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 |
