Mt. Pulag Is Indeed the Playground of the Gods

Hello everyone!

How much of your comfort are you willing to give up to see this view?

Last week, I posted the only preparation I did for Mt. Pulag, but I was pretty confident that I'll survive the climb. My only worry was the cold. There were already warnings that there are instances of the temperature dropping to negative degrees Celsius at this time of the year at the summit of Mt. Pulag. Some climbers who had already summited the 3rd highest mountain in the Philippines told us to bring at least four jackets. I only have three jackets plus one windbreaker. I trusted my Columbia Omni-Heat jacket because I didn't feel any discomfort due to the cold when I climbed Mt. Apo. My only worry is my extremities. My hands and feet would easily get numbed that I didn't even try taking a bath at the homestay we were in even if it has a hot shower.

I was confronted by that question when we woke up at midnight last Saturday to reach the summit of Mt. Pulag, via Ambangeg Trail, before sunrise. We were fast. We reached the summit at around 4:00 AM and that's way before sunrise. It was too cold for me to bear because of the wind at the top. Good thing we brought emergency blankets. We ended up huddling under the grasses that were only about 3 feet tall. We were like birds making nests under the grasses. But once the sun started peering at the horizon, everything became worth it. So, to answer that question, I'm willing to give up all my comfort to the point of just the bare minimum for survival to see that view.

It all started with this:

_{I didn't bring my Fuji camera because I thought it would just be a hassle and it might not work properly due to the cold. All the photos are taken using my phone. They're not edited too much, just a few lights and shadows and a little bit of saturation. Some photos are a little bit blurred, maybe because I was shivering while I took the photo. I have other photos taken from my GoPro, but I'll use them when it's time to document the whole ordeal properly.}

The west view of the summit:

The north view of the summit:

The south view of the summit:

The sunrise:

We were not greeted by the famed sea of clouds because the sky was so clear that morning and the wind was a little bit stronger. There was a sea of clouds, but it was too far. I couldn't ask for more though. It was one of the clearest scenes I've witnessed in all of my mountain climbing.

Why is Mt. Pulag often called the "Playground of the Gods"? Based on the briefing of the DENR personnel, Mt. Pulag is named as such because the locals considered the mountain as a sacred place. Some tribes used the mountain as a burial site because they believed that when a person dies, his soul will to the mountains. And I wanted that. I want my soul to be in the mountains. If I'll die, I want to be cremated and have my ashes scattered in the mountains. I want to be a part of the mountain even as nutrients to the plants.

I mean who would not want always to see this kind of view?

As we descended from the summit, that was when all the beauty we missed when we ascended revealed itself. I just couldn't get enough of it!

These are not color graded. That's the color of the dried grass as the morning sun illuminated the whole mountain. Saying that it's magical is an understatement.

How about with the moon in the background?

Or this lone pine tree?

I'm intrigued by that tree because the DENR personnel said that the plant species in the mountain don't mix. At the summit are the grasses and a species of dwarf bamboo, next is the mossy forest with bonsai trees and berries, and then the lowest is the pine forest. It means that the lone pine tree is not in its supposed place. I love that kind of energy. It's not just surviving, it's thriving.

That's all I have to share for now. I'll post more photos soon!

Happy Hearts Day!

Kim Ybañez

_{Welcome to Kim's small corner in Hive. He is a chemical engineer by profession, but a blogger by passion. He is a wanderlust and an adventure seeker. Join his quests as he visits secluded destinations, climbs mountains, tries new and exotic dishes, and explores his country (The Philippines). He's also a trying hard photographer so stay tuned as he shares his photos and his thought process while creating them.}

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