Mt. Aminduen: The Ormoc Trilogy Conquered

Hello, hive!

It's been quite a while since my last post, and I'm curious about how you guys have all been? It’s already mid-October, and we’re just two months away from 2024.

I stumbled across a quote that said, “Never be afraid to try something new because life gets boring when you stay within the limits of what you already know.” And it brings me to the question: have you ever wondered what life would be like if we had no courage to try new things beyond our comfort zone?

Few months ago, I posted about my first ever camping experience, how it went, and how much it altered my brain chemistry about outdoor pursuits. Now in this post, I am going to share with you my first major climb and let me just say that I'm extremely proud of myself for conquering not just one but three formidable mountains! Talk about leveling up!

Kuya James, ate @mariasalve, @danahnatalie, me and other newly met mountaineering friends went to Ormoc, Leyte two weeks ago for our quest to climb Lake Janagdan, Mt. Malingatong and Mt. Aminduen (Alto Peak) or what they call the Ormoc Trilogy.

The Journey

On Friday night, October 6, 2023, my friends and I went to the port and transported from Cebu City to Ormoc via a cargo-passenger ship. Our boarding time was at 10 p.m., but we were already on board as early as 8 p.m., and as you can see in the photos, we made ourselves cozy and got ready for a 7-hour sea trip.

The ship docked in Ormoc at around 5 a.m. on Saturday and when we got off, we introduced ourselves to each other. One of the best things about outdoor adventures is that you get to meet new friends. The other group were Enzo, Michael, JL, James, Mier, Frenz, June Reil, and Alwin. For Danah and me, it was our first time meeting them, but for Ate Salve and Kuya James, they were already friends and acquainted with some from their past climbs. After the short introduction, we grabbed a quick breakfast in one of the karinderyas and at 7 a.m. we were headed off to Barangay Cabintan.

When we arrived at Cabintan's barangay hall, we were then introduced to our guides, Kuya Ferdinand and Kuya Jury. There were also different packages available for those interested adventure-seekers who are planning to climb and explore these majestic mountains.

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While checking out the packages, we noticed a familiar face on the tarpaulin. It turned out that the lady in the picture was none other than ate @mariasalve! She was just as surprised as we were, as she had been entirely unaware of her featured appearance. What an amusing discovery 😂

We then proceeded to have our names registered, paid environmental fees, and a quick rundown of our itinerary before riding back to the truck and heading to the jump-off.

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First Stop: Lake Janagdan

Located in the eastern part of Ormoc, Leyte, Lake Janagdan stands at 1120 meters above sea level. Lake Janagdan is also a part of the Mt. Aminduen ranges.

From the jump-off, we started our assault to the top over some rough, steep incline and slippery terrain.

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The trail is also surrounded by lush greenery, and we came across this beautiful plant species. According to Google, this is a Zingiber zerumbet. This is a species of plant in the ginger family and one of the many common uses of this plant is as a shampoo and conditioner. Now that’s a fun fact.

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After a few hours of conquering the uphill battle, our perseverance paid off as we reached the top. And there it was, in all its glory - the phenomenal panorama of Lake Janagdan. I felt a sense of tranquility as I stood witness to this natural wonder. What a sight to behold.

We took a lot of group photos and solo shots because, why not? Carpe diem, they said. Michael, one of our friends, even launched a drone to capture the incredible view from above. Then we took a rest and at the same time ate our lunch.

Afterward, we continued and hiked our way to our next agenda: Mt. Malingatong. During the descent from the lake, we caught a glimpse of Alto Peak.

It was such a beautiful sight, but to be honest, I also got intimidated when I saw how high the mountain was. I cannot imagine how tough the way to the summit must be. A sudden wave of inner panic, fear, and self-doubt washed over me. I contemplated whether or not I had made the right decision in choosing this hobby hahaha. But then, my mama did not raise a quitter (only a crybaby), so I did not let the anxiety get the best of me and ruin this amazing momentum.

We finally arrived at the junction (the exit point of the Janagdan trek) so we rested for a bit and gave ourselves the chance to regain our strength. Then, we started our climb to Mt. Malingatong. We passed by these colorful and beautiful wild berries, chandelier tree and herba sarcandrae.

At this point, I was already exhausted. I could barely move my feet and my legs were getting a bit wobbly. I felt body pains all over, and I was already catching my breath. The good thing was, it only took us more or less 30 minutes to get to Mt. Malingatong’s view deck. And goodness! To say it was amazing was an understatement!

Mt. Malingatong’s Breathtaking Scenery

The entire landscape was nothing short of mesmerizing and I was completely in awe. Now I truly understand the saying “The best view comes after the hardest climb”. This was definitely one for the books. It was such a rewarding experience.

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However, the day has to come to an end. We finally made our way to the campsite and pitched our tents as it also started to get gloomy. When I thought we had already surpassed the day’s challenges, I was wrong. Right before we could set up the tent, it suddenly rained. And it was a heavy downpour. It took awhile before it stopped raining. We cooked and ate dinner and somewhere in between, one of our friends ALMOST stepped on a snake! I never bothered checking it out because snakes terrify me. Yikes! It turned out that the snake was stalking its prey, a frog. Poor frog.

There was a water source nearby that allowed us to clean ourselves. And then we had our socials, where we had a drink and had conversations with each other. I learned that Michael used to work for the same company that I was working for before. A small word, isn’t it? At 11 p.m., we decided to call it a day and finally hit the sack because we still needed to reinvigorate for the next day’s grand finale climb: Mt. Aminduen (Alto Peak).

I'll go into detail about it in another post. For now, I hope you enjoyed this blog!

_{I am a proud cat lady and a slightly introverted bookworm. Cats are my kindred spirits and you'll often find me lost in the pages of a novel, connecting with fictional worlds. I spend most of my free time reading books, immersing myself in BTS songs and exploring the great outdoors. Join me in my quiet moments of contemplation, where books, cats, outdoor activities, and music intertwine to shape my world.}

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