Be Cool

Mt. Isarog and Mt. Iriga
Camarines Sur
April 11-16, 2006

This quaint Holy Week break was spent in the Bicol Region. It started with a rushed Tuesday afternoon and ended with a very lethargic Sunday morning.

What can I say about Bicol? It is such a clean, fresh and relaxed place to go to. We visited Pili, Isarog, Iriga and Naga. We went through some other towns but the names escaped me.

The people are proud of their identity. You ask them a question in Pilipino and they will answer back in their local dialect. We learned that we must be specific in saying that we can't understand for them to speak Pilipino. And when you hear them speak Filipino you'd wonder what the fuss was all about because they speak better Filipino than your mother.

Interestingly, if you tell an Ilonggo in Bacolod City that you can't understand them, they will reply to your Pilipino in English. I guess the provinces are reluctant to adopt the Pambansang Wika. Come to think of it, Pilipino is mostly Tagalog which probably spurred this resentment. However resentful people might be, as long as they speak it then it is ok.

But whoa! We've encountered elder Bicolanos who spoke a dearth of Pilipino and showed no sign of comprehending our babbling. It is good that Pilipino is compulsory in primary school.

The towns we visited had the same pattern as most towns in the Philippines: look for the church and you will find the town center, local government offices and most of the more important establishments like banks, market, restaurants and of course, parks and amphitheatres.



I was particularly impressed with Naga City and Iriga City. These cities show the mark of good urban planning. They have large public open spaces in what seem to be the center of the City and from this, large wide roads radiate. It is easy to find anything and public utility vehicles are accessible without being a nuisance to traffic.



Hit the beach and you will find the water surprisingly warm. I was tempted to go for a swim at night but remembered that huge sharks love warm waters - I think this was from a complex I developed after watching too much Animal Planet.



Food is excitingly cheap! For 30 pesos, you get a nice helping of ulam and a huge scoop of rice to go with it. Hit the markets for great cheap food. I thoroughly enjoyed this particular dish made of clams sautéed in coconut milk and chili. The laing offered were equally exquisite. I learned from this trip that you can cook laing in as many ways as there are cooks to cook it. Suffice to say, no two establishments in Bicol offer the same tasting laing.

If ever you find yourself in Naga City, look for Ice Blinkers. They make the powder-iciest Halo-Halo ever! It is one of the best ways to spend 60 pesos in this world.

There is only one complaint from this weary traveler: it seems that everything you can put in your mouth is spiced with chili in that Region (except for the Halo-Halo of course, but I did detect a faint zing to it. Hmmm...).


Bicol Region is a rolling valley huddled by Titans! Over the horizon you will see towering volcanoes from all directions. Some are active and some bear the masochistic scars of a violent past where whole mountain sides seem to have been blown off. It is here that the southern tip of Luzon tapers off and the Visayas begins.



Many picture opportunities await a photography enthusiast in Bicol. The food is colorful, tropical flowers abound, and there are dormant and active volcanoes for the more vigorous camera wielding bunch.

I was dying to climb and take pictures in and around Mayon and of Mayon. But looking at its beautiful conical shape capped by grey smoke, one cannot help but ponder about ones safety and future. Sure, I have life insurance but still, I have all the reasons in the world to not want to be vaporized by super hot lava or be broiled to perfection by superheated gas. Even something as mundane as asphyxiation is close to reality in the slopes of an agitated volcano.

Restrictions are in place and a six kilometer no go zone around the base of Mayon is in effect. Such things are not put in place on a whim. It is good to pay heed to signs lest the last 10 minutes of your life ends up in a reality TV show.



The reason for our Bicol trip was to climb Mt. Isarog in the province of Camarines Sur. At 1,966 meters above sea level, I was expecting an awesome view of the inactive volcano's crater and the valley floor below. But as fate would have it, Isarog was whimsical that morning and would not reveal her girth to us from her summit. Heavy clouds blanketed the summit and we did not even get a glimpse of the surrounding ridges leading up to where we stood.



Though the summit is a great place to be, and for which many single-mindedly affix their imagined target when climbing, it is not the whole mountain - the summit is not Isarog.



Whether perhaps I will still be thinking this same way if the summit offered a view that kicks you in the gut with beauty, I don't know. But I have always tried to see a mountain in as many points of view as I could.

Documenting more and seeing more would have been easier if I was a notch more fit and had carried a much lighter pack. Summing up what happened to me in a word: destroyed - I was destroyed by that mountain. Exhaustion and pain blinded me, that is why I could not manage that much shots of the trek.

We started the trek from Brgy. Consocep, our jump-off point. We took the Patag-patag trail which was explained to us as not being the traditional route up the mountain by our guide and climb organizer, Alex of Kadlagan Outdoor.



During the briefing, he explained that the trail is relatively new and that we will be passing through pristine areas. He asked everyone to be light on their feet and be careful with the thick mosses that grow on the branches along the trail.



The trail was called Patag-patag because according to Alex, there should be 2 portions of the climb where the slope will even out (patag meaning even or horizontal). I don't know what he was talking about but the whole thing from start to finish felt like an assault.



If you plan to climb that trail, the way the volcanic slope is shaped will guarantee a steady ascent up until you reach the summit. Climb light and favor ridge runner bags over tall packs. The trail is tight and Isarog will require you to go low, get a leg up high, skip and jump and what have you.



Somewhere near the campsite, the trail will meander around fallen trees and you will need to parry and weave around thick moss laden branches. If you love nature, you will cringe at the snap and crack that will follow your wake through the mossy forest if you insist on a tall pack.





After Isarog, four of us from a group of about twenty five decided that we haven't had enough of mountains. So shunning white sand island beaches and placid lakes, the four of us took our heavy bags, bid farewell to our transient companions and made out way to Mt. Iriga.

Mt. Iriga was a disaster waiting to happen. Looking at the breadth and elevation of the 1,470m volcano and aiming to climb it in four hours without backpacks, under a blistering sun with no water source along the way, was being a touch too optimistic.

Mt. Iriga is very accessible. Just catch a ride to Iriga City and contract a tricycle to take you around. The jump-off is about an hour on foot from the city center.

Just a word for climbers, everyone who wishes to climb Mt. Iriga is now required to secure a permit from Brgy. San Roque, Iriga City. The military maintains an outpost leading to the trail and they will not let climbers in without a permit. A recent incident which saw a large portion of the mountain burnt because of local activities had ticked local officials. Now, in an effort to preserve the mountain for ecotourism, they have made access to it relatively limited. All fine with me really, as long as it keeps the vandals, litterbugs and arsons out.

I don't recommend haggling with the military manning the check points. They seem uppity and suspicious of oddly dressed climbers. If you have Arab or Indian features, don't take a chance, get the damn permit. One of our companions who remotely looked Indian was being eyed and scrutinized more intently by the officers than us.

Mt. Iriga showed two ironic and poignant scenarios in climbing. One is, you can see where you want to go, but looking at it from where you are is disheartening because you can actually feel the heat of the sun draining your energy every step of the way and yet, the point where you want to go doesn't seem any closer than it was half an hour ago.

The other is that you can't see where you are going as you weave through and get lacerated by two storey high cogon, and the seemingly never ending ascent drains your morale and strength. When I was a kid, I had a pumped up imagination and one of the things I was thoroughly engrossed about was how it was like to be a bug in the middle of our garden amidst a never ending forest of Bermuda grass. Little did I know that in my adult life I would find out the hard way.

While the sun scorched us, the cogon hindered our ascent as lines of cut or broken cogon stems stood like phalanxes stabbing our limbs and body. One of my biggest fear was that of being impaled if I slipped and landed squarely on a fat stem. My next concern was being struck in the eye and blinded by them.



Cogon is simply grass - but on some mean steroids I'd think. We've encountered ones about two stories high and resembled a bamboo more than the grass that they are. They have leaves three inches wide and sharp enough to bite and cut your skin like a razor. Worst, they have this fur that sticks to your skin and itches. Depending on the stalk's condition, the fur would either rub off like dust or actually dig in like tiny thorns and draw some blood from you.



Apart from all the hardships that this mountain had meted us, the view from her top most ridge was exhilarating enough for her to be forgiven twice over. It is at her peak that you will be told by sight the story of Camarines Sur. You can trace with your eyes the boundaries of the valleys as they lap at the hem of Mt. Isarog, Mt. Mayon and Mt. Malinao. You will see low ridges boxing in this fertile valley and learn of the origins of the lakes. At this vantage point, you will understand the relationship of humans with nature and how their pattern of settlement is the same from lake to lake, from river to river.



Descending was uneventful except that it was the only time that I discovered that the summit ridge was sprinkled with pitcher plants, and I've learned that a grown man about my size can down three huge buko (coconut) all by himself. That last one was a surprising and enjoyable revelation.



When we reached the military check point it was dusk (we went down the same trail we went up). We had a little chit-chat with the residents and soon made our way to the only place where we can wash up: the irrigation channel.

It looked like an estero to me but I was appeased by the sight of neat looking locals dive bombing from the side of the road. Besides, I couldn't spot trash and the water didn't smell funny. So like dressed chickens we crossed our fingers and took a dip hoping we weren't bathing in another town's runoff water. If it's any assurance, the water was clear even in the dying light for us to see our knees in chest deep running water.

Normally, local residents would welcome mountaineers into their bathrooms to wash up - sometimes for free and sometimes for a small fee. The community there we surmised however, had no running water as we saw no tap in one of the bathrooms we entered. Plus we saw people carrying water containers across the road. Courtesy dictates that we shouldn't have to give people reason to say no.

One word of advice for travelers though: if you are not sure if you are done with your wandering, never go near a terminal where a bus going home can be chanced upon. The pain in your knees and thighs, the soreness you have been feeling in your back, the scratches and what have you will very much make that bus seem like the best place on the planet. It was this mistake that we saw ourselves back in Manila when we should still be finding our way across the base of Mt. Mayon in Legaspi.


ITINERARY
Mt. Isarog
Patag-Patag Trail
Brgy. Consocep, Ocampo, Camarines Sur

April 13
Day 1
5:00 am ETA, CBD Bus Terminal Naga City from Manila
6:00 am Registration of participants
7:00 am ETD, to Brgy. Consocep
8:30 am Brgy. Consocep, Jump Off point,short briefing
9:00 am Start ascend to campsite 8-9 hrs climb
12:00 nn Lunch along trail (packed lunch)
4:00 pm ETA, Campsite, set csmp, prepare dinner, socials
10:00 pm Lights Off

April 14
Day 2
4:00 am Wake Up Call, Prepare Breakfast/
prepare for assault
5:30 am Start Summit Assault
7:00 am Summit, take pictures...
8:00 am Back to Campsite
9:00 am Campsite, Breakcamp, Prepare for descend
12:00 nn Lunch along trail (packed lunch)
4:00 pm ETA, Jump Off Point
4:30 pm ETD to Naga City
6:00 pm Naaga City- Side trip na!!!

Water load 3-4L

Bus terminal to Naga City, Bicol is in Cubao, bus fair is
P500-P600 air-conditioned.
Time travel- 8-10 hrs from Cubao to Naga

IT by Alex (Kadlagan)