Mt. Balagbag

Taking advantage of June 12, 2013, a holiday to commemorate Philippines independence, my college friends and I decided to do a freedom climb. We searched for a mountain that is near Manila and kind to a not so seasoned hikers like us. After all, we just wanted to enjoy and experience scenery far different from what we used to everyday. We chose Mt. Balagbag in San Jose del Monte, Bulucan. Its proximity to Manila made our travel easy, convenient, and cheap. Its trail was kind enough that we can still exchange stories while trekking. It splendid view of the Sierra Madre mountain ranges on one side and Manila and its skyscrapers on the other side left us in awe. It was a good choice.

trekking under the intense heat of the sun

Along the trail we met warm and friendly locals. One even offered us a free ride that we gladly accepted. The weather had been almost fine during the entire climb. In fact, it was the intense heat of the sun rather than the trail that challenged us. We made several stops to re-hydrate and later on surprised to find out that we’re running out of water. At the summit it was only us enjoying the 360 degree view. We made the most out of the moment by taking photos here and there.

view from the summit

 We had our lunch high noon in a makeshift hut barely enough to give us shelter. A little later group of hikers started to arrive when we finally decided that it’s time to descend. All the way down it was swift that we decided to look for the water falls a local told us. We had trek a considerable distance when we’re advised that the waterfalls was actually twice the distance from the jump off to the summit. Looking at the time we had no choice but to backtrack. It was already mid-afternoon when we reached the community. We rushed to the nearest store to look for something cold and refreshing to quench our thirst. A little later we continued our walk and this time heading to another falls named Karahume falls. Our walk was cut short when a local offered us a ride all the way to the jump off of the falls. The side trip to the falls ended the hike.  

while descending

at the summit

Karahume Falls