Hiking Adventures #45: Mt. Talamitam - 1st MMS Open Climb 2017

"Open climbs" is a set of scheduled climbs prepared by Metropolitan Mountaineering Society as part of their yearly calendar which is open to all. It occurs between July to December of the year. The primary objective of this Open climbs season is to recruit our joiners or guests to be part of our growing community.

Mt. Talamitam. Photo by Abbie Giron

Hiking Adventures #40: Mt. Makiling Traverse Dayhike

After the 1st training climb of MMS' Basic Mountaineering Course which happened in Mt. Daguldol, the next minor training climb would be in Mt. Iglit. Mt. Iglit is considered a minor climb in MMS because of its elevation, however, the difficulty climbing this mountain makes it a Major climb in Philippine Mountaineering. Our batch's BC(Batch Coordinator), Atty. JP Cunada have already climbed Iglit and he knows how difficult climbing the mountain. So he insisted to set a Makiling traverse dayhike as training climb for Iglit. I'm not supposed to join in Iglit climb because of my Halcon climb, but I did join to this event as tune-up climb for Halcon.

Hiking Adventures #38: Mt. Daguldol - First Minor Training Climb for MMS-BMC 2017

Part of the curriculum of Metropolitan Mountaineering Society's BMC are climbing 4 mountains, 2 minor climbs and 2 major climbs. After the BMC Proper which happened last January 21, 2017, next is the 1st Minor Training Climb. This was not just an ordinary climb, we had a cookfest on the campsite.

Mt. Daguldol Campsite

Hiking Adventures #37: Mt. Maculot Rockies 2017

A month after climbing Mt. Maculot with officemates, I went back to the mountain again to accompany my former officemates this time (and occasional beer buddies).

Hiking Adventures #36: Mt. Balagbag Year-End Climb

Before the year ends, some of my friends from borderlessph wanted to climb Mt. Balagbag. I hesitated to join because it is scheduled on December 30 and 31, and I should be in my hometown in Batangas before the New Year celebration. However, I think it will be a good time to reflect about my Year 2016 and what to look forward this coming 2017 with my favorite people. So I decided to join them and planned to head straight to Batangas after the climb.

 

Hiking Adventures #35: Mt. Maculot Rockies 2016

This was my 3rd time in Mt. Maculot and this seems to be a yearly Maculot climb. I was with my Deltek friends plus some guests and our itinerary is the usual for a day hike.

Hiking Adventures #32: Mt. Binacayan Dayhike - Chasing Sea of Clouds

This was a spontaneous dayhike. Me and my friend/officemate Kat Cayetano with her friends should be having a tree planting activity with Haribon Foundation on September 24th, but it was cancelled. Since we were already hype for an outdoor activity, we decided to set a quick dayhike instead, and we chose Mt. Binacayan. 

Hiking Adventures #28: Mt. Batolusong Night Trek

One of my group's bucket list this year is to do a night trek in one of the unshaded mountain which is good for stargazing and sunrise watching. To pull this one off, we have chosen Mt. Batolusong for this stint.

Hiking Adventures #24: Mt. Sembrano, Pililia, Rizal

#NoHikeFebraury is my campaign for the month of February because aside from I climbed twice last January, for sure there will be a lot of singles out there that will try to climb mountains to forget what they've been through about their lovelife. So I got really excited when March got in to hike again and I chose Mt. Sembrano for a dayhike.

Mt. Sembrano

Hiking Adventures #23: Mt. Ayaas Dayhike - My 5th Mountain in Montalban, Rizal

I've been an avid climber of Rizal mountains or the Sierra Madre not just because it's near in Manila. It really offers a lot, from exciting trails to great views. One of the best town in Rizal that offers a lots of nature tripping is the town of Rodriguez (formerly Montalban) where there are 5 mountains open for mountain climbing. I already scaled Pamitinan, Binacayan, Hapunang Banoi and Sipit Ulang, and one more left, which is Ayaas.

Mt. Ayaas

Hiking Adventures #22: Pico De Loro Dayhike - The Revenge Climb

Now it's 2016! Another year to be filled with adventures and memories. 2015 was really a great year for me because almost all of my plans has been accomplished like climbing mountains every month (and sometimes twice a month). Another reason what made 2015 a great year is because I landed a new job.

Mt. Palay- Palay (Pico De Loro)

Hiking Adventures #19: Mt. Gulugod Baboy Dayhike

One of the easiest mountain to hike in Luzon is Mt. Gulugod Baboy. This is perfect for beginners and especially for the first timers wherein they can just relax, have fun and indulge with awesome views at the summit.

Mt. Gulugod Baboy

Hiking Adventures #17: Mt. Hapunang Banoi Dayhike - Rock Scrambling to the Next Level

As preparation for the upcoming major climbs, we looked for a mountain to train. I've chosen Mt. Hapunang Banoi and the next level rock scrambling begins.

Hiking Adventures #16: Mt. Sipit Ulang Dayhike Plus Sidetrip to Payaran Falls

Few months ago, more mountains in Rizal Province had opened. One of them captured my attention and I promised to myself to climb it first before the others, that mountain is Mt. Sipit Ulang.

Mt. Sipit Ulang

Mt. Sipit Ulang (or Crab's Claw) is located at Brgy. Mascap, Rodriguez (formerly Montalban), Rizal. Its difficulty is rated 3/9 with an elevation of 245 MASL. The highlights of this mountain is the rock formation atop the summit that looks like a crab's claw where you can see a 360 degree view of some Sierra Madre mountains. Aside from the summit, the trail is quite challenging. You need to pass narrow trails, small caves and boulders en route.

Hiking Adventures #13: Mt. Maculot Climb 2015 - Sunny dayhike to Awesome Rockies

The last time I climbed Mt. Maculot Rockies is 9 months ago. It's a good climb though the weather was not good and the view was not that scenic. So in preparation for Mt. Ugo climb this coming August 2015, we went back in Mt. Maculot Rockies hoping for a good weather.

Mt. Maculot Rockies

Hiking Adventures #11: Mt. Romelo - A dayhike with a dip on Old Buruwisan and Lanzones Falls

One of the best mountains to climb during summer season is Mt. Romelo. Why? Because of its trails that are mostly covered by trees and of course, the nearby seven majestic waterfalls. That's the reason why we have chosen Mt. Romelo for our next adventure.

Mt. Romelo

Mt. Romelo is good to hike for all year-round. But on our experience, I think it is perfect during summer because of the rewarding coolness of the falls under the scorching weather. I always love to trek on a trail like in Mt. Romelo because of the trees around. It is very relaxing, scenic and peaceful, if you want to get connected with nature, you must be looking for a place like Mt. Romelo.

Hiking Adventures #10: Mt. Kalisungan Dayhike

I was planning for another dayhike after our successful twin hike in Mt Pamitinan and Mt. Binacayan last March 28. I looked for a mountain near Manila and came up on choosing Mt. Kalisungan in Calauan, Laguna.

Mt. Kalisungan

Hiking Adventures #9: Mt. Pamitinan and Mt. Binacayan Twin Dayhike

After my last 2 rainy overnight climbs this year, I told myself to take a day trip only on my next adventure. I wanted to see the Sun above while hiking up so I can see clearly the beauty of nature. So I searched a mountain near Manila and came up on choosing not only one but two mountains in Rizal, the Mt. Pamitinan and Mt. Binacayan.

Mt. Pamitinan (L) and Mt. Binacayan (R)

Hiking Adventures #7: Mt. Daraitan Climb Traversed to Tinipak River

As long weekend is approaching due to Pope Francis' visit in the Philippines, I convinced my hiking buddies to grab the chance to go hiking again. And the first mountain that comes through my mind was Mt. Daraitan.

Mt. Daraitan

Mt. Daraitan is located at Tanay, Rizal and it's part of the Sierra Madre mountain range. Daraitan came from the name of the Barangay where the mountain is located. The height of the mountain is 739+ meters above sea level with 4/9 difficulty according to PinoyMountaineer.com but for us it was 5/9. Mt. Daraitan is famous by it's view of meandering Daraitan river as seen from the summit. Also, there's a possible traverse to Quezon Province's Tinipak River. There can be also a sea of clouds if the weather is on good condition.

Hiking Adventures #6: Mt. Batulao - A Day Trip with 12 Peaks

I've seen a lot of my friends (who were not really into hiking) were already conquered Mt. Batulao. I already scaled Mt. Pulag and other dayhikable mountains like Mt. Maculot, but I haven't tried Mt. Batulao yet. But finally, my hiking buddies decided to have a day trip in one of the famous mountains in Luzon. 

Mt. Batulao

It was around 4am when we departed from Manila heading to Nasugbu, Batangas. The ride took at least 3 hours and no traffic along since it was early morning. Few kilometers left away, I couldn't stop myself finding a view of the mountain, it was really stunning from afar. The weather was really cool when we arrived at the jump-off. Cool winds are blowing my skin and the sun is not yet rising, and made me feel the season of Christmas.