My Favorite Summit Views

"What is there to see?" - one question that I always ask myself before considering a mountain as my next hiking destination. Could there be a beautiful view of the forests? Could there be views of cascading mountains or sea of clouds? Or could it be the plains, the agricultural lands or the nearby town or city?

I am making this post out of disappointment on my last climb last Sunday on Mt. Natib in Bataan. I was expecting a 360° view of nearby mountains and towns but we were so unfortunate to have no clearing that day, as in zero visibility.

Summit view is one factor that makes each mountain unique in its own. It is part of the mountain's identity. That's why I always feel that a climb is incomplete if I don't see the summit views. So far, among the 26 mountains that I have climbed, there are four mountains that deprived me from seeing the very much wanted summit views.

At the summit of Mt. Cristobal. We were expecting a view of San Pablo's 7 lakes but we were very unfortunate. check out our climb experience in this link

Summit of Mt. Marami. There should be a view of nearby Cavite mountains but again it was covered by thick clouds. Check out our experience in this link.

At Mt. Palay-Palay's Rock Tower. I was able to climb the famous rock tower but there was no clearing at all. Read here for that climb experience.

And for the fourth time, there was no summit view for us. Mt. Natib somehow disappointed me.

These four summits are now included in my list of mountains that needs a revenge climb. I must return there for the summit views stolen from me by the unmerciful weather. Target dates will be next year during the summer season.

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But thank God, a clouded summit is not always the case. Most of my climbs were blessed with great weather, thus we enjoyed awesome, astonishing summit views. Below are the summit views that put me in great awe at first glance.

The best sunrise I ever witnessed. This was the summit view in Mt. Pulag, the 3rd highest mountain in the country. My jaw dropped and I fell into silence upon seeing this amazing view. Check out my experience in this mountain in this link.

The summit of Mt. Ugo also offered us a great summit view. Cascading mountains of the Cordillera did not fail to amaze me. Read the story here.

The Rockies summit of Mt. Maculot is my top favorite among the Southern Tagalog mountains. The whole Taal lake is seen from the summit. Follow the story here.

On top of Mt. Cabuyao, You will not just see the cascading mountains of the Cordillera but also the whole of Baguio City. You will also be able to spot the non-functional Loakan Airport (it makes me think, if only this airport was open for commercial flights and Manila airfares would be cheap, reaching the beautiful Cordillera mountains would be a lot easier and faster) 

Another astonishing summit view is the crater lake of Mt. Pinatubo. Read the story here.

Sometimes, surreal things happen when you're on a summit. Like this beautiful full bow of a rainbow. a very nice summit view that welcomed me in the world of mountaineering. Follow the story of my first climb in this link

You may check my other mountain adventures in my Kabundukan Series and see for yourself how beautiful the summit views are. Mountain summits simply make me complete. How bout you, what's your most favorite summit view?