Hiking Chronicles: Mt. Pulag - Ambangeg Trail

Mt. Pulag - Ambangeg Trail (2922+ MASL)
Brgy. Ambangeg, Kabayan, Benguet
Mountain specs: Difficulty level 3/9 | Major climb | Trail class 1-2

FACTS ON MT. PULAG
Mt. Pulag is the highest point in Luzon and is officially the third highest mountain in the Philippines, next to Mt. Apo and Mt. Dulang-Dulang. Dubbed as the playground of the gods, the mountain received great attention to outdoor enthusiasts because of the sea of clouds seen from the summit.

There are four different trails leading to the summit of Mt. Pulag: (1) Ambangeg trail or the executive trail, the easiest of all trails, (2) Akiki trail or the killer trail, (3) Tawangan trail, known as the bloodiest trail due to presence of limatik, and (4) Ambaguio trail, the longest trail traversing Nueva Vizcaya.

Mt. Pulag, or Pulog as called by the locals, is a part of the sacred ancestral land shared by different native tribes of Benguet. The range extends to the provinces of Ifugao and Nueva Vizcaya. It has been designated as a national park by DENR on 1987. The word pulag is actually a native term referring to the bald characteristic of the mountain's summit.

-----------------------------------------
My Pulag adventure was unexpected. It was the start of 2016 and as much as I wanted to kick the month off with a nice adventure, my plan of doing the Nasugbu Trilogy did not push through. My friend invited me to join her with this Pulag hike. I was actually hesitant at first for I was planning to have my first Pulag hike in the realms of Akiki trail but my friend advised me to try the Ambangeg trail first to gage myself if I can endure the cold weather of Pulag.

I accepted the invitation. We met at McDo Quezon Avenue at around 9PM and left at around 10PM. We were just joiners of a pre-organized Pulag hike and since it was a weekend hike, I prepared myself to see a flock of hikers and tourists.

We arrived at Baguio City around 5AM and waited for the rented jeepney to pick us up and take us to the DENR-Mt. Pulag Station in Ambangeg. It was a two-hour ride traversing several towns of Benguet - Kabayan, Itogon and Bokod where one can enjoy the sights of traversing the Cordillera region alongside the views of lakes of Ambuklao and several unnamed lakes. Just prepared to get dizzy as it really is a long and winding road to Pulag.

Ambuklao Lake as seen from the roads to Pulag.

The winding road to Mt. Pulag.

We had a stopover at Jang-Jang Eatery, the famous stopover of hikers going to Mt. Pulag located in Bokod. They serve meals and beverages from breakfast to coffees at a reasonable price. There is also a hanging bridge set up at the back of the store.

Experiencing the finest of Jang-Jang Eatery.

Upon arrival at the DENR-Mt. Pulag station, we registered and have ourselves listed for the sets of orientation. The National Park officials require each hiker to have a medical certificate and all groups to undergo orientation before hiking. This is an effort of the park officials to reduce death incidents in Pulag and impose stricter policies in hiking Mt. Pulag as the recent boom in hiking Pulag made an enormous impact on the mountain's landscapes.

At the DENR-Mt. Pulag Station with the gang. Yes to Mt. Pulag!

During the date of our hike, the registration officer told us that 200 participants had already listed. Though the park only allows a maximum of 300 hikers per day, with a maximum of 30 participants per group, usually this wasn't maintained as some hiking events extend their slots up to 40 - 50. Sad to say, this is the reality. (You may check out this link for my statement and insight in hiking.) As much as I wanted to back out, the group persisted to continue as we are following the policies. I just promised myself that the next time I'll hike Pulag, it will be on weekdays.

At the orientation, the park superintendent mentioned that a change in the usual Pulag-Ambangeg hike course is imposed. To minimize the impacts of huge number of hikers during weekends, only the Ranger Station is opened as campsite ground. The Saddle Camp and Camps 1,2 and 3 are only open during hikes on weekdays. We are reminded on how sacred Mt. Pulag is and interestingly, Pulag is one of the sacred grounds of hunting of the ancestral locals of Benguet.

After the orientation and all the stuff required, we went to the jeep again but this time, we are allowed to go top loading. Yay! Top loading usually adds taste and flavor to a trip especially when going to the mountains and remote places. It was a bumpy hour ride to the Ranger Station yet the sights are really endless. Here's a snippet of the top load experience I had.

The road to the Ranger Station was once unpaved and years ago, the usual Pulag hike starts its trail from the DENR station up to the Ranger Station. Recent developments on the road infrastructure in made it easier to proceed to Ranger Station using a vehicle. Though it was a big leap on Pulag's and Benguet's ecotourism, I think these projects should leave the rest of Pulag untouched as it what makes it majestic. Anyway, we reached the station at around 1PM.

The welcoming signage of the Babaak Ranger Station.

This place offers a last-stop store for hikers prior to assaulting Mt. Pulag. There are actually rooms one can opt to rent. According to the locals, the station is located 2400+ meters above sea level and I haven't imagined how civilization came across that place. Upon arrival, one should register at the Ranger Station itself and guides will be assigned in this area.

One thing I can't help but notice is the sudden change (unintentional, I assume) of the barangay's name. Earlier accounts of Mt. Pulag hikes refer this place as Babadak. It was actually the name of the barangay written on the old Ranger Station post. However, if you will notice on the signage, there was a shift from Badabak to Babadak and yet, right now, the barangay hall indicated Babalak as the name of their land. Well, I think curiosity led me to notice these things but locals still call their barangay as Badabak.

Since we are only allowed to camp up to this point, we already pitched our tents and prepare our things. Even it was a sunny afternoon at that day, the cold climate brought by the location's altitude will really keep you cool and refreshed.

Cheers to the hikers. Campsite at the Ranger Station. 

After pitching our tents, I managed to take a nap to recharge myself after a long trip to the station. Anyway, the itinerary on a weekend hike in Mt. Pulag starts the assault at 1AM in the morning so we've got a lot of time to spare. I woke up at around 4PM and had the socials. I had the chance to see the sunset from the highest point of Luzon and it was wonderful with clouds slowly cascading the light until darkness was just around the place.

The dance of the clouds and sun to darkness. 

Enjoying sunset from Mt. Pulag.

The thing about Mt. Pulag that one should really get prepared is its extremely cold weather at night. When I say cold, I mean it. Starting at around 5PM, one will experience and as the night goes, the temperature around the area continually drops. There are accounts of below zero temperature records in the Ranger Station and at that high altitude, weather is very much unpredictable. It is very important to have something that will really keep you warm - leg warmers, thermal blanket, jacket, and a hug, maybe. It is in this point that if one is unprepared for the cold weather, he might suffer from hypothermia, a condition wherein the body's core temperature starts to drop below 35°C. The cases are usually worsen if a person has records of other diseases so it is very important to check yourself and prepare.

Anyway, the best part of experiencing an evening in Pulag is the sky of stars. As much as I want to take photos of it, unfortunately, my phone's technology limits me yet. I saw three shooting stars. If you are fond of stargazing, you will really enjoy this part of the whole Pulag trip.

After a couple of talks and chitchat, we slept at around 8:00 PM. We woke up at around 12:00 AM and packed up our things to the summit. 

Since there are numerous numbers of hikers that day, each group were scheduled to leave the ranger station at different times of a 30-minute interval. Each of the group are also assigned to a certain peak as the management tries to avoid the flock of hikers at the summit. We are scheduled to assault to Peak 4 at 1:30 AM. The temperature at this time was really cold, but two layers of clothing plus a jacket is sufficient to keep you warm as you will be walking up to the peaks of Mt. Pulag for three hours. 

Science tells us that the coldest part of the day is that moment before the sun rises, and as the night goes, the temperature gets really colder. It was funny though that even I and my friend started at the last line, we were so fueled and raved we actually overtook and passed a lot of group that after two hours, we already reached the fourth peak, around 4:00 AM. We waited at the peak and appreciated the sights of the stars until at around 5:00AM, light started to take its first glimpse.

Light starting from the horizon. You can see clouds starting to form

You wouldn't believe it but the best sights of the sea of clouds aren't seen from the summit. It's in the Peak 4. When the light started to shine, I have witnessed how clouds started to appear from nothing and how it crawls to create the magnificent sea of clouds, and it was the fourth peak that has views nearest to it. Little by little, the views started to take their forms.

Sun rising against a clear sky and a sea of clouds.

I got the light on my hands. 

The group enjoying the view of sea of clouds from the fourth peak.

The blogger's signature jumpshot at the fourth peak of Mt. Pulag.

A victorious one. Playing with the factory of cotton candies in the background.

We stayed in the fourth peak for almost four hours. We were then tagged as the dakilang photobombers since you will not be able to take photos of the sea of clouds without us being included. Due to the flock of the people to the summit marker, we decided not to go there. Anyway, we had the most spectacular views of the clouds.

The rolling slopes of Mt. Pulag.

We walked ourselves down back to Ranger Station and it was a wonderful sight to see how the trail changes from a majority of dwarf bamboo trees to a mossy forest. It is during the descent when I noticed that most parts of the Ambangeg trail are either cemented or paved with rocks. There are parts of which multiple trails can be observed. This might be the action of the natural park to protect the trail against destruction due to the sudden increase of hikers using that trail. I just hope that the natural park decide to take Ambangeg trail to recover from the sudden stresses it received on the past few months.

Taking the mossy forests of Mt. Pulag.

We arrived back at the Ranger Station at around 11:00 AM and left the place at around 1:00 PM. We arrived at Baguio City after five hours and took our post-climb dinner at Good Taste Restaurant. After a couple of drinks, we set our way back to Manila and arrived at around 03:00 AM.

ITINERARY
This itinerary only applies on weekend hikes during peak seasons. During weekdays, as mentioned on the blog, hikers are allowed to camp on Camp 1, 2 and 3 and the ascent to the camps are usually done on the first day.

Mt. Pulag – Ambangeg Trail
Day 0
09:30 PM	Assembly at Victory Liner Cubao
10:00 PM	ETD Cubao. Bound to Baguio City.
Day 1
05:00 AM	Arrival at Baguio City. Take chartered jeep to DENR-Pulag Station
08:00 AM	Arrival at DENR-Pulag Station. Take orientation. Register and secure guides.
09:00 AM	ETD DENR-Pulag Station. Bound to Ranger Station.
11:00 AM	ETA Ranger Station. Set up camp. Pitch tents.
12:00 PM	Take lunch. Explore area.
06:00 PM	Dinner. Socials
Day 2
12:30 AM	Wake up call. Arrange things to ascent.
01:00 AM	Ascent to Mt. Pulag summit
02:30 AM	Arrival at Campsite Ground 1. Last water source.
03:30 AM	Arrival at Campsite Ground 2.
05:00 AM	Arrival at summit. Wait for sunrise and sea of clouds. Explore viewpoints.
08:00 AM	Start descent to Ranger Station.
12:00 PM	ETA Ranger Station. Tidy up. Unpitch tents.
01:30 PM	ETD Ranger Station
03:30 PM	ETD DENR-Pulag Station. Get certificates.
06:00 PM	ETA Baguio City. Side trip and post climb dinner.
10:00 PM	ETD Baguio City
Day 3
04:00 PM	ETA Manila

SPECIAL NOTES
Transportation: Baguio City is accessible via Marcos Highway and Kennon Road. Usually, jeeps are rented to take hikers from the city proper to the Ranger Station. However, if commuting, one can take buses bound to Kabayan and Ambangeg. Please note that schedule of trips to Kabayan is very seldom; according to locals, leave Baguio City at 6:00 AM and 1:00 PM. Bus fare from Manila to Baguio City is Php 455 as of 2016.

Registration, guides and porters: Registration, guide and porter fees are dependent on number of hikers and trail. Hiking in Mt. Pulag is done per reservations which can be coordinated through the park superintendent of Mt. Pulag. Recent protocol of the national park only limits number of participants per group to 20 and a maximum of 300 hikers per day. You may visit their Facebook page for more information. Contact details of Mt. Pulag National Park are also posted in their page. Mt. Pulag National Park also requires hikers to secure a medical certificate as incidents of deaths are recorded in the past few months.

Hiking and Camping Notes:

1. Cellular signals are sporadic throughout the entire trail from the DENR station. 
2. Prepare for extreme cold weather. Make sure that you have the essentials required for a high-altitude hiking - sleeping bag, waterproof tents, thermal blankets, jackets, leg and arm warmers, bonnets, caps and gloves. Gage oneself in enduring cold weather as weather in Mt. Pulag is highly unpredictable. 
3. Prepare yourself. Jogging and doing exercises a week before hiking Pulag will help increase body's endurance especially at high altitudes, oxygen level goes down.
4. Remember to waterproof all things inside your bag.
5. Observe proper LNT principles and follow the rules of the national park to minimize the impact on the mountain.

Estimated damage: Php 2500 - Php 4000

Rating of the mountain: 9/10. Being at the top of the highest peak of Luzon is really rewarding and breathtaking. One of my favorite hikes for 2016.

Credits to Benj Tupas for the photos used in this blog!