Mt. Natib | Redeemed and Refreshed

And so, after 4 months, I went back to Mt. Natib, wishing for the clear summit view I never saw when I was there the first time. But hey, more than what I hoped for are a very nice waterfalls side trip and a batch of new hiker friends, a totally different awesome experience!

______________________________________________________________________________

Saturday - March 9, 2013

It feels so great to be back on Mt. Natib, knowing that good things are waiting for us up there - less number of limatiks, a very fine weather, and a refreshing waterfalls side trip. What's also nice in this hike is that I was joined by old and new faces which certainly made this one a whole latta fun experience.

I organized this climb and opened it to some who are willing to take the pain of a major climb. Most are from Manila so I pegged Bataan Transit Terminal in Cubao as our rendezvous. We took a 03:30 AM bus bound for Balanga and in about 3 hours we reached Orani, Bataan.

(Commute details: From Manila, take a bus bound for Balanga or Mariveles, either Bataan Transit or Genesis, then alight at Orani. Note that there are two routes going to Bataan - via the Bataan Provincial Highway and via the National Road. If coming from the central town via the National Road, go to the market and ride a jeep to Brgy. Tala; but if coming from the highway, ride a tricycle at Orani crossing)

Sa totoo lang, hindi ko alam na dalawa pala ang dinadaanan ng mga bus kaya medyo nagulat ako na nasa bayan ng Orani kami bumaba and not along the highway where I'm used to.

There are jeeps bound for Brgy. Tala at the public market, but we did not ride one since I have already arranged a service vehicle for our group.

It was around 06:30 AM when we arrived at Brgy. Tala. We registered first at the barangay hall (paid P30 as a fee), then registered once more at the military camp (no fee).

We registered at the barangay hall, there's a P30 reg fee.

at the military camp, we registered again, it is mandatory to show up before the military camp bago umakyat sa Mt. Natib.

We had breakfast first kaya late na kami nag-start ng trek.
Started our trek at 07:30 AM

Four months wasn't that long, every part of the trail is still very fresh in my mind as if I climbed the mountain just one day ago. It was one hour from the trail head up to the gate where you will see Mt. Natib for the first time, then 30 mins from that gate up to the water source house.

Mt. Natib from the gate.
Cloudy summit again?

We arrived at the water source house around 9 AM, rested there for only a few minutes before we proceeded again with the trek. (Note: The water source house is the only water source in the entire length of Mt. Natib trail)

Just 5 mins from the house is a leftward upward shortcut.
cutting about 15-20 minutes from the total trek time.

After about 30 minutes, we arrived on the split - a straight forward trail which leads to Mt. Natib summit, and a downward trail which leads to Pasukulan Falls.

Into the Waterfalls

We saw earlier that the summit was partially shrouded by clouds (ayoko nang maulit yung naranasan kong puro puti ang paligid) that's why we decided to go for the side trip first to give the clouds some time to subside. Apart from that, not all mountains are blessed with awesomely gorgeous waterfalls, so marapat lang na bisitahin talaga namin ang Pasukulan falls.

So by taking the downward trail, we trekked through the forest, crossed several streams, met some limbless reptiles and braved a couple of loose steep trails.

the trail was very well established, I don't remember any confusing parts in the entire length of the trail

Several streams were crossed. Maswerte kami dahil wala masyadong limatik sa trail 

By 11:30 AM, the reward of the almost 2 hour trek was reached. Finally, we arrived at Pasukulan Falls and it was really stunningly beautiful.

Pasukulan Falls, according to our guide, got its name from the many Japanese who surrendered (sumuko) in the area, way back during the end of WW2. 

Not all mountains are blessed with gorgeous, stunning waterfalls.

The basin below the falls was truly inviting, made me want to dip and freshen up. Kaya binilisan kong kumain ng lunch para magkaroon ako ng extra time na lumangoy.

During rainy season, the vicinity of the waterfalls is greatly infested with limatiks.
Luckily, it's summertime. 

To spend some more time chilling and relaxing at the waterfalls, kahit gaano ko pa ka-gusto, was not the option. At 1 PM, we left the place to carry on with our main objective which was the summit of Mt. Natib.

Into the Summit

It was almost 3PM when we got back on the main trail. The summit was still 2 hours away so I pushed everyone to speed up, baka wala na kaming maabutang liwanag sa summit kung magpapatuloy ang gentle pace namin. 

in no time, we reached the exhausting ascent to the summit.

At 4 PM, we summitted Mt. Natib. I was happy to see that, unlike before, clouds no longer block the view. The entire Bataan Natural Park was clearly seen, as well as Subic Bay and a faint Zambales mountain which I believe was Cinco Picos. Sadly though, due to the lateness of the day (limited sunlight), we were not able to see the distant mountains which are supposedly also visible from the summit of Mt. Natib (ie. Mt. Arayat, Mt. Mariveles).

not the clearest sky, but still happy that there were no clouds anymore

Panorama showing the surrounding mountains of Bataan Natural Park

After an hour of rest, we decided to descend Mt. Natib. Nighttime caught up with us, but it's ok, the trail was still manageable even in the absence of daylight. It was already 08:40 PM when we completed the hike, a total of 13 hours on the trail, whew.

___________________________________________________________________________

I would like to thank everyone who joined this redemption climb, making it a memorable one. Congrats to all, especially to those who, for the first time, completed a major climb, great job! Also thanks to Kuya Wilnor and Allen for guiding us.

You may also want to check out my first Mt. Natib experience in this link.