Archive - Date
Archiv - Geography

Favourite trips
Favourite peaks
Cerro de la Ermita - a traverse with thorns
- Date:
- 15.03.2013
This was a short hike (2-3 hours) when waiting for better weather on Pico Orizaba. We started from the Virgin painting at the south end of the hill (near Tlachichuca town) and tried to traverse the entire ridge. This was not straightforward, because partly there was no trail and we had to fight a way trough bushes with thorns. After a very steep stretch we eventually reached a summit with many crosses on the top. But that was not the highest point, so we continued even further north. Here we bumped into cactus with big torns, ouch that hurts.... After reaching the highest point, we descended the proper trail on the east side, very much easier.
Bukit Pagon - an exclusive jungle peak
- Date:
- 21.02.2013
Guided tour package, costing 450 Brunei dollar per person (minimum of 3-4 clients). Long 4WD drive (4 hours each way) to basecamp. The day hike was fairly long too, almost 10 hours (incl return) in moderate pace with lots of up and downs, accumulating to more than 1800m gain of elevation ( click to see my GPS track ). Much of the hike was along an abandoned logging road, then a steep ridge with a surprisingly straightforward trail, which had fixed rope in the steepest sections. According to the guide (Haddy), only 50 people or so have been to this summit. I also returned fairly bloody, because of 3 leeches that had been eating on my two legs for a long time. Almost impossible to stop the bleeding, without a medical kit. Instead they put tobacco into my bites, and that was quite useful.
I need help to find the prominence, >>>
Maculot - summit bagged but traverse failed
- Date:
- 07.02.2013
We climbed without a local guide. The trail to the Rockies was easy to find and follow. So was the trail to the highest point of Maculot, even though it was somewhat overgrown and had plenty of thorns that ripped up our clothes and skin. While 95% climb the lower Rockies, only 5% continue to the true summit of Maculot. The reason for this is that while the Rockies has very nice views, the true summit has no views at all (dense forest). So most people (except peakbaggers of course) do not see any purpose of climbing 200+ meter higher. From the summit of Mt Maculot, we then continued the traverse to the other side of the mountain, but the overgrown trail turned out to be a dead-end (tall cliff). We realised our mistake when we climbed back to the summit of Maculot and could see a third trail descending >>>
Mount Batulao - a wonderful day hike
- Date:
- 05.02.2013
Up the "New trail" and down the "Old trail". No guide taken. It is fairly exposed a few places along the ridge, but no danger or problem in dry weather. A girl fell to her death here a couple of years ago. The upper part of the "Old trail" have one short section of fixed rope. I would say this is one of the finest dayhikes in the Philippines. The nearby location of Manila, means it is very busy in the weekends. But midweeks it is silent. We only met five other hikers on this Tuesday. See my GPS-track here .