Mt. Maculot day climb (traverse)

I'm livin on the edge!!! 

Check out Steph lounging on the rockies. Just check out that breathtaking view! 

YOLO 

With some new members of RMC! Clockwise from the back- Marco, Eslav, me, Steph, Miki, Ayen and Jovic. 

Posing with Steph cos they wanted to compare the inappropriate vs. appropriate climbing outfits. We actually just hated her cap. :)) 

❧

MT. MACULOT 
basic facts from Pinoy Mountaineer

major jumpoff: Mountaineer's Store, Brgy. 7 "Siete", Cuenca
exit point (traverse): Brgy 5 (to Grotto), Cuenca 
LLA: 13°55 N; 121°2 E; 706 MASL (Rockies) / 930 MASL (summit) 
days required / Hours to Rockies / summit : 1 day /  2-4 hr 
specs: Minor, Difficulty 4/9 (Traverse) Trail class 1-3. 
features: Scenic views of Taal Lake, rock formations, forests 

We finally got to climb another mountain last Saturday and we chose Mt. Maculot in Cuenca, Batangas. There was a tragic bus accident again the night before so we decided to take our own cars and just contribute to the gas/toll money. Usually buses are more convenient since we get really tired after each climb but we figured a 2.5-hour drive from the city to Batangas wasn't too bad.

Decided to start our journey through the grotto which was really a challenge for me. I felt like having an asthma attack throughout the 15 stations of the cross made of concrete stairs but I'm so glad I didn't! I just recovered from 3 days of having a fever, colds and cough so I was being really slow. None of us slept the night before as well. I'm just glad I made it through that without fainting. ALSO, I discovered my trekking shoes shrunk! I felt my right foot was a bit squished when I put them on at home and as I went through the hike I slowly felt my feet giving up on me. I shouldn't have given them to my sister's yaya after my last hike- letting them dry out under the sun shrinks the leather and that waterproof layer in between so you're supposed to go half a size up when getting new trekking shoes. Oops. It was the most painful climb ever so don't do what I did!

The trail wasn't bad at all. There were just too many burs along the way that kept sticking to my cotton leggings, headband and sleeves so I had to take them out every few minutes. There were two roped segments (that proved the rope wasn't too useful) and a lot of sections that required holding on to tree branches and roots just like most climbs. There are a few flat trails which makes it a level four climb, so it wasn't too easy nor too difficult.

The first part took us about 3.5 hours. After lunch and resting for an hour at the camp site, we proceeded to the rockies. The view was AMAZING! Pretty sure you can see just how thrilled we were in the photos. Those moments make the gruelling climbs really worth it! If we had planned to stay overnight I would've stayed on the rockies til sunset. I'm doing another Mt. Maculot trip for sure!

❤