Journey with me as I recount my breathtaking experience hiking Mt. Tapulao, one of the highest peaks in Luzon and one of the most challenging traverses in the Central Luzon region. Honestly, I was scared to do it, and I wanted to back out. I had no choice because we were already prepared for it—things, clothes, and hiking gear. The only thing left to prepare for was my mindset. Boy, it wasn't easy.
Before the hike, Gerald told me this is considered one of the major hikes with 18km of walking, climbing, and everything in between, and that means we'd probably be on the trail for more than 8 hours. Because I thought hiking was just easy with a vision of just a plain uphill trail, I was confident that I'd be able to do it even without experience. I got even more excited and wanted to go to sleep and wake up on the day of the hike already.
Fast forward to the day of the hike. We went to our friend's house in Castillejos after lunch for the call time because we had to take the bus for a 2-hour trip to Palauig, Zambales, where Mt. Tapulao is situated. We arrived at the jump-off at sunset and filled in paperwork before we started walking. Then, we proceeded to start the hike when the sky was already dark. Let me do a photowalk so you can hop in on the experience.
This is at the jump-off point at the barangay which is right at the foot of the bridge. There is a waiver that should be filled out by everyone going up the mountain. The safety first protocol is very much observed.
Well, off we go with all our (heavy) things, walking up the 4 km of cemented road. Don't underestimate this, because even if 4km sounds like a short distance, the uphill walk was very, very steep. It's really tiring.
We rested at the end of the 4 kilometer walk, and you can see that at the back of Gerald. So long, cemented road! At this point, I was already psyching myself up to just take it one step at a time, follow the lead, and just finish the trail.
We continued hiking until we reached the 6th kilometer, and so far, my adrenaline rush was still peaking, and I wasn't feeling like I wanted to vomit or go back home. I was still okay, thank God. There was a store at the 6th kilometer point, where we stopped and had a quick dinner. Then we continued the hike.
This is called a Limatik, or blood-sucking, worm-looking leech. Gerald told me that when a mountain is alive, there are insects like this. They can cling to your skin (sometimes, even your eyes) without you even knowing it! But don't panic. These are not poisonous, nor do they carry any disease. You have to check from time to time if there are leeches on your skin because they get fatter as they stay longer. Gerald just quickly removes them as if it's just dirt that you can easily shrug off your shoulders. He bled, but he didn't mind. I was wearing sweatpants, thick socks, and rubber shoes, and still, these leeches found their way inside! Just when I thought I was safe, I had one right on my thigh!
On the way up, we were told by the guide to be careful because there is beehive somewhere at the 9th kilometer point that is not visible at night (of course), and these bees attack hikers because of the scent coming from lotion, alcohol, or anything sweet. I was honestly scared because I had already experienced being stung by a bee, and it wasn't good. Fortunately, nobody from our group got stung, and the guide didn't even tell us that we were already at the 9th km point. I guess it's a good thing.
At this point, I was feeling so proud of myself for reaching 10 kilometers. Imagine being in the troposphere, the lowest layer of our atmosphere, and 33,000 feet above sea level (of course I had to Google it). Atmosphere unlocked. Haha! The feeling of just being able to be present at that moment was amazing. We came across an obstacle trail, and we had to do it one by one. It was the kind where you have to hold onto whatever you can to pull yourself up, or else you'll fall. It was the most intense part because it was dark and the rocks were slippery. I just trusted my instinct and followed where Gerald was holding onto and stepping on.
The sun was rising, and we were probably hiking for about 9 hours with a few minutes of rest so everyone decided to recharge and sleep.
And just like that, we were off to finish the hike up to the 16-kilometers campsite! I wasn't able to get enough sleep because I was paranoid that insects might come crawling up to me or that a leech might attach itself to my face. Haha!
Off we go on the road less traveled! Gerald's bag may look light, but that is as heavy as I am, or doubled!
Right after that narrow trail was this breathtaking view. We just had to stop and breathe in this awesomeness.
Okay. At this point, the rest of the group was already way ahead of us. I kind of felt embarrassed because I'm holding Gerald back from hiking faster, but I can't help but take a rest from all the walking. I was already tired. I was just trying to mend it with how beautiful the view was (not to mention that I'm the oldest in the group and most of the people in the group were hikers).
The climbing got more intense and the rocks became more slippery. I couldn't even see the end of these rocks, and we had no idea if we were near any ends or not because from the back of this shot, we were already climbing big rocks that we had to stop and take a breath.
Gerald had to carry my bag, which weighs as much as me, because he could already see that I was fighting for my life haha. I literally cried already, but it was just because I'm tired. I literally slipped and bumped my chest on a big, slippery rock. It was a point of no return. The soles of my feet were already painful, but I had to keep moving forward, and I knew it would be worth it when I reached the campsite, especially the summit!
The fog got thicker as we reached more height, and it was already cold. It was literally just me and Gerald at this spot, but we could already hear people, which meant that the campsite was nearby! I had no more energy at this point, and while we were a few minutes away from the site, it started raining. Gerald had to setup our tent in the rain and I couldn't help because the rain, and the cold weren't a good combination for my body. I was already shaking, and my allergic rhinitis from the cold was giving me rashes.
When the tent was set up and we were already settled in our tent, the first thing on our list was to eat and then rest. It was only the first day. Was it tiring? 100% Yes. But was it worth it? DEFINITELY!
Click here for Day 2 and the Summit!
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