"At the heart of the Cordillera
mountain range rises perhaps its most formidable and enchanting mountain, Mt.
Napulauan. Often associated with the memory of Gen. Tomoyuki Yamashita. This
mountain possesses a mossy forest unrivalled in its primeval character, as well
as trails that earns for it the reputation of being the most challenging in the
Cordilleras, and arguably among the most difficult in the whole Philippines.
The trail, however, is very challenging. Two trails, the
Hungduan and the Hapao, are frequently combined in a traverse. (Anecdotally,
there is a third trail, called the Balentimol trail, known to locals but said
to be insanely dangerous – passing by ravines with trails less than two feet
wide!) Each has its distinct features; even the mossy forest in either trail is
unique." - pinoymountaineer.com
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Our group consists of 11 members, 9 of
us, one adult guide and his companion, a kid. Since we didn't notify the
authorities earlier and had no set schedule, we had to sign a waiver and had to hire a guide (1k/guide) coz it will be impossible anyway to go up the mountain not knowing
where to go. Tent and food, check!
We started off at Poblacion Hungduan and exited through the Balentimol trail. Going up was already tough but going down was even tougher. I would feel my heart pounding so fast in every few minutes that I climb the mountain so I would often stop and rest my heart. It took us 6-7 hours to reach the peak and it was already dark when we got there. To cook, the small tent, the very cold weather, the rain, having to sleep were the challenges we met. We weren't actually prepared with the cold weather in the mountain peak, we thought it would be just cold weather we were used to but no, colder. Nobody actually slept that well during the night. But when the morning came, it all passed as we were mesmerized with the sunrise. We took so many pictures especially of that sea of clouds and the blazing sunrise.
After breakfast, we took the Balentimol trail which was indeed challenging and dangerous wherein I actually slipped and fell a few times. The forest was mossy and for me, magical and enchanted, I actually had to ask permission before peeing. We also went around a big falls called 'Kidlat falls' and passed by Balentimol falls as well where we ate our lunch. After some few hours, we finally reached the cemented road down below, just cant wait for this hike to end.
Here are some pictures that I took:
the mystic forest
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| the sun is about to rise |
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| Just couldnt get enough of this! |
sea of clouds, make me think of ice cream!
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| Mt Pulag in view |
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| Took us about 7 hours to reach the peak and were the last to get there. In every 5 steps up, I would often feel my heart beating so fast that's why I had to stop and rest. |
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| We set a camp at the peak. It rained that night leaving us freezing cold, the bonfire helped a bit. Our guide dog cuddled with me to get some warmth. |
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The sun is starting to rise and I must say it is beautiful.
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| The blazing sunrise. |
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| Our little tent |
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| Sea of clouds. Mesmerizing! |
 our guide boiled some water |
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| sea of clouds |
me, taking a selfie!
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| Our group |
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| On our way down, another route to the exit. |
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| Balentimol falls |
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| Two more hours and were down the main road |
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| Finally, cemented road! |
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| Hungduan Rice Terraces, seen on our way out. |
Thank you Lord for bringing us to the summit safe and bringing us home safer. ^_^
MT. NAPULAUAN
Hungduan, Ifugao, Philippines
Major jump-offs: Poblacion and Brgy. Hapao, Hungduan (and Balentimol trail)
LLA: 16°50′N, 121°10′E, 2642 MASL (#15; 1580m gain)
Hours to summit / Days required: 9 hours / 2-3 days
Specs: Major climb, Difficulty 7/9, Trail class 3
March 21 & 22, 2015
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