The Photo Collage of Our October 24-25, 2007 Climb in Mt. Cristobal
On April 24-25, 2007; I was invited by Fr. Gani, the then DLSU-HSI Chaplain to join the climb in Mt. Cristobal. I was so excited because since 2000, due to my Board Examination preparation as well as Graduate Studies, I became inactive in this type of adventure. This will be my first climb after almost seven years!
Due to the thoughts that I would no longer be active in outdoor adventure; I decided to ‘dispose’ my few sets of equipment. Thus, with the help of Romel Cruz, one of my fellow climbers, I decided to buy a new bag and some other paraphernalia for this climb. I never thought that this hike would once again pave way to my ‘intimacy’ with outdoor adventure… all the while, I thought the climb would just be one of the few outdoor adventures that I will be doing considering that I was very busy then in work, studies and projects.
Aside from Fr. Gani and Romel, other invited climbers were Romel’s friend (Leo, Cheong, Jerome and another one). Together, we went to Dolores, Quezon on the night of April 23, 2007 to be able to start the next day hike as early as possible. We camped at the Parish Church Ground of Dolores and woke up at 5:00 AM to prepare for the hike. At 6:30, after all preparation was done and breakfast was enjoyed; we immediately drove to Barangay Kinabuhayan. We left our vehicle, and started walking to the trail head. We arrived at Montelibano House, the start of the trail (technically) at around 7:15 AM. We trek through a gradually sloping trail along coffee, coconut and vegetable farm. At 8:00 the slope became steep, this lasted until we passed through the dense and vibrant forest that is very diverse in terms of flora and fauna. Around 11:00 AM, after series of grappling and pull-ups; we reached the crater rim of the Mt. Cristobal.
For almost 15-25 minutes, we walked along the ridge (crater rim) then we sharply descend to the crater. We reached the crater floor at around 11:45 AM where we had a very brief rest. At 12:00 Noon, we pushed forward to the camp site and arrived there at around 12:30.
Fr. Gani and I cooked lunch while the others were tasked to set up the tents. We had our lunch in the chilling campsite at around 2:00. At 3:00 PM, our group proceeded to the mountain ‘shoulder’. The trek was so difficult due to the fallen tall and thick cogon grass that covers the trail. We literally crawled in ‘caves of thick cogon grass’ whose opening is enough to fit one climber. After crawling and dealing with mud, we reached the mountain ‘shoulder’ at 5:00 PM. The fog was very thick, the wind was very strong and there is a mild rain shower. We waited for 40 minutes until the shower subsided and the fog cover was gone. A spectacular view of the seven lakes of Laguna, the City of San Pablo and the farmlands of Quezon and Laguna provinces was revealed after the thick fog was gone! Every one of us was literally shouting of out of our voices to express our excitement and joy upon seeing the spectacular view which was further enhanced by the dramatic cloud formation as well as the ray of the setting sun. Five minutes before 6:00 PM, we began crawling back beneath the thick fallen cogon grass. This time, it was more difficult because darkness had started swallowing the place… and only two among us have flashlight! We arrived at the campsite after an hour and a half of crawling and grappling with cogon grass!
Together, we prepared our dinner and rested with joyful and delighted with the experience. At night, rain poured and wing blew stronger making the campsite colder. I suspected then that the temperature is between 10 to 12 degrees. I was chilling the whole night and was not able to sleep well until 1:00 AM. Luckily, I remembered the large plastic which was used to wrap my bag when I purchased it in SM. I took the plastic and placed myself inside… this gave me the warmth that I need to be able to comfortably sleep!
We woke up at around 6:00 AM. Fr. Gani celebrated the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, it was so solemn that I almost cried during the celebration of the Eucharist. That was the most intimate celebration of the Eucharist that I experienced.
We prepared our breakfast after the mass while some broke the camp. It was still chilling but the smiling sun signified a good descend. After taking our breakfast, we started descending at around 8:30 AM. It was a pleasant downhill journey. From time-to-time, we had quick stop in areas were the view was picturesque! Father Gani and I were firsts to reach Montelibano house. The downhill journey took us 3:00 hours. While waiting for the other members of the group, we enjoyed the citrus while relaxing in a “duyan” at Montelibano’s yard. The second pack of our group arrived an hour after we reached trail head. Together, we proceed to our vehicle and immediately went to Pansol, Los Banos were we had our lunch and sooth our tired body in the hot spring resort.
The Cristobal climb with Fr. Gani was a very memorable experience. There, at the top of the rugged terrain, I found something… 'unusual delight' which convinced me to grasp again the call of the mountain. I was very thankful to Fr. Gani for the chance he gave to our group… for great experience that entice me to give another chance to outdoor adventure. From now on, mountain shall be part of my life!
Due to the thoughts that I would no longer be active in outdoor adventure; I decided to ‘dispose’ my few sets of equipment. Thus, with the help of Romel Cruz, one of my fellow climbers, I decided to buy a new bag and some other paraphernalia for this climb. I never thought that this hike would once again pave way to my ‘intimacy’ with outdoor adventure… all the while, I thought the climb would just be one of the few outdoor adventures that I will be doing considering that I was very busy then in work, studies and projects.
Aside from Fr. Gani and Romel, other invited climbers were Romel’s friend (Leo, Cheong, Jerome and another one). Together, we went to Dolores, Quezon on the night of April 23, 2007 to be able to start the next day hike as early as possible. We camped at the Parish Church Ground of Dolores and woke up at 5:00 AM to prepare for the hike. At 6:30, after all preparation was done and breakfast was enjoyed; we immediately drove to Barangay Kinabuhayan. We left our vehicle, and started walking to the trail head. We arrived at Montelibano House, the start of the trail (technically) at around 7:15 AM. We trek through a gradually sloping trail along coffee, coconut and vegetable farm. At 8:00 the slope became steep, this lasted until we passed through the dense and vibrant forest that is very diverse in terms of flora and fauna. Around 11:00 AM, after series of grappling and pull-ups; we reached the crater rim of the Mt. Cristobal.
For almost 15-25 minutes, we walked along the ridge (crater rim) then we sharply descend to the crater. We reached the crater floor at around 11:45 AM where we had a very brief rest. At 12:00 Noon, we pushed forward to the camp site and arrived there at around 12:30.
Fr. Gani and I cooked lunch while the others were tasked to set up the tents. We had our lunch in the chilling campsite at around 2:00. At 3:00 PM, our group proceeded to the mountain ‘shoulder’. The trek was so difficult due to the fallen tall and thick cogon grass that covers the trail. We literally crawled in ‘caves of thick cogon grass’ whose opening is enough to fit one climber. After crawling and dealing with mud, we reached the mountain ‘shoulder’ at 5:00 PM. The fog was very thick, the wind was very strong and there is a mild rain shower. We waited for 40 minutes until the shower subsided and the fog cover was gone. A spectacular view of the seven lakes of Laguna, the City of San Pablo and the farmlands of Quezon and Laguna provinces was revealed after the thick fog was gone! Every one of us was literally shouting of out of our voices to express our excitement and joy upon seeing the spectacular view which was further enhanced by the dramatic cloud formation as well as the ray of the setting sun. Five minutes before 6:00 PM, we began crawling back beneath the thick fallen cogon grass. This time, it was more difficult because darkness had started swallowing the place… and only two among us have flashlight! We arrived at the campsite after an hour and a half of crawling and grappling with cogon grass!
Together, we prepared our dinner and rested with joyful and delighted with the experience. At night, rain poured and wing blew stronger making the campsite colder. I suspected then that the temperature is between 10 to 12 degrees. I was chilling the whole night and was not able to sleep well until 1:00 AM. Luckily, I remembered the large plastic which was used to wrap my bag when I purchased it in SM. I took the plastic and placed myself inside… this gave me the warmth that I need to be able to comfortably sleep!
We woke up at around 6:00 AM. Fr. Gani celebrated the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, it was so solemn that I almost cried during the celebration of the Eucharist. That was the most intimate celebration of the Eucharist that I experienced.
We prepared our breakfast after the mass while some broke the camp. It was still chilling but the smiling sun signified a good descend. After taking our breakfast, we started descending at around 8:30 AM. It was a pleasant downhill journey. From time-to-time, we had quick stop in areas were the view was picturesque! Father Gani and I were firsts to reach Montelibano house. The downhill journey took us 3:00 hours. While waiting for the other members of the group, we enjoyed the citrus while relaxing in a “duyan” at Montelibano’s yard. The second pack of our group arrived an hour after we reached trail head. Together, we proceed to our vehicle and immediately went to Pansol, Los Banos were we had our lunch and sooth our tired body in the hot spring resort.
The Cristobal climb with Fr. Gani was a very memorable experience. There, at the top of the rugged terrain, I found something… 'unusual delight' which convinced me to grasp again the call of the mountain. I was very thankful to Fr. Gani for the chance he gave to our group… for great experience that entice me to give another chance to outdoor adventure. From now on, mountain shall be part of my life!