UP, Diliman - Mun. San Mateo - Mun. Rodriguez - Licau-Licau
July 13, 2008
Sunday turned out to be a very interesting day. ‘twas good that I didn’t chicken out of the plan to bike to Licau-Licau come hell or high waters on Sunday. It was something I was meaning to do even before I bought my bike.
As what Punkz (shown above pumping his legs to clear a long ascent) came to realize, the dirt trails leading to Licau-Licau and the surrounding areas was a veritable playground for mountain bike enthusiasts. There are long, bike jarring, brake numbing downhill dirt road runs. There are deep muddy pools and rocky fork twisting ruts. There are forest trails branching out of dirt roads which cuts through long arduous bends. And of course, there are thigh numbing never-ending climbs – if you are the masochist type, you’d love that last one. I’m not talking about hundred meter climbs here. We’re talking about two to four kilometers of consistently steep uphill ascents.
Apparently, there were more trails, runs and other places to go to which we didn’t have the energy or benefit of time to further explore. We didn’t even make it to Mt. Balagbag - but as what other mountain bikers have told us, the trail up that mountain is frustratingly loose. And you know, working your away around wet slippery boulders on hard tail bikes is not really anyone's idea of a pleasant bikeout.
There are numerous trails and unpaved roads which further rolls into the denuded hills of Montalban (which is now called Rodriguez). I like to think that the dirt tracks there would be exhilarating, though the view of denuded hills would temper whatever good feelings you might have of the place. We will most likely be exploring those on our next visit - to enjoy what is left and document the consequences of the inability of the local government (or the unwillingness to do so) to preserve the local environment from illegal loggers.
After Licau-Licau, we went back whence we came but took a different route back to the Brgy. Macabud marker/archway. We then made our way to Wawa Dam as I was curious to see where this Bernardo Carpio character was being held – legend has it that he’s stuck at the gap between two mountains where a river flowed through. On one of my earlier hikes up the trail to Mt. Maranat where Wawa Dam could be seen a fair distance away, Fredd, a fellow mountaineer and an environmental zealot if ever there was one), told me that Carpio was sort of holding the two mountains apart, for reasons which has escaped me.
The whole trip was 70km of paved and dirt road. We started biking from UP Diliman at 6:30am and headed towards JP Rizal Rd. in Marikina through the Tumana Route. Once at JP Rizal, we pedaled our way to San Mateo, then Rodriguez. At Rodriguez, we turned left at the T-intersection (going straight will take you to Wawa Dam). At another T-intersection, we turned right which would lead us to Amityville (a large blue marker serves as a landmark – there’s no way you can miss it).
Going straight, we then turned left at the Brgy. Macabud arch. At this junction, the Rodriguez dumpsite is to your left.
At this point you have two choices. You can either bike uphill paved roads and enjoy the exercise that the steeply rolling hills could offer, or you can take the dirt path to your right which will still lead you to Licau-Licau albeit the trail is less aggressive on the thigh muscles.
What we did was take the paved path to Licau-Licau. The paved path will end about a quarter of the way to the terminal and you'll be left with dirt roads and tracks anyway. By the time we finished the paved portion of our route, it started to rain and from there on end, we had quite a splashing good time.
On our way back, we took the all dirt path which afforded some fun downhill runs. We managed to clock 50kph down those downhill straightways. As I was using fat semi-slick tires, I found myself skidding and drifting all over the place. It was fun beyond compare to try to control a bike that is kinda out of control.
I lost alignment of my rear wheel twice – and to think I just had the thing aligned at John Wilkie’s (JP Rizal, Marikina Branch) two days ago. I suppose the trail was hard on my bike considering our downhill speed and my weight. I might have to have it looked at again.
After exiting Brgy. Macabud, we preceded to Wawa Dam and ate lunch at Aling Norma’s Eatery. After a hearty meal, we then went to see the dam and of course, took some pictures.
Normally, you can swim at the foot of the dam where the water would flow smoothly over the gentle contours of the structure. Because it had been raining most of the day in the area, the water flowed violently over the lip and approaching the shore of the river was prohibited. Even further downstream from the dam, the water looked menacing.
The bike back to UP was uneventful other than being caught behind the traffic jam at the wake of a funeral procession in San Mateo.
Biking changes everything. But of course, I don't see it replacing the raw experience of being out there in the wilderness, exploring the depths of the undergrowth, with moist ferns brushing you on your cheeks or thorns ripping flesh from your thighs. Biking is a different thing altogether - another dimension, another perspective in enjoying what life has to offer.
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