Stoked at Mt. Batulao

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The Mask Climb

One of the most fun climb I had is the Mt. Batulao climb which was a "Mask Climb". Kuya Ken Nicolas was the expedition leader and he wanted to make the climb a memorable one. We all brought a Vendetta mask.

The theme was so funny because it sounded like mass climb, a climb wherein there are too many hikers climbing a single mountain in one go. And every time other mountaineers from different mountaineering groups ask me how was my climb in Mt. Batulao, I'll just answer:

"It was awesome! We had a mask (sounded like mass) climb."

Then, they will start talking about the Leave No Trace Principle, how the mountain should be taken care of and other stuff that's against mass climb. And like a boss, I'll just show them our group photo (see image below) laughing.

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The mask climbers at the summit

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Mt. Batulao

The view of Mt. Batulao's trail

Mt. Batulao has an altitude of 811 meters above sea level. It's a minor climb with a difficulty is 4/9. The trail is a loop connecting the old trail to the new one. The view is spectacular with rolling slopes and assaults.

We took the 'new-to-old' trail for some challenge. The jump-off is at Evercrest Golf Course, Nasugbu. First off was orientation. Then, we warmed up and prayed for a safe climb.

Orientation at the jump-off

What's annoying about this mountain is that from a certain point of the trail, you could see the summit already. You'll get excited because you'll think you're getting nearer to your destination. But, you're thinking wrong! The weather that day was good but it became worse when noon came. There was almost no shade so we have to cover ourselves up if we didn't want to be burnt.

Plata y Siete at Batulao's peak. (From left) Haggeo, me and Dave

The Inducted Members: (From left) Haggeo, me, Dan, Karlo, Ken and Dave

I had a lot of fun rappelling. I felt like I was a ninja. I was one of the first ones to go down that height.

The rappelling part down the old trail

Another disappointing thing are the registration fees. In every stop, one should pay a registration fare without receipts. It's like the locals made it compulsory for a trekker to pay just because he stopped or even just passed by their houses. That wasn't the case before.

Regrouping under a shade

I always seem to find the camera that's why I could smile whenever they try to take a stolen shot. I enjoyed so much that I even ran the trail, barefoot. But it really had something to do with my shoes. Pebbles kept on getting inside my shoes that it hurt every step of the way so I took off my shoes and ran. The last stop was a kubo (hut) where we regrouped while laughing at almost everything. Going home, we bought ice candy upon passing the first store at the descent.

A sweaty smile in a sun-kissed face

The Side Trip

We went to Tagaytay for the side trip and ate the most delicious Bulalo (beef dish from the Philippines) there was. And boy, was I satisfied.

Unfortunately, the sun got me. I was tan all over.

Disclaimer: (Photos not mine) Grabbed from Ken Nicolas' and Marx Fidel's Albums

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Check out my previous posts:
Peak 6: Mt. Manabu
Peak 5: Mt. Daguldol
Peak 4: Mt. Tapulao
Peak 3: Mt. Maculot
Peak 2: Pico De Loro
Peak 1: Mt. Pulag
Peak 0: Mt. Taal
Little Climber

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