Mt. Napulak Climb in Iloilo "The City Of Love"

Date: January 21 - 23, 2011

After experiencing an amazing climb in Leyte, Eastern Visayas (Mt. Tres Marias) a few months ago, we are now back in Western Visayas for another domestic mountain climbing and backpacking trip.


To kick start my adventures for 2011, me and my climbing buddies Julius, Ate Che, and Ms. Farah are off to the “City of LOVE” - ILOILO to climb Mt. Napulak (the highest mountain in Iloilo) and experience the nationally acclaimed Dinagyang Festival.

Mt. Napulak is one of the many mountains that we Filipinos fondly call "Susong Dalaga" or “Maiden’s Breast” which as the name suggests resembles the shape of a woman's breast, BUT this is the only one with what seemed to be a "nipple" on top of the mountain. Around 1200 meters above sea level, this is also one of a few mountains where you can actually see the world's largest flower - the rare Rafflesia along the trail. Which we were told will just bloom for days before it wilts and dies.

THE CLIMB: 


DAY 1 

Climbers from Baguio, Manila, South Cotabato and Iloilo were gathered around to officially start the climb. Sir Jay started the event by saying his welcoming remarks and also some opening remarks from the Barangay officials. We started our trek around 8:30 AM and the climb was relatively easy but challenging at some points. The start of the trail was a gradual hike along farmlands which pretty much reminded me of the start off point in Pula trail when I climbed Mt. Kanlaon in Negros.

RAFFLESIA SIGHTINGS:

Around 12:40 PM my buddy Julius said that he saw something “Nakita ko yung favorite mo”, at that point I was wondering what the heck it was and so I followed him and removed my backpack and went up the side of the trail. I honestly can’t believe what I saw… my very first sighting of the rare Rafflesia – the largest flower in the world! The color was vibrant darkish pink and when I tried moving closer, I could smell the stench of rotten flesh. I was excited but had to wait for my turn for the pictorials. We went back down and continued with our hike. After several minutes, there was another sighting this time it was along the trail and the flower was a lot bigger than the first one. However, the color was not that vibrant and looked like it was a few days older than the first one we saw earlier. I was ecstatic to see not one, but two Rafflesias. Jay said that this was the smallest specie of Rafflesia and there’s a bigger specie somewhere in the mountain ranges near Iloilo. This plant starts in a bud stage which take months to develop, somewhat like a dark red blackish cabbage in the ground. It only blooms for a couple of days and then starts to wilt and then dies. We we’re just in the right place at the right time.

DAY 1 CONTINUED...


After hours of walking through the forest line, we reached an open field and as you look at the trail in front of you, it goes all the way up and beyond the horizon. I remember saying “This is going to be one long steep summit assault”. It was a direct assault from the base going to the summit around (30 mins – 1 hour) this was the part of the climb that I ran out of steam. To add to the challenge, the cogon grass, which was razor sharp and thorny, was very thick and it was really hard to see the trail. One wrong step could leave you pummeling down the steep cliffs. I had to use my trekking pole to clear the path in front of me. Too make matters worse, somewhere along that steep trail was a makeshift wooden fence fixed with rusted barb wires blocking the trail, which you have to climb over to get to the other side. A little risky maneuver since you might fall and injure yourself with the rusted wires. So we removed our heavy backpacks, threw them over first, and we went over the fence one by one. The whole summit assault was rich in beautiful views of the nearby mountains and breathtaking landscapes. Thankfully the sky was a little cloudy during that time, sheltering us from the sun.

Almost at the summit.

Amidst the cogon grass, I caught the first glimpse of the big rocky formation at the top of the mountain. We have now officially reached the summit area it was a big sigh of relief. We scanned the area, pitched our tents and proceeded to climb that big rock. Ate Che, being the rock climber that she is, was super ecstatic.hehe We reached the top of the big rock just in time for the sunset. A perfect end to a grueling day. Now time for the socials! …errr…

DAY 2
After a good night’s rest, it was time to break camp. As we descended, the views were breathtaking, kind of reminds me of Mt. Batulao, only grander. Me, Julius, and Ms. Farah did a lot of stopovers for pictorials when we were at the ridge. Later on Alex’s group and Tatang passed us by and continued ahead of us. While at the ridge, enjoying the scenery and breathing the fresh air, I looked down and noticed our other companions from a far, waiting and resting. They were about due west from where I was standing. Little did we know that we were already lost. We just noticed it when we reached a portion of the trail that branched out in 3 directions and not a single trail sign in sight. So we backtracked and found the right way. Well, being lost is part of the experience! :)

We arrived at the base of the mountain around 3:30pm and immediately prepared our things for our side trip in Nasadhan falls. Which May said was only 10 minutes hike (a short stroll).hehe But actually was 30 minutes of uphill hiking, and river trekking. There were a lot of big boulders and water streams that you had to cross. The water from the falls was cascading down a solid rock face which was unlike any falls I’ve seen here in Luzon. The view was a sight to behold and worth the trek. :)

Back in Iloilo city, we had our free dinner as we celebrated our successful climb, commemorating with certificates and group pictorials. But the night didn’t end there; May brought us at a joint in the back of SM where people hang out while enjoying great food, drinks, and live bands. Side A performed there too, and it was a special treat, after a couple of hours Jay, Mawz, Riz and Sheryl arrived and we had a great time hanging out with these guys. Afterwhich we went to Smallville – one of the city’s prime night life locations where we enjoyed more drinks and live music. It was one memorable night…. And tomorrow we wake up early for the Dinagyang Festival.

Definitely the most heartwarmingly memorable climbing trip I've ever had – not just the mountain but also the friendly and down to earth people of Iloilo. I’m really looking forward to coming back again next year. :)


Heartfelt thanks to Sir Jay (the man behind it all), May (the woman behind Jay and our official yaya.hehe joke lang on the yaya part :D), Riz (our energetic English speaking tour guide.hehe), Sheryl (our cute Chinese/Newzealander friend.hehe), Maws (starstruck ba or survivor ba ulit yun?), Tatang (strong mountaineer from South cotabato) and the rest of Higherground and Talahib mountaineers. Until next time mga kapatid! Be safe!