Mt. Makiling | A Bloody Hike

Will just share my Maktrav experience last 19th of August with some mountaineers who were about to climb Mt. Apo (via Kapatagan-Kidapawan) this coming long weekend.  We took the same trail (Palanggana Trail, San Bartolome jump-off) as my previous maktravs (pang-apat ko na aktuwali), but unlike before, it was a bloody hike. All of Mt. Makiling's defenses were up against us, the limatiks, the thorns, even mosquitoes.

blood!
Photo by sir Jet

MakTrav IV

• We're a group of 11 and we did MakTrav (Sto.Tomas to Station 1) from 06:45 AM to 05:00 PM, a total of 10 hrs and 45 mins trek.

• The weather was good, it did not rain, but the clouds never subsided. So there's no view again :)

•  The limatiks of this hike are wilder and more blood-thirsty than all of my previous climbs (I lost my count dahil sa sobrang dami nila). I had a bite at my foot, my companions had more than 5 bites (may bloodletting na naganap sa trek namin).

• For the first time, I saw a limatik crawling at someone's eye. Yup, one from our group had not just one but a pair of limatik in her eye. It looks really irky as it moves around the sclera, beneath the eyelids (kadiri lang talaga).

• The pink ribbons on Melkas Campsite that had caused headache to many Makiling hikers is not much a problem now. Most of the pink ribbons in the area had been taken off the trail.

• IMPORTANT: I asked the Barangay Captain of San Bartolome if it is true that the Palanggana Trail is now closed for hiking, well it is NOT TRUE. It's just that this trail is no longer the advisable trail for first timers in Makiling Traverse who will come from Sto. Tomas (dahil nga marami daw naliligaw sa private areas ng trail). They're still allowing hikers to tramp this trail for as long as they're familiar with the trail already.

• Medyo umay na ako sa Maktrav, 4 times na kasi pero iisang trail pa rin ang dinadaanan, that's why I'm planning to do a solo hike on this mountain and reverse the traverse (UPLB to Sto. Tomas) the next time I'll be there.

• It was overall a nice climb, thanks to my companions, Iggy, Mars, and Dawn, and to Sir Siegfred's group. Goodluck to your Mt. Apo hike ;)

Note: First time that I did not have dinner at Sulyaw after the Maktrav. Instead, we went to Calamba (near Turbina) and munched at Tuding's original porkchop (yum, ang sarap lang ng kain ko)  

Read my previous MakTravs:
MakTrav I
MakTrav III