Mt. Hugom- A Refreshing Dayhike in Batangas
November 28, 2015- Arriving 30 minutes late at Katipunan ( I thought our meet-up time is 5:30 am instead of 5:00 am), we headed-off to San Juan Batangas to climb Mt. Hugom. I have no idea where in Batangas is San Juan and I have no idea as well about the terrain of the mountain we are about to hike. I tried searching over the internet a few days before and finding no information about Mt. Hugom, my mind automatically recalled my traumatizing first hike at Mt. Batulao on 2014: open trails with the harsh sun beating down on us.
The travel to Brgy. Hugom, San Juan Batangas took us four (4) hours via private transport. We started trekking at about 9:50 am after arranging our things and our travel weary selves. My expectations about the terrain matched as we started hiking up an open, rocky trail.
As we went on further however, we entered a beautiful woodland which provided us much needed shade and cooler temperature. Here is where the hike becomes really exciting! The forest is full of interesting looking trees and plants; something about how the light falls inside the trail and how the wind blows reminded me of scenes in Norweigan Wood (by Haruki Murakami) and I keep expecting to see Toru and Naoko walking the same way as we are.
We then passed by a brief interlude of tall talahib grasses and after that- the forest again, however, this time, the slope is much steeper and as we struggle up , I have to stop daydreaming about Norwegian Wood and focus on where to hold and where to place my feet.
Tin negotiating the steep slope to Mt. Hugom's summit
Once at the summit, we were given clear views of the beaches in Laiya- such a great reward after a two and a half hour hike. I have never been at the famous Laiya beach and it is amusing to see something the first time at the top of a mountain.
View at the summit of Mt. Hugom
We didn’t stayed very long at the summit. After a brief snack/ lunch, some photos and talks, we went down as it also started to rain. The hike down proved to be much harder than going up as the soil is very loose and many of us keep slipping down the trail.
All in all, our hike to Mt. Hugom is really refreshing for me as there is no need to hurry during the hike and I am in the company of happy hikers. The light breeze that was cooling us down all the way to the summit and the clouds shielding much of the sun were also a blessing. I can’t help but smile during the hike and until now, I am still smiling when I think of Mt. Hugom. :)
Thanks to Sir Gideon of Pinoy Mountaineer for inviting me to this beautiful hike.
