811+ Meters Above Sea-Level
Nasugbu, Batangas
CALABARZON, Region IV-A
15 February 2013
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First and foremost, look at the travel date. Okay?
Okay. So now that we're all in the same page, let me begin this tale by saying that ever since Mary left for Norway, there had been a scarcity of out-of-town trips on our end but that was mostly due to the fact that our busy schedules weren't agreeing much with each other; and also, at that time, I thought transferring to the Cath Lab was THE worst decision I've had in years. In short, I was sad and home-sick-- and by home-sick, I meant, I was having separation anxiety attacks from my second home which was the Emergency Department. That, in itself, sounded stupid now that I got to think about. It's not like I couldn't visit the department anymore, and my friends were all laughing and saying that they'd all resign pretty soon anyway so there won't be anyone left to visit.
Hahaha. *cough*
Anyway, out of depression, I looked into my FB groups and found that-- thank Heavens!-- Carlo had one planned-out for Mt. Batulao. I called him up a few weeks back; arranged for stuff, and agreed to meet up with him at the bus terminal early on that day...
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| at peak number 8, with a view of the Pit Boss peak number 11. |
As luck would have it, one of my seniors in the ER was throwing a despedida party on that same date because she would also be leaving for Norway (same as Mary) next month, and I couldn't say no to her because she was also one of my mentors there.
Long story short, I was screwed.
But whatever gives. I went ahead to Mt. Batulao in the morning and called my dad to use the other car because I would be needing it later in the day. Problem solved.
Anyway, since Batangas wasn't too far-off, it only took around a couple of hours to reach the jump-off point going to Mt. Batulao. From there, we took a tricycle bound for the village at the foot of the mountain itself, and then walked the rest of the way up to the registration booth... which was located at Peak Number 8-- more on that later.
Hahahaha. XD
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| the hike begins... |
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| with Goatie-- a random friend I met along the way. XD |
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| after 20 or so minutes of walking, we reached this hut... where the trail REALLY begins. WTF. |
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| view of Peak Number 11 from the hut, before Peak 1/11 |
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| Hello and Welcome! You don't know shit what you are about to face. XD |
Batulao, however, is... well, from the name itself-- rocky. It's landscape consists of nothing more than dust, grass, very few trees, rocks with dangerous-looking jagged edges, and sloping cliffs on one or either side. It has 11 peaks, one is easily reachable than the other, and the trail is also bike-friendly from Peaks 1 to 8. :)
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| and I even had the audacity to think it was easier than Pulag. |
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| what we've traversed thus far... |
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| and more. XD |
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| easy as pie. |
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| most of the time, you'll find yourself walking under the scorching heat of the sun and an estimated 3-feet-wide trail... x_x |
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| ... strong winds too. |
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| three-feet away from instant death. |
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| the first campsite. :3 |
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| yes, that's Peak Number7 |
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| well. this is interesting. XD |
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| dilly-dallying ends here. |
There's a hut at Peak Number 8. It serves as a hub for campers, bikers, and hikers alike. They have bottled water and other drinks and goods for sale; and, you can eat your packed lunch here as well. Also, they would allow you to leave your big bags for the summit assault. For the less experienced, I highly advise leaving your heavy packs here (they would let you) and just bring an assault bag for your valuables and water. It may be easy for some, and Batulao could very well be a hiker's playground, but it won't be the same for everyone so plan ahead and take extra precautions.
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| looking back... |
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| Peak 9/11. From the burnt foliage in the area, I began to wonder if Batulao was already ransacked by tree-cutters or it's just naturally rocky. |
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| bring bottled water, but be responsible enough not to leave it. |
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| see what I mean? |
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| Peak 10/11. I nearly missed this label. Haha. |
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| Buwis-Buhay. XD |
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| ... might as well give one for the camera. |
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| ... what I saw from behind the lens. |
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| ... what I saw from behind the lens #2 |
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| over-looking Batangas. |
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| almost, but not quite there yet. madungis na bata... haha. |
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| who says conquering fear can't be fun? :P |
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| The Camel Back |
The other option would be to go over it and traverse a one to three-feet-wide trail, battling against the strong wind for balance, so you wouldn't fall off to a very rocky cliff-side death on either side. >_<
And because of a mistake, I took both routes. >_<
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| extensive view of Batulao Trail, ending at the Camel Back (left-most). |
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| Pathway to the Pit Boss: Peak 11. |
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| view from Peak 11 |
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| there's a mirror up on the mountain. XD |
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| view of the Camel Back from Peak #11 |
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| extensive view of the Camel Back-- see now why it was given that name? |
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| I got a kick out of this one: Buko for Sale. XD Hey, I conquered the pit boss! XD |
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| the descent... |
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| The Camel Back |
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| on the Camel Back. *gulp* |
We went back the way we came. Nothing more to see and say. We just rested, ate lunch, cleaned up (bring soap and get ready to pay for your water hahaha), and hiked back down the way we came under the unforgiving heat of the sun. It was probably a good thing I wore a jacket but later in the day, I saw that my face got sunburned. Hahaha.
Not that much though but it was pretty evident since, when I arrived back in Manila (my dad did NOT pick me up at the bus station so I had to take a cab) and was able to inspect my face at a mirror in the comforts of my bathroom, it was all flushed and red.
I took a bath, fixed myself until I was decent enough to go out; grabbed the keys to the car and zoomed off to party and got myself wasted.
And yes, they all noted that I DID get sunburn. XD
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