Mt. Maculot : Awesome- Rain or Shine
First time hikers/campers descending the Rockies (2009) by Mich Samson Guerzon
September 13, 2014- The sky is turning grayer and grayer as I travel from Quezon City to Lipa, Batangas for our family day hike at Mt. Maculot. There have been advices that a tropical storm is hitting the Philippines again and though it was estimated to make landfall on the following day, I can already feel it in the air around me. My parents are a bit apprehensive to push through but since we travelled far (parents from Sariaya, and I from Q.C) we still went on.
I arrived at our meeting place (Jollibee Lipa) at about 7am. My parents were already waiting and after I had a light breakfast, we started looking for the jeep that would take us to Cuenca, Batangas. I felt very excited and nostalgic as we were taking the same route our class in Green Architecture took when we went to our very first mountain.
After about an hour of travel in a very provincial road, we reached the Poblacion and rode a tricycle that led us to the Barangay outpost. We stopped there for a while to sign the registry and pay P20 each for the registration. A guide was also assigned to us with a rate of P400 for 3 pax. We continued for another five (5) minutes before we reached the jump-off point.
We started the trek at about 8:45am. By that time, the sky is so dark and a light drizzle is already falling. I felt as gloomy as the sky and worried that we will not see the view at the Rockies. I have been dreaming of hiking in the rain for a while now, however, seeing the dark sky, I felt I was not ready to be drenched on the trail. We were very lucky though as all thorough out our hike, the rain only pours when we are at the tarp-covered rest stops. Also, the gloomy weather turned out to be a blessing as it would be harder to go up the forever-ascending trail of Maculot in a hot and scorching day.
Parents and I on the way to the famed Rockies:)
Mt. Maculot’s trail still looks and feels as I remembered it: established, wide and covered enough. It can be followed easily even without a guide. When we first went here on 2009, our “guides” were my professor, her husband, and their friend who have climbed the mountain more or less five years ago. However, because of the accident that killed a mountaineer at Maculot, a guide is required to accompany hikers now.
We reached the campsite at 11:20 am after waiting for the rain to stop at the last rest station. The campsite was full of day hikers and campers who were drenched, dripping, and cold but are still ready to welcome newcomers. As we hike to the famous Rockies, we were greeted by a fog so thick, it obscured the view of the Rockies from Maculot. I felt so disappointed that we cannot see the Rockies and the view that it will offer. Once at the ridge going to the Rockies however, the fog cleared and we were afforded some view of Mt. Maculot’s lush forest and the waters of Taal Lake. We haven’t started climbing up but my parents were already gushing at the view.
Fog obscuring the Rockies
A light fog still hangs when we arrived at the highest point of the Rockies obscuring its magnificent view of the Taal Crater Lake. We did not stay long as the rain suddenly poured. Cold and hungry, we walked down the rest stop before the campsite to dry ourselves and eat lunch.
The sun showed itself at about 12:45 pm. Suddenly, we were seeing Batangas from where we ate. With this, my mom and I decided to go back to relish the view at the Rockies. The walk back was worth it because we were given at least 15 minutes of clearing before the fog and light rain pours again. For the first time, my mom saw Taal lake at the height of 706 + masl.
At 3:45 pm we were already washing ourselves and preparing to leave. I cannot believe that we can climb Mt. Maculot in a day. Back in 2009, me and my classmates were so slow, it took us more than 3 hours to reach the campsite. If our professor told us that we would still go down the same day, I could’ve thrown tantrums and cried.
Mt. Maculot is my first mountain. When we went back the 2nd time, it also became the mountain where I first hiked in the rain, where I first saw a hornbill fly, where I first saw a snake wrestling its prey. I wonder what other “firsts” would I experience when I hike this awesome mountain again. :)
