proceeding to Mt. Hibok Hibok. Technically, we climbed 2 mountains in 1 day. he he!
At 7:55 am, we reached DENR shack, a rundown wooden structure where we had breakfast. The trail was consistently on an upward slope through farmland. This was certainly no walk in the park! Breakfast consisted of pre cooked rice by our porters and canned sardines and carne norte.

I noted that the porters took pains to clean up the area of trash left by people who were there before us.  This was indeed heartening. Throughout the climb, I  only saw 1 single wrapper left carelessly by other climbers, I suppose. But this was a vast improvement from the trails  of the more popular Mt. Apo. 

AT 8:30 AM, WE Resumed our trek and passed through reforested area planted with mahogany trees. Halfway through, the forest was denser, with plants and trees that, I guess, are endemic to the area. The view was simply spectacular, hanging roots and all. The aura of the place was different from those of Kitanglad and Apo. A bit eerie, green and damp. We were just so lucky we took this trail.

At 10:38 am, we reached the crater lake. You get this strange feeling when you reach the crater. I was imagining molten rocks and lava spewing from the depths! Instead, the crater was covered by tall grasses. Standing in the middle of the crater feels like being at the center of a frying pan. :)  Facing the peak, the lake was on the left side. We were too cold to even think of taking a dip.

From the crater, our guide estimated that we could reach the peak in an hour. Arzy and I decided to go for it before taking our lunch. The final assault was technically difficult because you had to follow a ridge with sheer drops on either side. Near the peak, one had to be carefull because of the loose rocks.

We made it in 40 minutes and the rewards were a spectacular view of the white island and the surrounding areas. Pitcher plants where everywhere. And best of all, there were blueberries! It is also true that fog comes in and out intermitently. One minute you could see Bohol, the next minute you are enveloped in white.

We were getting hungry, so after a few pictures and the mandatory victory pose of Arzy, we clambered back to the crater lake where Agnes, Lily and Nolan were sunning themselves. Lunch was sardines and carne norte all over again. And Choc Nut for dessert.

At 1:05 pm, we headed back.

We reached Brgy Yumbing at 4:30 pm, and immediately ordered beer, for all, including the townfolk gathered at the sari sari store. What an experience. Hibok - Hibok, when climbed via Yumbing, is a pleasure. And we highly recommend this to all mountaineers.

If you plan on going there, look for Manong Gorgonio and his kids.

The downside of that trek was that we later learned from the locals, that they haven't been to Hibok - Hibok. Makes you think, how privileged we are.

Mt. Kitanglad

Even before we climbed Kitanglad, we were never quite sure where it ranked among the Philippines highest mountains. Some sources would say Dulang Dulang is the 2nd highest peak while Kitanglad would be the 3rd highest. Some would say Pulag is 3rd highest and therefore Kitanglad is 4th or 2nd highest, depending on the source. I always visit the site PinoyMountaineers, and it says there that Kitanglad is the 4th highest. 

But what is a few meters among us mountain climbers? And so, last July 12, 2008, we decided to scale the Philippines' 4th highest peak. Why Kitanglad? Pulag is in Luzon, so we would probably do it next year. D2, as Dulang Dulang is known among climbers, looks and sounds a bit more forbidding. In keeping with the tradition of the Social Climbers, we decided we'd do Kitanglad ahead of Dulang. Besides, Dave, one of the Social Climbers, has a farm in Malaybalay, and his sister has prepared a feast for us on the day before the climb.

Social climber tip: It is advisable to carbo load a day before the climb. Examples of carbo loaded food would be rice, bread and pasta. Eating lechon, is not carbo loading. 

Our base for the climb was Malaybalay City, dubbed "City in the Forest". It is said that when Spanish explorers reached the area in the 18th century, they asked the townfolks the name of their town, to which the natives answered in sputtering Visayan, "walay balay". Thus, the name.

Malaybalay is about 4 hours drive from Davao City, through well paved mountain roads. Numerous stalls, coffee shops and eateries dot the highway, where you can enjoy a hot cup of coffee or native choco while enjoying the enchanting landsapes of Bukidnon province.

The first thing you notice when you are in Malaybalay is its cool climate. It is also a very clean city. Kaamulan Park, at the heart of the city, is a must visit area. The cool tempearature and the sweet scent of pine gives one images of an ideal retirement haven!

We stayed in an inxpensive hotel in downtown Malaybalay for about 600 per person. No aircon but the comfort room was at least clean. And the hotel staff was kind enough to allow us the use of their lobby for our packing and re packing. But they did notice that unlike their past mountaineer guests, we had twice as much stuff that we were bringing on our climb. If you notice, we only drink Pale Pilsen. Not the pretentious light stuff.

From Malaybalay, we had to travel 19 kilometers north to Impasug-ong and turn left for another 9 kms. through unpaved but well maintained dirt road to sitio Intavas.

Social Climber tip: Jollibee opens at 5am in Malaybalay. We had breakfast there before proceeding to Intavas.

At Brgy. Intavas, we met up with our porters and the brgy captain of the place. They gave conflicting estimates of how long the trek would take. Some porters said 6 hours while the brgy captain said 10. We settled for the estimate of 8 hours.

We began our trek through a baranggay road surrounded by vegetable farms, a stretch of about 5 kms. to the foot of Mt. Kitanglad. The locals were really friendly and the porters were quite respectful. I guess their porters association there has really good leadership.

Social climber tip: When negotiating with the porters, include in their fees the budget for their food. This lessesns the hassle of cooking  and feeding them. It's cheaper and more efficient.

Some climbers who have climbed Kitanglad would say that Kitanglad is a walk in the park. A friend even ventured to comment that all you need are your "crocs" for the  climb. Well, if you are between 40 and 60 years old, like us, any mountain will always pose a challenge. All mountains share the same characteristic, they all go up! And that puts a strain on your back, your legs and sometimes, even your patience. Before climbing, be sure you are reasonably fit.

The trail to the peak is a pretty established trail. Porters go through it daily to bring provisions to the communications installations at the peak. However, the surrounding forest, the canopy, the flora and fauna of the place is "a fresh balm to the weary body" as Myra would put it. The trail itself is reward enough.

Lily, our resident muse, would often shriek in delight "huwoww!" at the enchanting sites of the place. And all of us would hurry to see what wonders she has discovered.

Reaching the peak could be disconcerting because you get there through the back side of a communications shed. The entire peak is occupied by towers and sheds and bunkhouses. After a tiring 7 hour trek, it could be a bummer. But then again, as i said earlier, the trail was reward enough, and we left it at that. The picture of the towers was taken at about 12 midnight.

The bunkhouse for climbers is a bit dissapointing. The place is rundown and the former occupants left it without cleaning up. Benjie had to commandeer 3 porters to spruce up the place, especially the CR. I was too worn out to even give him encouraging words, I just sat down, lit my Havanas, and contemplated on the nature of mountain climbing. Inside the bunkhouse, I could hear Benjie liberally spraying the entire place with Lysol.

At nightfall, the temperature dropped to 6 degrees and we huddled inside the bunkhouse. We even covered small cracks with masking tape to keep the cold out. Technically, the 8 bunkbeds could accomodate 2 persons each, that is if you are built like Palito. Some of us opted to sleep on the sala instead.

Social climbing tip: Cooking rice at high altitudes is not the same as cooking rice at sea level. Water boils at a lower temperature. Thus, cooking time is a bit longer. Which means the 1 is to 1 ratio of water and rice is not enough. You guys figure it out for yourselves.

Unlike the gloom when dusk fell, sunrise was a welcome surprise. Huwowwww!

Our descent was typical of any mountain descent. The difference was the 5 kilometer stretch from the foot of Mt. Kitanglad to Intavas. If you want to know how it was different, then I guess you would have to go to Kitanglad yourself.

The trudge down is still worth it, what with picturesque views like this.