Tarak Ridge Adventure - Mariveles, Bataan

Reliving my blog, but this time I'm posting a topic not that related with IT... Well, this is mine's blog, I can post here any topic that interests me...

It’s been almost a year since the last entry here in my blog – just all about technology and geek stuffs. It is because I’ve been busy with my job as an IT consultant / helpdesk in a BPO company in Alabang – making rapid and efficient solutions to everyday technology users (intense job experience for a fresh grad me... nice one).

Maybe we need some time have some escape among these everyday problems and stress – and our plan – to go out of town and have some fun. I waited too long until April 20, 2013, the day I’ve been waiting for. I’ve never been into outdoor trips in my entire life – even in paid school field trips, I didn’t join any single event because of our family’s financial problems that time. I may say that I’m a “special project kid” when I was in school – but they can’t still beat my grades though… LOLS…

April 20, 2013, I may say the Outing Day for everyone. This was the day where in we have our company outing at Sariayaya, Quezon for swimming at a private resort there. My classmates in college also have thier own -- also swimming at Laiya, Batangas. Too far from each other.

Well, it's not that hard for me choosing. I've been wishing to go mountain hiking ever since.

Back to the topic…
My officemates have planned for hiking among some popular mountain hiking sites – and until we came up into a very nice location – in Tarak Ridge Mountains, in Mariveles, Bataan.

HOW TO GET THERE…

There’s a bus terminal in Cubao, Quezon City named Five Star bus terminal where in there are hourly trips going to Bataan. We started our trip in Bataan Transit at 10am. Free wifi on board… so what do you’re gonna do first? I opened my wifi and gps, launched Google Latitude (maps) and took a screenshot, share to Facebook through my android phone. We’ll be on an outdoor trip for 2 days, still no worries with batteries because I have my “IT survival tools” with me.

We’ve been into a long bus trip. It took 4 hours from Cubao to Barangay Alasasin, Mariveles, Bataan. According to Kuya Arnold, it only takes an average of 3 hours travelling, but there are some roadworks during the time we came in.

Already mentioned, you have to stop at Alasasin Barangay Hall (Bus Fare: P267.00,as of writing)

PREPARING FOR THE HIKE
You need to register first at Alasasin Barangay Hall before you go up climbing. There you have to register your names and pay P40.00 (per head). You can also use the barangay hall’s facilities before and after your climb – specially the comfort room. They will give your group a receipt, also containing some contact numbers in case of emergency.

After registration, you can also take your lunch at the roadside carinderias… sulit sarap…
After fueling up and taking some enough warm-ups… then you can now start the adventure… trekking.. yoo-hoo..

START OF UPHILL TREKKING
 

Our group: Rey, Michael, Ate Mitchy and Kuya Arnold (not shown: Kuya Jhef, the one taking the picture) -- took at the Tarak Ridge signage (just across the road from the Barangay Hall)

We started trekking almost before 3 pm (around 2:40pm). While walking I’m trying to talk with Kuya Arnold, but he’s not talkative type. One question, a few answers. Tried asking him to point in through his fingers our destination, and I did not receive a direct answer, hence changed the topic. But later during the trek… I’ve discovered why.

It was the first day I met Kuya Arnold, and I was amazed with the size of his bag – a child could be fit inside. I also asked him about his past climbs, he had mentioned the several mountains he had climbed before. It’s really his hobby. He’s climbing almost twice a week and joining with other groups just to fill the thirst from thrill and adventure. And – he already can’t count how many times he had climbed the Tarak…

(When we arrived in Manila the next day (afternoon), he had a shift later at night…Salute to you Idol!!!)

After a kilometer of walk, we have stopped in what Kuya Arnold refer to as “kubo ni lola”. That is a small house (a typical province house, or hut) where in climbers can take some few rests while on the trek. They will be asking you for a donation – in an envelope handwritten with “Para sa Kalinisan, para sa kaayusan”, just any amount you’re willing to give. In front of their house is a wide area for posting the tarps of the previous groups who had climbed before (common poster area?). Sadly, we didn’t have any tarps to post, because we have no idea about it.

  

It was really a long and hard trekking – walk – climb – rest. The first kilometers of the trek are just flat grounds, until the way is getting more elevated, steeper and narrower. 

The 3 of us (Rey, Kuya Jhef and Ate Mitchy) have been into some climbing last year – Mt. Batulao, Pico de Loro and Maculot and they have admitted that Tarak was the toughest so far. I didn’t expect anything because that was just my first climb, I didn’t have any experience to compare with.

 Source: http://www.pinoymountaineer.com/2008/11/pinoymountaineer-difficulty-scale-2009.html
I'm a beginner, but have already skipped those lower levels...

We have finally reached a point where in there’s a quite large flat area… as usual a deadly steep raven around. We’re already at the point where in we could literally squeeze our shirts with sweat. The boys in the group already undressed their shirts because the heat (from climbing, not from the outside temperature) is really suffocating. I just changed the towel at my back… it’s because I didn’t use to exposed my sexy bony slim body to anyone, and I really have a high resistance against heat.

 I took the opportunity to explore the area around, and I was really astonished with the view. The beautiful and historic island of Corregidor can be clearly seen, as well as the land beyond the Manila Bay – Metro Manila, where all of us came from. We have stopped in the area for 20 minutes because if we’ll be staying longer, we’ll be meeting the night at the middle of the trek – Kuya Arnold. So we continued trekking.

  
We’re almost on our third hour of hour of trekking. I asked Kuya Arnold about the water, because I have the empty bottles with me. He said we’ll get the water from Papaya River, and well get the water from a natural spring from that river.
  
It was 5:30pm when we have finally reached the Papaya River. We stopped there to get some water – water to cook our foods and also for drinking. I made it sure that I have enough drinking water for the entire trip, and that I would not drink that water that didn’t came from a bottle or a container. I also took the opportunity to change my shirt because it’s really wet and sweat could be extracted when it’ll be squeezed.

Fresh natural drinking water from Papaya River

I was amazed by the water because it’s really cold that it came from a water dispenser. It’s misting.
It was very obvious that the night is already approaching very fast, so we really have to hurry to get into our destination.  I already expected that we’ll be arriving there late at night. The further steps became extremely tougher, I think about 4 to six times tougher because an additional 3+ liters was added on my/our burden; it was already dark that we have to depend on our flashlights; the path became extremely steep and sometimes you only have to hold through the vines and roots around just to make it; and because it is already night, it became a challenge for us to find the correct way. At this moment, it was me who is taking the lead. I use to be a couple of meters away from my group, looking for the path. Kuya Arnold was at the last steps, guiding the members in front.

I managed to set my phone to airplane mode. Your phone eats up a lot of battery on a place with weak signals as it tries hardly to search for signals.

 

"You're approaching the right path..."

I have to be on the frontline. I have the camera...

During daytime, it is quite easy for us to locate the correct path because of the layered stones shown above. Those stone markings serves as our clue to which path will we proceed to. It’s a real challenge to see those stones at night.

Already 7:00pm, and we’re still on the trek. Some of our members (Ate Mitchy, the only girl in the group) is already questioning Kuya Arnold why did he decided for us to go there, also said to his husband Kuya Jhef “sige, organize pa!”. At that point, everybody’s already feeling intense tiredness – even me. It’s really hard to do the night trekking. Most people are deciding to stay and camp at the Papaya River when they feel that it’s already dark – but don’t compare them with our group… LOLs! I know it because we haven’t noticed any mountaineer going / meeting us halfway after we’ve been at the Papaya River.
I am already feeling the intense pressure, tiredness and heat so I decided to move forward several meters away from them, come what may.

Where were they? I really pursue to go further away, higher and higher so that everyone will be motivated to go faster, and also for me to take enough time of rest above... alone.

I have to reach the campsite… I need some rest. I already took my shirt off because if I won’t, I feel that I could die… and no one will see my bony body structure … I’ll just take the picture myself… it’s really a shame.
  
There’s a point in the trek that I was got injured by a plant. I feel that there’s a force at my back that doesn’t let me move forward, and so I tried to remove that something that was sticked on my bag behind, without seeing it… and until I feel that my finger was cut by this bird’s-claw-like structure from a plant. I have removed that plant’s part from the middle of the way so that my team so that it will not cause harm to them.

I’m the “photographer” in our group as you’ll notice. I always have that mini Sony Cybershot Digicam (DSC-W320) in my hand. I advise future adventurers to carry just a small camera if they want to get enough pictures. It may be hard if you’ll carry a bulky DSLR camera. And also, compact-type digicams are battery efficient (I already took 280+ pictures plus 5 videos, but the battery’s still on half when I came home the next day.)
  
I remember Kuya Arnold told me earlier that if I already saw some tall grass above (talahiban), then it’s already the campsite, and that’s what I saw afar using the lamp on my head, so I really struggle to go up as fast as I could. But as I’m approaching further above, my knees are already shaking with fear. I confess with myself that I’m quite afraid of heights. It’s the point where there’s no trees to block your view (city lights far below) around. And if there’s no tree then you have nothing to grab with your hands to go up, but the rocks and dry grasses along the path. It’s the hardest path I guess with some areas nearly 90 degrees of steepness, so you really need to do rock climbing.

Finally, around almost 8pm (exactly 5 hours based on the stopwatch I’ve set) I have reached the campsite – meeting people already camped in. A few seconds later, Kuya Arnold came in, and asked me to look for a place that we could camp, but I refused and decided to stay on my position. I just secured our bags on that place. I was really tired that time that I don’t want to go away anymore. While he’s looking for our campsite, I took a picture of the city lights around. Later, I stand in an area where my group can see me, I tried to point them with my headlight. After less than 20 minutes, we’re all at the campsite. 

AT THE CAMPSITE

Here we go, finally. Earlier, I have refused to go with Kuya Arnold to look for a good camping site, well, I just prefer to camp on the place I had first landed to rest, and so as the rest of the group when they came in. So majority wins. We started building our tents. Credits to Rey for accommodating me to his tent (I’m just the one who had carried it along the way as a gratitude).

Kuya Arnold’s tent. Again, I was amazed about the things inside his bag – the tent, inflatable bed, butane-fuelled lamps and stoves etc.

Camp foods – adobo (courtesy of Ate Mitchy), rice (cooked with the use of kuya Arnold’s butane stove)

After eating, Ate Mitchy already decided to sleep at their tent, while us guys decided to have some drinks (MP Light) and some snacks. We just had that drinking session for almost an hour because they’re already feeling drunk… and me, just nothing. We have the same dose but I can’t feel any drunkenness maybe because of my tiredness.
Time to sleep. We kept all our trashes inside a single plastic bag and should take it away from the mountain and must leave no single garbage there. I was thankful that I didn’t saw any garbage all over the mountain – mountaineers are that disciplined.
  

It's cold outside. The fogs are misting inside our tent.

All of us have set an alarm at 5am, but we can feel inside the tent the angry winds outside. Those winds woke me up even before the alarm time. At some point I thought it’s raining because of the wind’s sound. The fogs outside are already misting inside our tent. This made me to went out of the tent and enjoy the scenery outside. It was my childhood dream to be with the clouds and feel them – and that was accomplished during that time – after my 22 years of existence here on Earth. They were just moving around, carrying some mist when they pass by.

Clouds just passing by... Childhood dream accomplished -- to touch the clouds.

     

Me, pointing the Tarak Ridge peak which we'll go to and explore when the sun rises.

Most of the campers spent their night downside.

We waited until sunrise before Kuya Arnold heated some water to cook our cup noodles and for our coffee. The wind is also stronger earlier so it will be hard. Me and Rey were the 2 early birds from the group because we managed to take some pictures outside while it’s still dim. We’re meeting mountaineers passing by and greeting each other “Good morning Sir!” with a morning smile. Those mountaineers are about to go to Tarak’s peak, which is also our target that morning. 

Breakfast, I have turned on my portable radio and listen to an FM radio on a loudspeaker. FM radio stations were on the same frequencies as here in the Metro. We tuned in to 99.5 Play FM. I've got 2 batteries for that radio, and that’s turned on even when we’re still on the track upwards, still playing during dinner and drunk session, and until we’re going down the mountain.
Only me and Rey have decided to go up to the peak. Kuya Jhef and his wife ate Mitchy decided to stay at the camp, and Kuya Arnold have been into the peak for already several times before and decided to stay at the camp.
So time for another climbing. Time to reach the summit.

THE SUMMIT 

While approaching the summit, we have met some other mountaineers who have already reached the summit, and some of them were foreigners, from Europe I guess. The path to the summit still doesn’t have any trees or tall plants to hold upon. I am very thankful that the wind isn’t that strong that time, else I might be carried away because of my weight (I am 5ft 11inches weighing only 53.5 kilograms… extremely underweight). But I think that became an advantage because all of them noticed that it seems that I’m still on full energy despite the challenges we have been before. I can also carry my weight with very ease.

The first few tracks were just stones and dust. You can only trust the rocks and some few grasses around. Just be careful which rock to step on, else you already know.
The situation will we be different when you’ll be just a few steps to the summit. The path will be full of trees and plants – a typical forest.
At last! Success! Finally on the summit. All of your tiredness will be swept away when you have reached the summit. A breath-taking view of Bataan will welcome you – and it will came into your mind how did you get that far. We have met some other youth groups at the top. In fact, they have asked us all at the peak to gather and have a picture. We don’t know them and I haven’t talked with the girl who have took the picture – she’s good-looking, as well as the other girls in the group. Hope that I’ll see those pictures someday, and meet those people again.
There’s a tree on the peak they call the Bonsai (small tree). It has no leaves (because it’s dry season they say). It blooms during rainy seasons according to Kuya Arnold. The tree is located just at the edge of the peak. You really have to depend your weight on the tree, or else if the tree falls, both of you will be falling down a hundred of feet below. 

Rey and some other tried to have that life-risking pose with the tree, but I didn’t dare myself. It’s just my first climb. I can do it next time, but I still don’t have the guts that time.  (I have seen some videos on youtube that they had even climbed on that tree!) We have stayed on the summit for around 30 minutes.

THE STEEP ROAD DOWNWARDS

It’s difficult to reach the peak from our base camp, but going down back to the campsite is much difficult. It’s steep downwards. There’s a gravity pulling you down. You must be very careful with the small rocks you’re stepping into, because some are being detached and pulled out from the soil / larger rocks. You have to hold on those grasses above (just be careful not to hold those Makahiya around).

You should have a couple of meters away from each other if you don’t literally want to eat the dust coming from the path’s dry ground.
  
When we have reached the campsite, we then folded our tents and packed up our tents. Time to go down. How I wish to stay longer above. I packed up all my things, turned on the radio inside my bag for us to enjoy music while going down. I also attached my solar charger on my bag to have it charged along the way (but no use, it will take 25 hours of sunlight to get it fully charged…), but at least gave it a try. I’m already thirsty going down. All my bottled drinking waters were gone. I have no choice but to drink the remaining water I have fetched in the Papaya River. I have enjoyed the taste, just like a normal drinking water. I enjoyed drinking those that even it got emptied along the way. How I wish to get into the Papaya River soon to get some water. Rey offered me water to drink, but I want some more. I want to drink a lot. 

While going down and waiting for us to pass by the Papaya River, all I can say is “Ah, eto pala yon”, observing the path we have been the last night. We haven’t clearly seen those on our night trekking. Even at daytime, it’s still difficult, hard to imagine how we made it last night.
  
Finally, after 2 hours from the campsite, we have reached Papaya River again. I was the only one from our group who get some water because all of them still has. Water is really my fuel and I used to drink a lot of it every day. You have to get the drinking water from the furthest distance away from the campers to ensure it is potable. You should also get your drinking water from an actively flowing part to avoid the water insects which usually stays on a stagnant water. I refilled every bottle I saw on my bag.

Water coming from a real "Nature's Spring"

The path going to the source of drinking water.

 
After I have got enough water, I saw my group taking pictures at the Papaya River, so did I. The water is very clear. I took the opportunity to wash my face and feet.

Mike, Rey and Ate Mitch

Still a long track ahead. Everybody’s again feeling that ache in our knees. Those aches in our knees also served as our souvenir when we left the Tarak. The pain lasted for days for some of my group mates (specially when walking upstairs). I feel just a little pain, and a day after next was completely lost.., not being too boastful, but is real. My body’s lower extremities are really tough (I’m just not sure with my body’s upper muscles… do I have those muscles by the way?). 

"Pusong Bato", only in Tarak.

the dirty socks..

going down... the tree branch (used as a walking stick) Ate Mithy used in going down was the same  branch that I have used when I went up. I've   lost it when my fingers got injured.

the steep path going down.

missing my childhood friends in the province, sliding down on these dry soil.

We have went down the campsite at 7:40am and finally reached Lola’s kubo at 11:30am. There she welcomes us with a fresh buko juice. We all thought its free (because we gave a donation the last time… 50 pesos from me). We knew that we need to pay when the man beside me gave pesos to lola and gave him a change of 20 pesos for 2 cups of the buko juice. So it’s 15 pesos, I asked another 1 cup so I drank 2 cups total and paid 30. Ate Mitchy also paid 150 pesos for the bottle of pure honey she had order the day before.

Who went to Tarak Ridge from April 19-21, 2013?

After staying at lola’s house, we proceed with our way to the main road. 
Along the way, always take a glance at the Tarak’s peak, trying to estimate how far and how many kilometers we had walked. A few meters away from lola’s kubo are residential areas. A tricycle driver had offered us to pay just 100 pesos (5 persons) to take us to the main road, but we refused and silently told ourselves, what’s the purpose of the hike if we’ll just ride. We continued walking. The sun’s heat is almost burning us (because it’s just a long pathway, no trees, and it’s exactly 12 in the afternoon. We later realized that... “oo nga, sulit na sulit na yung 100, ang layo pala…”. The path to the main road is more than a kilometer ahead, and the heat’s suffocating.

Rey on full sun protection.

Me: wala lang, tamang T-shirt lang... tiis tiis na lang.

After almost 5 hours of walking, we have finally reached the road. Kuya Arnold went to Barangay Hall to re-register, for an OUT, a proof that we came back ALIVE. We headed to the carinderia (eatery). Drank a lot of cold water, ate a lot of food. We also bought a halo-halo for 25 pesos… sulit na sulit sa 25 pesos, sarap… ang dami pa, apaw na apaw. We also asked ate (owner of the eatery) to use their comfort room to change our dirty and wet clothes.

After eating, it’s time to say goodbye. We waited at the roadside for a bus going to the metro to came in. And after a few minutes, Genesis Transit bus heading to Pasay pass by and we ride on it. The bus fare (still aircon) is P277, (Mariveles to Ayala Makati).

Next topic:
Let's connect this topic to Information Technology. I'll discuss the geek gadgets that I've brought far above.