since may is my anniversary in mountaineering, here's something from my old blog about my very first climb for zero cost!
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the word daguldol means "thunder" but when i went there, all i could see are lightning flashes but not a single roar of thunder. the place is privately owned and as you progress along the trail, you will see farmers, cows, goats, and horses. speaking of animals, you will never get lost in the trail since there are land mines of different shapes and sizes so you know where the animals have been. we thought we had ourselves a lucky trip because it was sunny, there's cool breeze, and we were all invited to free meals since it's fiesta. we concluded that it's the best day to have ivan and i's birthday celebration. but then 2.5 hours later, the clouds swarmed in really fast and there went the rain.
the trek started along the seashore which i find very relaxing having to see the turqouise blue sea blending with the sky before the unexpected torment begins. as 22 of us marched together with other mountaineers along the trail, many "beachineers" were amused to see us carrying our heavy loads to climb the mountain. some townsfolk were laughing at us for doing such odd actions of carrying heavy loads, wearing uberprotective mountaineering apparel, and tire ourselves along the way while they, on the otherhand, just go there with house clothes and rubber slippers. they called mountaineers "hulog dila" (tongue drop). it's just a normal reaction for the locals of a newly discovered mountaineering destination.
there are also a lot of resting points along the trail. first the small hut, then the place which i call the "softdrink and chicken" area because there are a lot of softdrink vendors ... and chickens, the "halo-halo" stop, and the "buko" stop (i forgot which of the two was first). the pit stops were very helpful since it was raining. it gave us time to check our stuff from time to time if we have done waterproofing the right way or if someone got injured. there are also a lot of manggo trees along the way so you will also be tempted to violate the rule "thou shalt not eat from that tree".
after almost 5 hours of trekking, we arrived at the campsite. we have to change to dry clothes immediately so as for us not to catch a fever or cold the next day. the mist was heavy that night that we had to make a campfire. you can't walk outside the tent without a flashlight because you'll never know if you're still alive on your next step. one funny thing that happened there was clara and ayie thought i was a ghost because of the thick mist. i covered myself with a malong at that time and i was sitting near the peak's edge hehehe. so ayie poked me with a stick and said, "sino ka?" (who are you?) then i looked at him and laughed.
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| zero visibility |
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| daguldol summit |
amidst the rain and concoction of soil and animal droppings along the trail, the climb was worth the suffering. aside from the free food at the barangay, nice beach, and the handsome batangueños, the view from the peak was breathtaking as well as the view of the beach along the trail. ergo, the daguldol climb is awesome!
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| our friend, dugong |
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