Well, it took us 3 months, but we finally found a spot that actually felt like hiking. Thanks to our colleagues and veteran teachers who showed us the way.
Mt. Batulauo lies to the southwest of Brent, not too far past Tagaytay. You wouldn't think that you were entering a wilderness area upon arrival as you park next to a sari-sari and along a paved road. Continuing up the road for about 1.5 miles it begins to narrow as you enter and leave a small nameless village. Eventually, you leave the trikes and jeepneys behind and find yourself on a single track trail, that follows Batulauo's ridgeline. The first glimpse of the mountain range is stunning and it's hard to imagine that in a few short hours you'll be at the top.
Leaving after work on a Friday, allowed us to reach camp just as the sun was shining its last rays upon Earth. This created a beautiful backdrop for our scramble to get camp set-up, dinner served and baby in bed. All went well, aside from an angled tent, and we were having beverages around a smoldering campfire before we knew it.
Now, I must remind myself and everyone else that what is beautiful in the Philippines may be considered devastating in developed worlds. The views were magnificent and the air was relatively clear, but trash lined the trail and our views were of clear-cut forests.
Up before sunrise, we decided to hike the final mile or so to the peak 10, the highest point in the range. With Rosemary semi-crying on our backs we made it to the top. We were greeted with intermittent 360' views as the clouds passed right through us, literally. It was a beautiful site, one in which I will never forget. After enjoying the summit for a few minutes, we hiked back to camp, packed up and walked out in order to get to a basketball game. Unfortunately, we arrived to a car that was missing our binoculars which put a bit of a damper on our trip, but we left refreshed and excited about what the rest of the Philippines had to offer.
Hiking thank you, and we will find you again.
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