Mt. Babuyan Claro
For our second day we hiked Mt. Babuyan Claro- the second youngest volcano in the Island’s five. Rising at 1,066 meters above sea level (masl), it is also the highest volcano in the whole of Babuyan Islands. It is called in other writings as Mt. Pangasun, and locally in Ibatan as “Chinteb a Wasay”, meaning “cut of the axe”, illustrating the shape of the active stratovolcano.
It has two crater rims- one 300 meter, the other 400 meter in diameter.
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A short tricycle ride brought us to the jump-off from our homestays. There we met our guides who live in the vicinity. Even just at the start, the teeming biodiversity of the Island is already apparent, as well as the islanders’ knowledge of local flora and fauna.
Our guides introduced us to the Chaya- a tree prized by the locals for its fruit and wood, and the Anonas- another tree whose fruits looks like a clenched fist; they have also informed us of a bird called “Okkong” (Megapod Pheasant) whose eggs, we were told, is as much as four times larger than chicken egg!
The stories of the island’s natural wonders truly excited us. It is clear that the aim of our hike will not just be to reach the summit, but the appreciation as well of the amazing biodiversity of the country. Hence, our slow and exciting walk. The trail, though longer, is much less demanding than that of Mt. Pokis making it easier for us to take our time basking in the grandness that surrounded us.
The forest of Babuyan Claro welcomed us early on our hike: there were soaring Narras, Balete trees (ficus sp.) which made the mystical forest more dramatic by the presence of its aerial and strangler roots, ferns larger than men, and much more plants we cannot identify.
With all the flora is a set of equally enthralling fauna: stick insects (we saw five different types!), praying matis, spiders of different sizes, colors, and weirdness; our guide also pointed to us a species of a flying lizard. As we traversed the forest, different birds were flitting and singing songs. Though we did not encountered them, we were also informed of the presence of poisonous vipers in the forest.
The way to the Summit
Locals do not usually go to the craters of the volcano as their prized bird- the Okkong, do not lay eggs on rocky areas. They continue instead to the more forested part of the mountain for their egg hunting. With this, the trail to the craters are virtually non-existent.
Diverging from the local trail, we entered another part of the forest to emerge in a landscape like that of Mt. Pokis where we found the super abundance of pitcher plants. Rocky and exposed but not as steep- it was a great area to rest and refuel with delicious gabi and white corn.
Another 45 minutes of hiking brought us to the first crater rim from where we can see the existence of volcanic holes below. Here the views are expansive and one can only grasp that vastness once you see your fellow hiker on the farther part of rim being so small as opposed to the forested rim.
Having no trail, we followed the ridges to emerge at the foot of the slope of the second crater. Covered still with sparse vegetation, the rugged landscape call to memory a part of the trail of Mt. Guiting-Guiting.
We reached the roof of our journey at a little past noon, after five-and-a half hours of hiking. This was not the summit -my GPS registered only 897 masl- but this is the highest point where we can go. The summit or the highest point of the crater-rim is in a precarious area close to a newly formed fumarole; covered with thick vegetation, it will also be time consuming and unsafe for us to hike towards it.
After staying for a while, we hiked down and by 1630H we were already at the jump-off again. Unlike the hike at Smith volcano, we arrived earlier in our homestay giving us ample time to engage with the locals and hear their many stories about their culture and natural environment.
It was hard for us to leave the next day. The island was so beautiful and made even more memorable by the time we spent with the local people whose simple way of life is guided by the values of community building, and communal effort of conserving their environment for the present and future generations.
