Pico de Loro Fun Climb

by Jec Chua:

Last May 15 and 16, I joined my boyfriend Dj and his friends' fun climb at Mt. Pico de Loro in Cavite. I am not really the sporty type, or someone who seeks an outdoor adventure for fun. I dig malls, good food and shopping for entertainment more than fine sceneries at the top of the hills, but I guess, trying to somewhat be a mountaineer even just for a day, is an experience I'll never forget.

 ITINERARY FOR MT. PICO DE LORO (Cavite)*

Destination: Mt. Pico De Loro, Cavite Elevation: 664 meters above sea level

Level: Minor Climb, Level I, Easy Jump‐off Point: Ternate, Cavite

Climb Duration: 2 days & 1 night (including travel time from and back to Manila)

Attendees: Jec, Dj, Tem, Debbie, Jevi, Milcah, Bron and Thailand.

 Date: May 15 – 16, 2010

 DAY 1– SATURDAY

0600 ASSEMBLY AT GUADALUPE

0630 ETD FOR MARAGONDON, CAVITE

0930 ETA MARAGONDON PUBLIC MARKET OR DENR NURSERY TO REGISTER

1000 ETD FOR JUMP‐OFF POINT

1030 ETA TRAILHEAD AT “MANETIC HILL” ALONG TERNATE HIGHWAY

1100 ETA DENR STATION, REGISTER PACKS ON BACK HEAD TO JUMP–OFF.

1130 START TREK TO FIRST NIPA HUT

1230 LUNCH BREAK AT NIPA HUT

1330 RESUME TREK

1600 ETA BASE CAMP

1800 SUNSET, ETA ABC PITCH TENT, REST, LIGHT SNACK.

1900 PREPARE DINNER

2000 DINNER, SOCIALS

2200 LIGHTS OUT

DAY 2– SUNDAY

0600 WAKE UP CALL, BREAKFAST

0800 STAR TREK TOWARDS NIPA HUT

1030 ETA NIPA HUT

1200 ETA TRAILHEAD AT “MAGNETIC HILL”

1230 ETA MARAGONDON PUBLIC MARKET, LUNCH, WASH UP

1600 ETA MANILA

WHAT TO BRING:

‐ Camping eqpt. (Tent, sleeping gear, stove and cook set)

‐ Clothes

‐ Packed lunch, food/snacks (meals to be prepared/cooked will be for dinner, breakfast, and lunch)

‐ Min. 3L water per person for cooking and drinking

‐ Lights (preferably headlamp and lantern) ‐ Appropriate footwear

‐ Personal effects: medicines, toiletries, off‐lotion, sun block ‐ Optional: gloves, knee pads, camera (preferable)

‐Trash bag ‐ PMA (Positive Mental Attitude)

Jec, the mountaineer wannabe

Things would have been perfect if I wasn’t carrying 8 Kilos of weight at my back, having to carry a fully packed huge back-pack. It was really a miracle that I have put everything that I need for the climb inside that bag, including the 3 litters of drinking water we are obliged to bring and the most important among all the things I'm carrying that day. There's no water source at the top, so we badly need that water to cook our food, and to quench our thirsts.

The Trek

Long ours of walk all the way to the top brought so much agony to my legs and more specially to my back, and also add the scourging heat of the sun to the sufferings I need to endure that day just to get to the peak, and camp. Steep, rocky and maze like trails welcomed us at Pico de Loro. By just looking at it, I keep asking my self, if it's really possible for a human being to pass that hell like path? Good thing, even without proper physical preparation for the climb I managed to maintain composed and strong until the end despite being exhausted. I guess maybe, that "having a positive mental attitude" to bring on the climb reminder is the best weapon any one brought that day.



Reaching the Camp feels like heaven! God! I almost kissed the ground, when we finally sat down and enjoy the view at the top of the mountain. After that glorious picturesque moment of celebration for making it, we started setting up the camp and cooked dinner. After dinner, we all gathered to drink a little and chat, and after a short while, we went straight to sleep to charge our bodies for a long walk waiting for us going down tomorrow.

 Day2

After reaching the summit, we packed up and cleared the area and started our trek going down. We encountered a little mishap by getting lost in the mountain, but we still managed to find our way back and reached the ground before sunset. We also went to a beach near the area to clean up, and also to give our selves a little reward for a successful climb.



At the end, I'm just glad that we all made it back to our normal lives, in one-piece!

Photo credits: Ronald Malate