Just got down from our Balingkilat + Nagsasa cove trip. It was hella hot there at Zambales. Now I know why Aetas are so dark. It's because they live a planet nearer to the freakin' sun.
So I learned that Mt. Balingkilat is the highest mountain in the Zambales region. (I'd argue Tapulao, but I'd have to do my research for that). They say that Balingkilat is also known as "Thunder mountain". And true enough, we were able to see some lightning (but it was at the other peak).
We started our trek at around 2:30am. It was still very dark. The path we took was narrow, and it was filled with tall grass. There were times when I feel like I'm about to step off a cliff because the tall grass would block my sight (and it doesn't help that my headlamp would kinda blind me a bit. It started off as an easy trek, but after an hour or so, we started feeling the assault. There were several people in our group who didn't have headlamps, so it was quite difficult for them. they can't stray away from people because they don't have a source of light.
The peak over there covered with clouds was where we saw the lightning
Although it was still dark and the sun hasn't shown yet, it was hot. There wasn't a breeze to help keep us cool during the trek. I ended up drinking more than what I allotted for the trip up to the summit ( I brought 3L of Gatorade and 1L of water).
At around 6am, the sun started to peek from the clouds. We were able to see how far we've hiked for the past hours. We also saw some clouds forming a little bit of lightning from the next door mountain. It was visible that Darren was having a little difficulty. It's because of his bad back and his knees. At this point, we were 3/4th our way up towards the summit. So close but yet so far.
daybreak
It was a relief reaching the campsite and seeing our other companions resting. I was also getting a bit hungry so I ate my Crispy Chicken Sandwich from Mcdo for breakfast. We had an hour of rest to do whatever we want. Some did photo ops, while the others repacked their bags. The rest, decided to take a breather and just lay down for a nap. It was windy up at the campsite, so it wasn't too bad. Some people were gonna go up to the summit. It would be another 10 min trek but at least this time we wouldn't have to bring our bags.
No fail
By the time we reached the summit, the view was just amazing. You can see mountains from bataan, the mount pinatubo, and further you can see tapulao, cinco picos, and the likes. One the other side, you could see the coves such as Anawangin, Nagsasa, etc. We were headed towards Nagsasa cove. After taking some photos, we decided to go back to the campsite.
*Slips*
At the Campsite, people were already packing their bags, getting ready for the descent. I put on some sunblock first because I could already feel the scorching heat seeping through my skin. I don't mind getting dark, I just don't want to get sunburned.
Gido resting his knees
Joy and Ghen taking a break
Our descent started off easy. It also helped that we could see Nagsasa cove from afar. That way, it was easier to see how close we were getting towards our goal. However, there were a lot of steep rocky descents that made it really difficult for us. It didn't help that it was around 10 am already, so the sun was already up.
I ended up being in the last group. The last group was composed of me, Daren, Justin, Joy, and Gido (plus kuya guide). We had frequent stops because of the heat, and because we just wanted to rest haha. I'm amazed that kuya guide was able to keep his cool with our group because we were so slow and we kept taking breaks.
Although we could see Nagsasa cove during our descent, it seemed like it wasn't getting nearer by the hour. This was really irritating. We were also running low on water supply, I was already close to finishing my second bottle of Gatorade. I don't want to touch the 1L of water because there is no assurance that there would be water when we reach Nagsasa cove.
*insert random pic*
Our first goal was to reach the first and only water source. We were told by our guide that it would be at the foot of the mountain, once we end our descent and enter the plains. But GOD it was so far away. Once we reached the tree that was said to be the water source, we were expecting a tap of some sort nearby. But apparently we still had to trek 5 mins down to the river to get to the water source. We left our bags by the tree, Joy and Daren stayed behind to watch our stuff, the rest went down to get water. It was a short trek, and we were able to get some shade on our way there. I even poured some water on my head just to cool off. However, kuya guide told us that what I did can cause my eyes to blur or "pasma".
When we got back to Daren and Joy, we rested for a bit, and then shortly after we decided to continue our trek. At this point, it was around 12-1 pm, and the heat was unforgiving. I recall walking ahead with Joy, and all I could think off was how stupid I was to agree to this hike and how was it possible to live in the Philippines for so long with this kind of heat. I was on the verge of crying out of frustration already. When we finally reached shade, I vented out to Joy how frustrated I was back then. She had the same sentiments. We waited for the others, Justin and Daren were famished by the heat, but Jen and Gido seemed to have a good time chatting. After chatting, we decided to continue. Before we could leave though, we heard someone down from the river. It was someone from our group. I guess we weren't far off I guess. But I assume the two waited for us because they didn't have a guide to tell them where to go.
When we continued, we were already by the plain. there were only a handful of assaults/descents left for us to pass through. We caught up with Errol along the way. He took a break. at this point, it was already 2-3 pm. Our ETA to Nagsasa cove was 2pm. I'm not surprised we were delayed because our group was really slow. It came to the point that some of us wanted to wait 'til 4pm to continue the trek just so the sun wouldn't be so unforgiving. But then Joy pointed out that maybe the reason why the guide wants us to arrive on time/early is because they're also rushing for the last boat ride back to the city. With this in mind, we decided to continue with the trek so that kuya guide can go home on time.
The trail was filled with tall grass mostly, and sometimes burnt from the "kaining". You couldn't see the beach anymore because you were already at the same level with it. We took a break when we reached the river. It wasn't a river filled with water, but it was filled with rocks. I assume that it used to be a river because all the rocks there were smooth. This was our last break, because the guide told us that we're just 30 mins or less away from the beach. I took this opportunity to take a nap.
View of where we came from
During our last stretch, I was lagging behind (from the last group!). I didn't care anymore. I just wanted it to end. When I saw nipa huts, I knew that we were close by. When I reached the huts, I saw the guys resting and Daren lying down on the long chair. I was relieved that I could finally rest my legs and my back.
The next thing I wanted to do was to swim but before that, we cooked some food for a quick bite (NOTE that we didn't eat lunch yet!). After eating, we pitched the tent so that we could put our stuff in already. I also took this opportunity to change to swim clothes so that we could swim already.
It was getting dark when Joy, Justin, and I decided to take a dip. It wasn't a problem. I decided to leave my malong and my headlamp lit on the shore so that we have an idea of where we are when it gets too dark. (I was a bit hesitant about this, since it would risk losing my headlamp in case someone decides to just pick it up, but I did it anyways for safety).
I loved the waves that were coming at us. They weren't that big, but they were beautiful. Make me want to surf. As we were straying away from the shore, they took this opportunity to talk about the event. Joy shared her dismay about the event, citing that the organizers didn't seem to care about their participants, and the event itself wasn't event-like. According to her, it felt like KKB, and the only thing we shared was the transpo going here. Justin agreed with everything she said. I didn't say much because I didn't know what to expect in the first place. I haven't been to a lot of events, in fact, Balingkilat is only my 6th mountain to hike.
One of the things I agreed though, was that it felt like they didn't
care prioritize the safety of their participants. There came a point during the hike that we were so far off, that we couldn't see the other groups anymore. During these instances, we would shout (as a signal) and wait for a response so that we know where they are at the moment, and that they'd know where we were at the same moment. But when we kept shouting, there was no response. The only one responsible that was with us was kuya guide.
At this point (during the hike), I thought to myself that what if someone got seriously injured and the guide wasn't with us? Or what if we got separated from the group and took a wrong turn? Who then would find us? I was disappointed about this incident, and it made me recall what Enzo taught me. There should always be someone (from the organizers) in the lead, mid, and tail group. That way, untoward events can be prevented. Anyway, past is past, we're just thankful everyone arrived safely.
Our table was so messy
Nothing like ice cream after a long hike
Red Horse (Albino)
If you guys happen to pass by Nagsasa, don't forget to say hi to Red Horse! There are a lot of dogs in Nagsasa, but this one caught my attention because initially I thought he was blind. But then I was told by the locals that he only has difficulty seeing during the daytime. Oh, and he's called Red Horse because of the "red" on his forehead (not seen in pic).
