On April 9, 2015; after my climb in Mt. Matutum and my visit with a good friends, Engr. and Mrs. Marlon Distor in General Santos City, I travelled to Davao City and met Ian Tesaluna, another good friend who invited me to hike in Mt. Talomo and Mt. Apo.
The next day, April 10, 2015, we had our first day of a four-day adventure in Mts. Sicao, Talomo, Basingan, Apo and Godi-godi. At around 12:00 Noon; Ian and I together with Sir Dani Caspe, Doc Jules Reyes and Kent Nambatac met at Jollibee- Calinan. From there, we were fetched by Habal-habal to the place where we will start climbing to Mt. Sicao.
From the point where we are fetched by habal-habal, we walk through fertile banana plantation towards the B’laan Community. After around 30 minutes of walk, we reached Sitio Sicao and gave due courtesy to the Chieftain. In Sicao, we met Joel; the one who will guide us in our adventure. After our short interaction, we started our trek to the edge of the forest located at the end of the tribe’s communal form where we were scheduled to camp.
The area was very peaceful. The downhill view was captivating. In the background of a very dramatic sunset, we prepared our food while getting to know each other, sharing jokes and laughter. The hike for the day was not that difficult and challenging but still yielded a delightful heart.
From the point where we are fetched by habal-habal, we walk through fertile banana plantation towards the B’laan Community. After around 30 minutes of walk, we reached Sitio Sicao and gave due courtesy to the Chieftain. In Sicao, we met Joel; the one who will guide us in our adventure. After our short interaction, we started our trek to the edge of the forest located at the end of the tribe’s communal form where we were scheduled to camp.
The area was very peaceful. The downhill view was captivating. In the background of a very dramatic sunset, we prepared our food while getting to know each other, sharing jokes and laughter. The hike for the day was not that difficult and challenging but still yielded a delightful heart.
The next morning, we were awakened by the enthusiastic sound of roosters as if they were trumpet sounding the start of a celebration. With the beautiful dawn sky in the background, we broke our camp and packed our things. This was the start of the actual adventure towards Mt. Talomo.
At 7:00 AM, upon the arrival of Joel Sicao with his son and a relative who would guide us in the climb; we started trekking towards the secondary forest which is part of the B’laan’s Ancestral Domain. Initially, the trail was muddy due to the usual rain and fog in the area. After thirty minutes, we found ourselves in a vibrant and vast forest where we grappled in vines, jump over or bend our knees under the logs.
At 7:00 AM, upon the arrival of Joel Sicao with his son and a relative who would guide us in the climb; we started trekking towards the secondary forest which is part of the B’laan’s Ancestral Domain. Initially, the trail was muddy due to the usual rain and fog in the area. After thirty minutes, we found ourselves in a vibrant and vast forest where we grappled in vines, jump over or bend our knees under the logs.
We had our breakfast after an hour and a half of trekking through the dense jungle. We stopped in water source along the trail… the water is from air relief vent of the community potable water system downhill. The water source was created not just to relieve the pipe from air pressure but to serve the mountaineers. The clean and abundant water enticed us to at least take the opportunity to do some personal grooming after enjoying our simple yet delicious breakfast… noodles with egg and pork chop!
After 30 minutes of break, we then packed our things and proceed with the hike, this time the jungle was denser. As we pushed deeper, moss changed the looks of the forest and made the trail almost unnoticeable. We had to be slow down because we need to ensure that no one would get lost aside from being so cautious about jumping, walking through and crawling under logs and vines. The trail was also very steep and muddy.
After 30 minutes of break, we then packed our things and proceed with the hike, this time the jungle was denser. As we pushed deeper, moss changed the looks of the forest and made the trail almost unnoticeable. We had to be slow down because we need to ensure that no one would get lost aside from being so cautious about jumping, walking through and crawling under logs and vines. The trail was also very steep and muddy.
After four hours of almost unending difficult trail that required our creativity and resourcefulness to move on; we reached a small campsite where we decided to have our lunch. The camp is a small cleared area along a ridge within a dense mossy forest. I found an inclined small tree which and decided to rest my tired. After the quick lunch I decided to take the opportunity to rest on the comfortable place that found and had a 15-minute powernap while waiting for my other companions behind to reach our location. Upon assessing our location, we realized that we are ahead of our schedule. So, we decided to lengthen our rest and maximize the luxury of time as we move towards the summit of Mt. Talomo. After an hour of rest, we started moving towards the summit. For some, this was said to be our one last long hurrah before we totally reached the highest point of this rough terrain. Thirty minutes after leaving the camp, we reached the unique and out of this world mossy forest. The mossy forest was very unusual compared to the mossy forest that we’ve seen in the lower level of the trail. The place was a green world. Trees are small with upwardly pointed branches and totally covered with thick moss. The ground was also totally green! |
We reached the green and beautiful summit of Mt. Talomo at around 4:00 PM. There is a small area in the summit that serves as a small window to see the downhill view of Davao City, Samal Island and some other peaks in Sarangani and Cotabato Area. The downhill view is worth the sacrifice… very beautiful!
During dusk, Talomo treated us a very picturesque scenery that will surely remain in our thoughts forever. The beautiful Zion, Apo and the visible mountain ridges accentuated by cotton-like clouds and enhanced by the golden beams of the sun were the best reward to sooth our exhausted body.
Shortly after dinner, we rested early to prepare for the next day traverse to the nearby Mt. Basinang, our next stop that would mark the end of Talomo peak adventure and the start of our Apo experience.