Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Mount Gulugod-Baboy Climb

Mountain: Mt. Gulugod-Baboy
Location: Anilao, Mabini, Batangas
Length of Climb: 2 hours

Gulugod-Baboy means “pig’s spine”. If you expect to see pigs and wild boars roaming in this mountain, you’ll be hard-pressed to find one. You will, however, come face to face with plenty of goats and cows all the way to the peak. So why is it called Gulugod-Baboy? PinoyMountaineer says that the mountain is so named “because of the contours of [its] hills”.

With that in mind, nine beginner climbers set off to conquer the spiny path to the top of Pig’s Spine Mountain. The first part of the climb is on cemented road. When you see a sari-sari store, that’s your cue to take a turn on a narrow dirt path to begin the second, more exciting part of the climb. The winding trail is alternately rocky, muddy or loamy. One minute you’re walking on pastoral hills, the next on steep cliffs. The scene keeps changing with every step.

After an hour of climbing, we were exhausted. Good thing there’s a bahay-kubo where trekkers can rest and buy iced candy! As we continued our ascent, the air became perceptibly cooler. Then the narrow path opened up to wide, rolling hills. We were almost at the peak!



When we finally reached the top, the wind came at us full force. Clouds began to envelop us and the cold seeped through our bones. Just as suddenly as the clouds appeared, they went away…revealing a stunning view of Batangas Bay. It was an exhilarating first climb.



Lessons learned:
*Stretch your muscles before climbing.
*Wear thick, cotton socks to avoid foot sores.
*Bring trail food for energy.
*Hydrate!
*Wear loose, lightweight pants to prevent scratches from rocks and plants.
*Bring trekking pole for extra balance and support.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Nice breath-taking view !! it seems like the scenes are not from Philippines.. I had the feeling it was new zealand or somewhere else. It must have been rewarding to reach the top.. nice shot of the view!! :)