Travel Diary: Mount Pigingan and the Friendship

Travel Diary: Mount Pigingan and the Friendship

The 4 hour hike from the village going to the base camp of Mount Pigingan has made me ponder and ask myself what sort of satisfaction do I get from this extreme activity.
 Under the scorching sun, we walked on rocky paths, crossed suspension bridges and navigated along the rivers while carrying our backpacks, tents and food. My water container was almost emptied but luckily our guide was kind enough to show us a spring where we could refill our almost empty bottles with fresh drinking water.

It was in the middle of April when my colleagues and I decided to venture into another thrilling escapade - hiking. It was the summer season of the Philippines which means its the perfect time to pitch tents and sleep under the gleaming stars and be enthralled by the serenity of the night. Everyone was so excited because after a long time, we have got to experience camping again. Hiking and camping together make an ideal out-of-town trip with friends.

Situated in a small and peaceful village of Balocloc in Barangay Dalupirip, Itogon, Benguet, Mount Pigingan stands 1,328 meters above sea level overlooking the wild and untamed Agno River. "Pigingan" is a local word which means "slanted".

Our team gathered in front of Melvin Jones Grandstand in downtown Baguio at around 6:30 am. It was a late start actually (Some of our friends are from Tarlac so we waited for them.) however we were not in a hurry and we wanted to take our time since it is a 2 - day camping trip but I am strongly recommending hikers to start their ascend from Dalupirip Village as early possible to avoid the wrath of sweltering sun. Anyway, we rented our friend's van because it is easier and less hassle to go there with your own car however, for public transportation, you can either take a taxi or a jeepney. The Jeepney terminal going to Dalupirip is located in Lakandula Street just beside Centermall. The place is quite far so it may take you about an hour and so to go there. (Please ask the Jeepney Drivers about the schedule) We arrived at the Village at around 11 am and we were immediately assisted by the local tourism officers.They were very kind and they even offered us to use their private toilet for free. After 10 minutes of preparing, we started our trek. It was extremely hot but that did not inhibit our excitement. We were so ecstatic, we were running, racing and of course non - stop photo taking. Two new members have just joined our team (we met them in another hiking event before) so it added the fun and anticipation for a new adventure.

We trekked for almost 3 hours along the rough yet awe inspiring river that serves as the gateway of the majestic Mt. Pigingan. There were a lot of  intermittent rests along the way due to the sweltering temperature. Finally, we reached the base at around 4 pm and we decided to  set up our tents in this area (the camping area is somewhere near the summit but would take us another excruciating 2 hour hike). Our base camp luckily has a small wooden house used by the local farmers during farming season and a spring where we can get potable water. We immediately cleared the area and built our tents as the sun slowly surrendered to the night. Stories were told, games were played, food were shared and wonderful and lasting memories were made.

We woke up at around 1:30 am and started our ascend to the summit at 2: 00 am. It was a little chilly at first but as we reached the forested part of the mountain, we slowly felt the summer breeze which gave us an immediate comfort. Up the mountains we saw flickering lights from the small village on the other side. It was magical. The air was so fresh it made me feel instantly healthy. I got tired at some points as we climbed: you see, I weighed 64 kgs. at that time, I am much heavier now by 3 kgs; however my friends were very gracious enough to slow down their pacing and we helped push each other forward. Mt. Pigingan is not your average mountain, so much to say for a 5/9 level of difficulty.

We reached the top of the mountain, however, for us to enjoy the beauty of the sunrise, we have to climb to the highest point of the mountain which means going over some rocks. It was a touching moment (well maybe its just me, my friends were fine) because some of our friends were scared of heights (pretty ironic for joining hiking, yeah but that's their hassle) but again we helped each other reached the top by giving support (play Gary V. "Kung Wala ka nang maintindihan,....") and together we ascended to the summit. As we watched and the sun began to rise, the clouds slowly enveloped the purple sky. The sun radiated and we were instantly mesmerized. It was a spellbinding experience. This is the kind of satisfaction I keep chasing. 

Here are some of the photos we took. Enjoy.