Pulag Revisited

Mt. Pulag
The Province of Benguet
Feb. 12, 2006



I have sentiments about climbing a mountain for the second time. C'mon, this country is sprawled lengthwise on a section of the Pacific Ring of Fire and volcanoes are strung to its length like beads on a rosary. Why should I climb a mountain for the second time when there are numerous mountains sprawled everywhere that I haven't been to or even know existed?

Well for one, I was an applicant of the Congress Outdoors and had to come - if not to show my colors then perhaps to give them that extra assurance that they are with someone who has recently been there. Except for me and Nap Osorio - one of the founders of this infant association, none had actually been up Mt. Pulag so you can understand their excitement and apprehension.



Veteran climbers can become cocky about how newbies can get all worked up about climbing any mountain. Of course it's fascinating to observe how they'd clutch at their things-to-bring-checklist as if it was their lifeline, or how they'd adjust the straps of their perfectly balanced packs as if it were straps of a climbing harness. I just think it generous to leave them to their excitement by not revealing too much. Fear forces people into preparedness and that is a very good thing in the wilderness.



The first time I climbed Mt. Pulag was through what was known as the Executive Trail or Ambangeg Trail. It is an easy trail with lots of points of interest. If you romanticize walking endlessly in the midst of nature, on a wide open mist laden trail, contemplating your life, the person that you are, your spirituality, then Ambangeg is right for you.



Unlike other trails where your concentration is divided between keeping your feet on the mountain and keeping your lungs inside your chest, Ambangeg allows your mind to wander aimlessly without a care in the world.



I was a tad disappointed though when I heard we will be taking Ambangeg Trail for both the ascent and descent. There was a welling need in me for an adventure and going through familiar paths does nothing to satisfy that need. I was hoping they will choose Tawangan or Akiki Trail, even at least for their descent route.

Though descending Akiki was said to be like sentencing both knees to death, that trail crosses Eddet River and takes you to vistas with more spectacular views than Ambangeg.

How many times can you photograph something before it becomes passé even to you?



I enjoyed Pulag the first time I photographed our journey up her slopes. I was apprehensive that this time I won't find anything novel to take a picture of and return home with a half-full xD Card littered with forced shots of mountaineers posing the same way from one vista to the next.



I was particularly anxious of the possibility that the set I will come up with would look like the set I took a few months back. That would be...disastrous and totally revealing of my lack of creativity and vision! Now really, I'd prefer to go on living not knowing of my non-existent talents. At least that way, I'd go on living feeling good about myself. In this day and age attitude is everything.



Last time I was up Pulag I had with me my Canon EOS 10QD 35mm camera. I had just bought it then from EBay for Php 7,000.00 with kit lens. It is an understatement to say I was happy with my purchase. For something that can shoot 5 frames per second and touted as a semi-pro model, Php 7,000.00 is cheap. Seeing the results of the camera for the first time, I was even more ecstatic with my purchase.

On this climb I left the EOS and in its place my new Fuji Finepix S5600. This was the first time I took a digital camera up a mountain. I was a tad apprehensive of the weather. I was forewarned about exposing the S5600 in moist environments. Images of my EOS 10QD covered in mist on my last Pulag climb come to mind and I can only cringe at the thought of a shorted brand new camera.

As a precaution, I always keep a number of plastic bags handy just in case it rains. In the event of a downpour, the camera goes in the plastic bag and that in turn gets shoved inside the weatherproof bag.

You can always watch out for the rain, but what concerns me the most is the mist that builds on the surface of the camera which eventually forms dew, which in turn could eventually make it into the spaces of the camera controls. That happened to an old Canon T80 of mine when I brought it to Kairukan Falls, Bataan. Before I could wipe the camera down, the shutter soon refused to open but made this faint clicking sound. It also refused to wind in the film. When the opportunity presented itself, I sunned the camera and that sort of lessened the problem and I was able to wind in the film.

You might be wondering what happened to that camera. Well, I brought it to Dong's Camera Repair Shop in Quiapo and had it serviced. It's in perfect working order now - sealed and packed with desiccant. I don't intend to part with it because me and that camera, we go a long way back. It might be littered with frustration but still, sentiments are sentiments.

I almost traded that camera for a 1975 manual SLR but the second hand shop in Australia didn't want the T80. Come to think of it, even shops today don't want the T80 even if you offer it as trade in when purchasing models such as Canon A-1 or AE-1. I think that is pretty sad considering the history behind the T80: it is Canon's first body integrated autofocus SLR camera.



I went on this climb feeling apprehensive about training my camera on things I have photographed before. When I was there however, I found myself remembering how I shot a certain scene and thought of ways to improve it. Like a second chance in life, my mind raced through all the silent wishes and should haves of my first set of Pulag shots and I ended up trying to capture those images the way I had wished to have captured them.



I found the whole experience surprisingly pleasant. It is the same sensation as retaking an exam. Though I feel the slight stress in wanting to capture a particular scene, the knowledge that that image is just around the bend relieves the tension somewhat. I learned that familiarity lends to greater creative flexibility. First encounters tend to stifle creativity as the mind must first come to terms with its new surroundings.



The climb itself was uneventful. It didn't rain though it was cold enough that in the evening, two of our climbers had to be given hot water bottles to hug to stop their intense shivering. One of them complained that she could not breathe but I suspect it is just a normal reaction to the wine they've been drinking. My theory proved correct because she was with us when we took to the peak at pre-dawn.

I usually go from tent to tent in the evening to take tent scenes though obviously, this should be carried out sensibly since you never know what could be going on inside zipped tent walls. Though friends have insisted that a romantic moment in Pulag is not possible given the low temperatures, you can never really tell. If there's a will then there'll definitely be a way.

One of the tents I visited was a Eusebio branded A-tent. I've always liked the way A-tents compress very well when packed as well as being very lightweight. Upon being let in by the occupants, I was curious why they were both wrapped up from head to toe - as if it was colder inside the tent. Scanning around, I learned that the bottom side walls were constructed of screen! Cold air would continually gust through the tent like an efficient internal cooling system - perfect for hot climates but ridiculous at our altitude.

They soon abandoned their tent and moved in at their neighbor's.

It was hard taking photos at night or at dawn in Pulag. The moment I remove my gloves, a quick countdown begins which last for about three minutes before I lose sensation and tactile control of my bare fingers. There was absolutely no way to fiddle with the camera's control with my gloved hands which felt like paws. I was thankful for the camera strap because one of the downside of operating a camera in the dark with numbed hands is the tendency to drop it frequently. Apart from these difficulties, I was able to get a few shots which I could be happy with.

Up at predawn, it is hard to understand what can make a person leave the warmth of his or her tent for outside temperatures that slap you in the face the moment you unzip your tent open. Most would brave the cold but there will be those who'd succumb to the body's yearning to snuggle back inside the tent. This is a good thing too because nothing beats returning to camp with a warm breakfast waiting for you.



The trek to the summit from Camp 2 took about an hour and a half at a very relaxed pace. It was dark and it was difficult to negotiate the well trodden trail which resembled a winding ditch. This forced the foot to point straight ahead ignoring the orientation of the body. It often makes you lose your balance and is very disconcerting in the dark. One of our female companions was having special difficulty negotiating the trail. Being on her first major climb, I decided to lend her my headlamp. That solved her problem but made my situation dire. Next thing you know, she was well ahead, chirpy and happy while I fell, slipped and slopped everywhere.



If I was to make a modern legend of Pulag, I'd tell that the rising sun lays on her fair head a crown of sparkling diamonds every morning - a fitting tribute to her splendor here on earth. Visually, it is somewhat like that especially during December and January when the number of people climbing Pulag peaks.



When the rays of the sun begin to peak out of the horizon, the summit of Pulag becomes engulfed in an almost orchestral explosion of brilliant white flashes - as if gems were being struck by hard light. This occurrence can even be witnessed as far away as Camp 2.



Far from being a natural occurrence, the crown of diamonds is actually the result of point and shoot cameras at the peak misreading the scene and firing the flash at the horizon. At the peak of Pulag's climbing season, anywhere between 50 to 100 point and shoot cameras can be simultaneously making the same error at Auto Mode and firing the flash at the horizon the moment the sun breaks through! The idea is so beautiful that it brings tears to my eyes.



I have shots from the peak from my first climb that I love so much that I couldn't bring myself to even try to surpass it this time around. I remember sitting in a spot hidden from everyone, waiting for the clouds to part to take my shot the first time I was at the peak. This time, I chose to leave that spot to the howling winds. That is the problem with being a romantic - you tend to put too much meaning on something as simple as the western quarter of the summit.



Getting to Pulag is relatively easy. Pick a date, do some aerobic training, organize a group of at least 6 climbers to share the expense of hiring a 4x4 jeep that will take you the various jump-off points and bring you back to town. Once you've got all that on paper, give Park Superintendent Emerita Tamiray a call at 0920-3013932 for reservations. She will present you your options and reserve guides for your team as well as assist you in hiring accredited 4x4 operators to take you there.



For more information, visit http://www.pawb.gov.ph/mt_pulag/pulagvik.htm