Hiking with the PRO

Isang pambihirang lakad, nag-joint forces ang ilang IRRI berks at ang Destiny professionals para saktan ang sarili hahaha. Ang kaganapan, hike sa Mt. Pico de Loro aka Mt. Palay-Palay, sabi ni WIKI isa daw itong dormant volcano kagaya ng kumare nating si Mt. Makiling. Matatagpuan sa border ng Cavite at Batangas, sya din ang highest mountain sa Cavite with an elevation of 688 m above sea level. Tinawag itong Pico de Loro gawa ng mga lolo mong Spanish seafarers na tinawag na "Parrot's beak" ang pointed summit nito, ito daw kasi ang signal ng mga lolo mo to turn east to get to Manila Bay, ganon! Ang Parrot's beak na yan ay ang lone vertical cliff or the monolith that offers a 360-degree view of the protected landscape and the shores of Limbones Cove. Nga laang, walang ropes na pwede naming kapitan paakyat ng beak na yan nung nag-hike kami kaya sa gilid-gilid at tabi-tabi lang kami nakapag-shoot at mukhang hindi ko na din kayang bumalik para akyatin pa ang parrot's beak huhuhu. Anyways, so eto na nga, ang gaganda kasi ng mga larawan kaya gusto ko syang i-BLOG, bilang nagmamaganda na naman ako sa blogging. This is for my own #nakakahappy experience din naman at para akong may kasamang personal photographer sa hike na ito, andami kong pictures both candid and alam na. O hala, mag-seen zone na!

Sometime in May 2012 ito, tag-ulan na pero may pasilip naman si haring araw paminsan-minsan kaya ituloy na ang lakwatsa. Hindi pa kami mayaman non kaya "jeep" ang aming ride, commute pa nga yata kami nito, can't remember na mga beshy. Ang aking mga beshies: Vic, Otep, Boki, Myla, Rona, Tram, Jova, Liza, Joseph, Mara, Gian, Grace, Kerry, Jon, and Karen (anjan din si Merc at Mian pero sa jeep at Nasugbu lang sila, hindi nakasama sa hike).

ang aming happy ride going to Nasugbu then to the jump-off ng Pico de Loro

photo-op muna bago sumabak sa sakitan

registration/orientation then off we go, mga fresh pa at excited pa ang itsura

dahil nga tag-ulan na, may mga part na maputik or lubog sa tubig ang trail

bamboo forest talaga is so beautiful and relaxing

ang mga naipon ni Gian sa hike

may batis along the way kaya nagbawas ang mga naipong putik at dahon bago sumulong

si Jova, nag-enjoy na, gusto ng maglaba!

every stop is photo-op sesh, di ba Gracey?

wala kaming hilig sa picture, wala talaga!

mukha pa namang fresh

Ding, ang BATO!

ayan, nabiyayaan ng magandang clearing

Hindi pa ito ang summit, pero mag-lunch break muna kami para may energy na ulit for more photo-ops sa summit at sa parrot's beak.

ang official food of every hike, Jollibee beke nemen?!?

another group photo sesh sa may camp area

andaming shots at ang hirap mamili kaya ilagay na lang lahat =P

tapos, may mga ganyan pang eme ang mga beshy ko!

groufie sa summit na ito

ayan na, unti-unti ng nawawala ang paligid, kukuhanin na kami ng kawalan

at ayan ang closest that we can get to the parrot's beak, ang reason bakit ito Pico de Loro

ayun ang parrot's beak, mabuti na lang nakalapit na ako kahit papano

at dahil tuluyan na ngang binalot ng hamog ang summit, babaan na kami

kaya pa ba mga beshy ko?

kaya pa! nakuha pang mag-waterfalls eh, hindi marurupok, 

kagaya ng water na hindi nag-fall sa waterfalls =P

eh bakit malungkot ang beshy ko?

o sya sya, para di na malungkot ang mga beshy ko, mag-photo op na ulit bago umuwi =P

Salamat sa masayang hike na ito, hindi na din natuloy ang Mt. Apo, pero keriboom-boom may alaala namang babalikan ng isang masayang hike with the pro =) 

at eto na nga mga beshy, may extra pa akong photos, kay dami kasi =P

SALAMAT sa mga larawan, mostly kay Otep ito at sa iba pang may pa-photo-op =)

Mount Batulao

This is my second for a day hike, first is Mt. Makiling, now Mt. Batulao. My second hike for the year with my Mt. Daguldol buddies (Icoy, Sheila, Bing, Pogs and Chrome) with an additional hiking buddies from IRRI (Janet, Donald, Carina and Sonia) plus our ever kaladkaring Doc Dens =)

According to the websites I visited, Mt. Batulao is a cool mountain, that you get to wear your jacket in noonday..sounds refreshing to me! It's a minor climb that would take just about 2 hours. Like all mountains Batulao also has a story to tell, it got it's name from "Bato sa Ilao" or Illuminated Rocks which derived from the phenomenon that happens every year end where the sun sets right between Batulao's two peaks that creates an image of rocks beaming with red light thus the shortened word "Batulao".

For itinerary or detailed information on how to get to Mt. Batulao...visit my favorite website: Pinoy Mountaineer; Photos care of Icoy Mercado and Pogs Manalili

 
We started walking from Evercrest parking area passing through the community and now here, where we walk up and down on these slopes

Posing before the marker...Mt. Batulao ROCK!!!

with Mt. Batulao's peak on the background...

last stop before reaching the Camp site near the summit, last chance to drink mountain dew...but it's no longer available at the time we reached this spot

jumping for joy when we reached the PEAK...it's not that easy but it's fun going through the WALL and making it in here =)

team Batulao!!! Icoy, Donald, Sonia, Sheila, Bing, Janet, Carina, ME, Chrome, Dens and Pogs

FHM models....For Hikers Magazine bwehehe

for .......... hmmmmmmmmm.............. ????

the new trail...mostly up and down the many slopes of Batulao, but we took the old trail...we're newbies remember?!

slowly descending ....

 

it's amazing how mountains has that capacity to put people together and work their way up, helping each other, making sure that everyone reach the top....another team building activity in preparation for Pulag.....truly this hike is once again a demonstration of the saying "We're all in this together."