Mt. Maculot

I've been hearing and reading good reviews about Mt. Maculot ever since I became an outdoor enthusiast.   Mt. Maculot is a mountain in Batangas, a province south of Manila.  It stands at 930 meter above sea level, a minor climb which features scenic views of Taal Lake, rock formations, and forests.  The good reviews on this mountain gave me excitement that on Nov. 10, 2012 I did a traverse day hike together with my college classmates Ronie and Marie Rose.

Distant view of Mt. Maculot

Early morning of Nov. 10, we met at Ceres bus station in Cubao.  We boarded the bus that left at around six in the morning.  We reached the town of Cuenca in Batangas two hours later and paid 155 pesos each for the fare.  Cuenca is the town in Batangas where the jump off to Mt. Maculot is.  We dropped by at the police precinct to register and for our last minute preparations.  By eight thirty in the morning, we started the trek going to the foot of the mountain.  We opted not to seek a guide as we were confident on the research we did regarding the mountain days before the climb. 

at the foot of Mt. Maculot

After twenty minutes of walking, we finally reached the foot of the mountain.  It is from here where the real trek begun.  We started from a cemented road which disappeared minutes after.  Good thing the trail was partly covered with trees, that even if it was a sunny day we’re not bothered at all.  The trek continued gradually ascending until we reached a part of the trail where there was a kid selling buko juice.  We took a five-minute rest and ordered a buko juice.   We continued our trek, this time we seemed to be catching our breath.  Again in another part of the trail, we encountered a man selling buko juice.  We took another stop but opted not buy a buko juice and instead drink our trail water.  I noticed that we already gained a considerable altitude enough to give us a glimpse of the taal lake. 

in one of the rest stops

We resumed our trek after a couple of picture taking.   This time, no more trees to cover the trail until we reached the camp site.   We headed straight to the rockies as the camp site was crowded.  The rockies is Mt. Maculot’s charm.  It creates a very scenic view of the entire Taal Lake including of course the famed Taal volcano.  From rockies, other mountains in Batangas and nearby provinces are visible too.  Even parts of Mindoro Island are apparent on a clear day.

at the rockies

The trail going to the rockies was a bit challenging.  One should be extra cautious in negotiating it as there’s always that possibility to slip or slide with your body parts hitting the boulders.  When we got to the rockies, it was just beautiful that we spent almost an hour picture taking.  We explored its different parts, going up and down on its boulders.    We didn’t seem to care that it was already high noon and that we’re exposed to the intense heat of the sun.   We did enjoy especially when other hikers went down and we have the whole rockies to ourselves. 

at the rockies

Taal Volcano as viewed from the Rockies 

My companions were still in great joy with the rockies experience when I told them that we need to go down.  We headed back to the camp site and ate our packed lunch.  We rested for a while after we consumed our lunch.  At exactly one thirty in the afternoon, we resumed our trek this time heading to the summit.  The sun was high but fortunately the trail to the summit was forested.   Some parts of the trail were even concealed by over grown grasses.  There were also wild flowers along the way that catches our attention.  After thirty minutes of trekking, the trail became steeper reminding us that we are nearing the summit.  We made several stops to re hydrate.  We continued our trek until we hear the voices of the group that trekked ahead of us.   

thick forest leading to the summit

Finally after an hour and thirty minutes of trekking we reached the summit.    From the summit we saw a portion of the rockies and Taal lake.  Taal volcano and its crater lake were also visible.  We took several pictures before we decided to descend to the other side of the mountain leading to the Grotto.  We can still hear the voices of the other group hence, we followed them thinking they are trekking the right trail.  Minutes after we banded with them, I noticed that the trail seemed dead.  At the back of my mind, knowing that the mountain is popular and frequented by hikers the trail couldn't be like that.  We were lost.  We decided to backtrack to the summit leaving the other group while I was trying to recall what I read on the accounts of those who were able to traverse the mountain. 

the Grotto

We got back to the summit and surveyed the area.  We found the right trail concealed by over grown grasses.    In as much as we’d like to inform the other group, they were already far.  We were also looking at the time; we’re a bit worried that the night might fall upon us while still on the trail.  We hurriedly descended and minutes later we reached the rope segments.  We carefully negotiated this steep part of the trail and continued our descent with increased pace.   By four thirty in the afternoon, we reached the Grotto.  We stop for a while to take some photos.  It was a beautiful afternoon.  The sun was slowly setting down on a clear blue sky.    We followed the station of the cross on our way down until we reached the end of the trail.  

the sunset

We then took a ride to the police precinct where we freshen up and change clothes.  Then we proceeded to look for a place where we can have dinner.  We found one and the foods were delicious.  It was already past seven in the evening when we boarded a bus going to Manila.  All three of us were dead tired and asleep while on board the bus.  Who cares?  We did have a good climb.

my friends 

 

wild berry

taal lake

wild flower