Hello, wholesome reader!
I am very excited to share this magical and once-in-a-lifetime experience with you. As you can tell from the title of this post, I’ll be talking about our adventure to reach the summit of Mt. Pulag, which is known as the Roof of Luzon in the Philippines. I’ll be splitting this story into two parts: the preparation, and the actual climb, which I’ll share in the next post.
Personally, I’ve been dreaming of climbing this mountain for a long time. I had a few attempts to travel and climb this beauty before, but I believe everything happens at the right time. Joining me on this climb was my lover, who is a mountaineer himself. Spoiler alert: I felt super safe the entire time because I knew he always had my back. 🥰
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We flew to Luzon on separate flights — me from Cebu, and him from Cagayan de Oro. This was our first trip together, and I’m glad it involved something we both enjoy: climbing mountains!
The most convenient option for us was to avail of a package from one of the organizing groups for Mt. Pulag. Unfortunately, some of these groups have earned bad reputations, as reported by disappointed customers on Facebook (yes, I regularly check those reviews).
That said, I highly recommend our organizer, Ms. Mernalyn from Mt. Pulag Dreamscapers Tours Services, as her service was truly satisfactory.
Day 1 at Kabayan, Benguet
As part of the package, we were picked up from Baguio City early in the morning, a day before our climb. The agenda for Day 1 is to reach Kabayan, a mountainous town two hours away from Baguio City, secure a medical certificate, attend the orientation prior to the climb, and to settle and rest at our homestay, which was already included in the package we availed of.
Getting to Know Mt. Pulag
As mentioned, the day before our climb, we were already in Kabayan, Benguet. Climbers are required to attend an orientation given by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). During the talk, we learned so much about Mt. Pulag.
Mt. Pulag, also called the Playground of the Gods, is the highest peak in Luzon and the third highest in the entire Philippines. As of writing, the summit stands at 2,926 meters above sea level. There are four main trails to the summit: Ambangeg, Akiki, Tawangan, and Ambaguio. The first two are located in Kabayan. Of these, the easiest route is Ambangeg, often called the “Artista Trail.” That’s the one we took for this adventure.
Another interesting thing we learned during the orientation is that Mt. Pulag has different terrains depending on the altitude and temperature. These are the Pine Forest, the Mossy Forest, and the Grassland.
After the orientation, we traveled to our homestay and arrived around lunchtime. Even though it was already noon, the weather was still so cold! I thought to myself, If it's THIS cold here, how much colder will it be at the summit? We had no choice but to embrace the chill, knowing we'd miss it once we returned home.
We also explored the homestay, which had a rooftop where we enjoyed the beautiful colors of the sky at sunset.
A Chilly Midnight Trek
Beforehand, I had watched several vlogs of hikers who had already conquered the mountain. I learned that the temperature up there is no joke—so preparation is crucial for an enjoyable climb. Since we chose the easiest trail, the trail itself wasn’t the challenge; it was the cold!
I get cold easily, so I prepared three layers for my top and two for my bottoms. My top layers consisted of a heat-tech long-sleeved shirt, a fleece jacket, and a windbreaker. For my bottoms, I wore two cargo pants.
It’s also important to protect your head and face from the cold, so I wore a bonnet from the start of the hike and later used a balaclava to cover my face as we reached higher altitude. We also wore gloves to keep our hands warm, and a headlamp was essential since we started our hike at midnight.
And that’s just the beginning...
Our journey to the Roof of Luzon is far from over! This first part covered all the behind-the-scenes magic that made the climb possible but the real adventure is just about to unfold. In the next part, I’ll take you through our actual climb: the challenges, the surreal scenery, and that heart-stopping moment when we finally reached the summit. Trust me, you won’t want to miss it. So, stay tuned!
Thank you for reading my post up to this point. I hope you have a great time ahead!
I'll take delight in writing for you again soon.
Love,
Sam ♡
Part 1 | Part 2
Hello, in case you have not read my intro post, my name is Samantha. You may call me Sam for short. I am from Cebu, a beautiful island in the Philippines. I created this space in an attempt to put all the good things in one place, thus, my blog name @wholesamdiaries.
Let's connect! I'd be glad to discover more amazing people here. Thank you once again and see you around! ♡