Mt. Dulang-Dulang

I never thought that my ascent to the country's highest mountain was something to be followed. And this time, the second highest---Mt. Dulang-dulang!

Part of Kitanglad Range, this mountain is considered sacred by the natives. It is believed to be inhabited by spiritual beings thus due respect must be rendered by those who want to behold its beauty.

Our team was composed of almost the same people. One thing that changed, though, was my travel buddy. Vem was already working in Cebu. Fortunately, I found a new one. Introducing In-in! Although they are somehow different but both girls love adventures and nature escapade, not to mention that they're both beautiful. Therefore, it's totally not a big deal and I knew that we'll surely gel well.

Since it was my second time, I was quite confident of myself. Like my Mt. Apo climb, I never did exercises or any physical preparations, haha. Although I'm not an athletic person but I can say that my legs are strong enough to survive long hours of walking, even a day.

Anyway, our first day in Bukidnon was spent buying and preparing our baon.

While others went to the market, I thought of something productive.

We also had to get enough rest for the big days ahead. We slept in a rustic villa situated at the foot of the mountain. Temperature in this area is already freezing that we could hardly take a bath due to extreme coldness of water, grrrrr.

Early morning the next day, after having a big breakfast of juicy meat and fresh veggies, we're all ready to conquer Mt. Dulang-dulang!

The first few hours were a bit boring. Maybe I was just so excited to reach the jungle. Well, few more hours and we were there. Amazingly, In-in's pacing was not bad considering that it's her first time. We didn't have to hurry anyway. We enjoyed our hike by taking a lot of pictures.

There were many plants I found exotic which I'm not sure if endemic but they're truly fascinating.

Although we know everybody in the group but it was me and In-in that went together. In fact, she was my "responsibility" at that time. Good thing, Kris, another friend, was also there to make our journey more enjoyable. He served as one of the sweepers making sure that everybody could make it to the peak.

We stopped many time to take a rest. Sometimes, to wait the others. We also had a chance to meet other group of mountaineers.

It was dusk when we reached the campsite. From there, the peak was several minutes away but we reserved it for tomorrow morning's viewing.

That night, the temperature dropped so low that I have to wear all my clothes and socks to keep me warm. Suddenly, I noticed that In-in was shivering and could hardly breathe. She was affected by the high altitude sickness. I also found out that she has an asthma. Why didn't she tell us in advance? (frown)

People having respiratory illnesses are actually not advised to climb mountains. Good thing, everything went well and In-in was able to survive, hehe.

The following day, we woke up early and washed ourselves.

Water was definitely not a problem. There were several sources around. All you have to worry is, of course, your private needs.

Finally, we're on our way to the peak to witness the magnificent view as told by many. Excitement became more intense even before we reached the summit. As we slowly move up, I noticed that the trees around looked like those in Lord of the Rings, the one where Gollum lives. Very mystical!

At the top, you can have a good view of the nearby mountains, as well as, the lowland area. It was partially cloudy so we had to get good timing in order to take good pictures.

After spending some time in the summit, we went back to the camp for breakfast. Afterwards, while some were still busy preparing for our way down, we again took several souvenir shots.

Then we left. We're all reminded to be fast if possible. Expected time of arrival at the villa should be around 5PM, for we still need to travel back to Davao. Meanwhile...

Sadly, this day's journey was not totally graceful. At the latter part of it, In-in's feet gave in. They're aching and she could hardly take a step. Good thing, there were horsemen around offering assistance. What a relief!

When we arrived, the jeepney was already waiting for us. We just took a little time to change and off we went. It was a very tiring experience but not something you will regret or never do again. In fact, it was very fulfilling, giving you a measure of satisfaction and pride. Something that you can tell to people that once in your life, you have lived up your dreams and conquered a mountain. And not just an ordinary mountain, it is Mt. Dulang-dulang, a mountain so high!

Photo credits: In-in, Mycha, Ally et al.