Conquered Mt. Pulag!

I went on an adventure this past weekend--I was actually able to climb the 2nd highest mountain in the country, Mt. Pulag in Benguet (northern part of the Philippines). You may wonder why the heck I would want to go through a physically challenging ordeal. Why not? It's not something everyone will do or would want to do, and how many people can actually say they've actually climbed a mountain--what more the 2nd highest peak? This trek didn't only serve as an adventure for me. It gave me clarity as to what I should do in terms of my career and life in general. You see, I've been struggling with my job since the year started. Things are supposed to get better, but that's not really the case. Let's just say after my Mt. Pulag climb, I know what to do now. Hehehe you guys will find out in a couple of months what direction I'll take in terms of my career as a market researcher.

Back to Pulag! Can I just say, this weekend was the BEST weekend for me this year...so far :) I'm not really an outdoorsy person. Lately, though, I've been attracted to the idea that I could try being more active and I shouldn't be afraid trying new things--going outside my comfort zone and pushing myself to see how far I can go. The climb was far from easy, believe me. Considering we took the beginner's trail, there wasn't anything amateur about it! I wanted to cry at times and just give up. But then I realized that there's a greater purpose why I was doing the trek, so I soldiered on--and I made it! I'm glad that I went up the mountain with my cousin Diwa, who's also a godsister of mine. I love it that I get to experience such adventures with people I love and care for. It bonded us even more, given that we're already quite close.

I want to share with you all my Mt. Pulag experience through photos. Enjoy looking at these and I hope that through these pictures you'll be able to somehow experience Mt. Pulag.

Our group before we started the trek up. It rained! Good thing we were ready with our raincoats :)




An hour to go before we reached the campsite...photo-op/an excuse to rest!

At last! We've arrived at the campsite. All smiles, but you have no idea how tired we were!

Our campsite

View from our campsite


With my cousin Diwa and her friend Solo. 4 layers of clothing and we're still freezing!


I had to put my feet inside my bag because it was so cold! Considering I was in thermal wear already.

At 3 a.m before our trek up to the summit. FREEZING COLD, I TELL YOU! F-R-E-E-Z-I-N-G!

On top of Mt. Pulag, waiting for the sun to completely rise

My dearest cousin Diwa and I on top of Mt. Pulag

Finally, the Sun's out!

Just awesome :)

A sea of clouds

Our group on top of Mt. Pulag


Trek back to the campsite...

Resting after an hour of the trek back to the Ranger Station

Lovely view while climbing down the Mountain...

...although we were still quite high up :)

See? :)

Note: Some of the photos are from Eric Ofina who was with my group to Pulag, some are from my camera. Always site your sources :)

Pulag Preview

Hello, my dear readers! I got back from my Mt. Pulag trek early Monday morning, and am still recuperating haha! I should've prepared months before the climb. My body is aching all over. But all the pain and hardship---SO WORTH IT! I won't be able to share with you my Pulag experience now since I'm still a bit tired and I have to organize my thoughts first. Plus, I've been absent from work for two days (best 2 days ever, haha!). Seriously, there's something wrong when you feel this way about work already. Oh well...hoping for the best, expecting the worst. Anyhooo, here's a preview of what I experienced in my weekend adventure up north....

This isn't even a shot I got from the net...I took it while I was on top of Mt. Pulag--THE 2ND HIGHEST MOUNTAIN IN THE PHILIPPINES!! It's 2970 meters above sea level. Can I just say I'm so proud of myself? Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I'd be able to climb a mountain.

Watch out for my next post! I promise I'll try to share with y'all the details of my trip. Not much drama, though. We all just almost froze to death up there, hahaha! Can't wait to write my Pulag entry, but now I have to rest first.

To my dear readers--followers, frequent readers, or maybe you just stumbled upon my blog--go out and go on adventures! Don't be afraid to take risks and try something new. My Pulag trip was truly lifechanging, and I hope you get to experience an adventure so grand that you'll be able to say after "This was so worth it. I'm glad I did it."

trips this year

I'm planning out three trips this year, all with different sets of friends:

to Batanes (an island in the Northern part of the Philippines)

a trek to Mt. Pulag (Cordillera Region, also up North)

and an Ilocos Norte adventure

(Bangui Windmills)

(Burgos Lighthouse)

(Paoay Church)

(Vigan Heritage Town)

My trip to Batanes--with college adventuremates (they're friends from a year lower than me who are fellow-Biyaheng Pinoy enthusiasts); my trek to Mt. Pulag--with the same college friends, officemates, and childhood friends (we need to form a group of at least 15 for the trek to be budget-friendly. hahaha!); and my trip to Ilocos Norte--with two of my good girlfriends. I noticed all my trips this year are up North :p

I'm just so ecstatic with these trips :) I'll be bankrupt by the end of the year, but to experience going to these places..gosh, spending money on these places is SO WORTH IT.

photo credit: ar.jy1207, cruz_jerry, wenmanong, A1 Philippine Travel Asia, davyop, and akosikenet