Mt. Pinagbanderahan: To the summit and beyond!
March 29, 2015- Although it has only been one and a half months, my forced hiking hiatus felt like a million lifetimes. I lost chances of hiking many mountains during that lonely period and heard the scariest words an orthopedic doctor can tell a hiker: “I advice that you stop hiking entirely”. Good thing all these you cannot-hike-anymore drama is finally over as my supposed to be “serious” knee pain is just a result of tense and overused muscles.
For my welcome back hike, I choose Mt. Pinagbanderahan at Atimonan, Quezon. I am at home for the weekends and the mountain, being just two hours away from my hometown of Sariaya, Quezon, is very close and convenient if I want to accomplish goals I have set: spend time with my parents, meet friend/s, go to the dentist, have my knee checked by a physical therapist, and train before Bakun Trio. This activity is also the realization of a hike that I keep setting-up and then cancelling at the last minute.
With me during this hike is my close friend from high school, Tina Ederon. This was her first time to try hiking and I am so glad she went with me because I really want to share with her the experience of being in a mountain. Now we can finally reach the summit!
As we reached the Quezon National Park picnic area where the registration area is located, a noticeable cooling of temperature occurred. It feels so good to be away from the suffocating heat of the city and feels so nice to be back inside verdant forests where ancient trees stand tall and proud and where the insects sing and buzz their hearts out as if to welcome a new day.
We started hiking together with our guide, J.R. at 9:20AM after registering at the DENR office. As we walked on the trail, we noticed the presence of the thirteen Stations of the Cross - a preparation for the people who will be visiting during the Holy Week.
The cemented trail of Mt. Pinagbanderahan is fairly easy and safe that even a child can reach the summit (we met one little hiker during our climb!).There are some steep parts, the steepest of all is the set just after the last rest stop before the summit. It was quite challenging for first time hikers- Tina was on all fours at this point and I remember my mom having the same problem while negotiating the same part of the trail.
Though easy and established, we still have to be wary of some overhanging branches along the trail which can accidentally hit our foreheads. Occasionally, we have to go over fallen trees along the pathway- these trees were uprooted when a tornado hit the area during typhoon Glenda last July 2014, according to J.R.
We reached the mountain’s historical summit at 11:10 am- an hour and fifty minutes after we started. It is very exposed to the sun and it is advised to bring an umbrella to enjoy the summit more.
Feeling very adventurous, we also went further away from the summit to a very beautiful karst formation reminiscent of those of Mt. Binacayan/ Mt. Pamitinan. The little hike going to this interesting spot requires rock scrambling which we were truly grateful for.
As I sit on the beautiful rock formation, I remember what my green architecture professor told us during our first hike at Mt. Maculot: You cannot hike the same mountain twice. And I agree! I had been to the summit of Mt. Pinagbanderahan thrice now, and every time, there is always something new and something special to discover.
After a very exciting time at the peak of Mt. Pinagbanderahan, we went down as we cannot bear the heat anymore. By 1:10PM, we were back at the picnic area where we enjoyed some coconut ice candy and coconut juice.
