Day Hike #1: Hello, Mt. Palaopao!

Last April, there was a Mt. Kalatungan climb opportunity for me. But I need to be away from my kids for three nights! That was an adventure that I missed for the second time (The first one was two months before my wedding). But I know I should not take it. While it will not be a problem for my son, it will be for my three year old daughter who is my nightly bed mate since she was born.

Two weeks later, I texted my friend Louis, the one who told me about the plan to climb, if we can go to the Kisolon mountain he told me he wanted to summit. That was a Thursday and we agreed to climb it by Saturday. I asked my good friend Joy, if she wanted to join us and she readily said "sure!" Louis' wife, Cecil, will also be joining us.

It's going to be my first climb since getting married and my first mom's-day-off since having kids so I decided that I will not bring an SLR camera because I wanted to enjoy my time, to enjoy the scenery instead of looking for picture-perfect views. But, by the time we cross the hanging bridge I realized that was a bad idea. Later, I learned that mountain climbing and picture taking go together.

I had my phone camera though so I was still able to capture some stills. Thing is, due to my excitement I forgot to change the setting to a higher resolution and the scene mode to "landscape." I'm still happy with the photos though...and here they are!

After we cross the hanging bridge, we learned that Palaopao actually belongs to Manolo Fortich, and not Sumilao, where its full view can be seen. The Kulaman River is the boundary between the two municipalities.

After crossing the bridge, we looked at how high we came from. It also meant that upon going home we will also be climbing that high. 

Let's go up!

 Half-way there!

I was fascinated by the sharp rocks. Years of weathering (wind and rain) made them craggy, sharp, and full of holes that some resemble corals.  

 Part of me was actually thankful I did not bring a bulky SLR or else I'll keep worrying it might get scratched by the sharp rocks (LOL!)

 The other side of the mountain.

Is that Camiguin Island in the distance?

We sometimes need to hold on to the rocks as we climb. 

Almost there!

 The most prominent rock wall that can be seen from the highway.

 Finally reached the top!

The locals do their Station of the Cross on this mountain. This is the biggest cross and it is made of concrete. It was two weeks after Holy Week so we were lucky there were still visible trails and the grasses, which can be slippery, were flattened and have dried up.

Taking selfies. Look at those sharp rocks!

Going down.

After eating our lunch and taking some more photos, we started our descent.

We were blessed with a not so sunny day so our climb was rather fast and not as tiring and hot. We had the perfect weather condition to climb a rocky mountain.

This is not the highest part of the mountain though but Louis said we will be up to this point only. My mind replied: Ah, there's a reason to go back, hehehe...

Cecil said getting there took us an hour and a half, while going back took only 45 minutes!

Mt. Palaopao stands at 836 ft (255 m) above sea level. I'll say the experience made us burn over 8360 calories! Yahoo!!!

Did you know?
Several large caves are found in the Palaopao range including Paiyak, Sumalsag, Lagundang, Basag, and Lahusa caves. Paiyak cave is an ancient burial ground for the indigenous people whose dead are placed in clay pots.

 * Last three photos grabbed from Louis' Facebook page. I thought he was capturing the views. Only after he posted the pictures did we know that Joy and I have lots of photos and they were all candid! Bahala walay poise basta kay naay remembrance! LOL! Thank you for everything, Louis and Cecil! 



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