The view of Silanguin Cove from Cinco Picos

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Cinco Picos

Cinco Picos means "five peaks". Rising to an elevation of 881 meters above sea level, this mountain is located in the Subic alongside with the other mountains of Zambales such as Mt. Balingkilat and Mt. Pundaquit.

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Mt. Balingkilat seen from Cinco Picos

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Mt. Cinco Picos Traverse to Silanguin Cove

We climbed Cinco Picos last March 25, 2016. There were only 7 of us; Karlo Mayote, Victor Ortega, Rajill Rojo, Alfred Silisilon, Kenjie Villafuerte and a guest, Patrick Velasco.

MITMC at one of the summits of Cinco Picos

We traversed to Silanguin Cove where we spent the night. We were the only group in the beach (except for the locals, of course) until another group arrived in the morning. It was super fun. We had the beach all to ourselves.

At the beach, our last photo for the day before leaving. (From the left: Kuya Vic, Patrick, Kuya Alfred, me, Rajill, Kuya Karlo and Kenjie)

We rode a rented boat on the next day to Pundaquit where we rode a bus to Olongapo. We ate lunch there and took the bus back to Manila. The boat ride to Pundaquit was a nasty one. The waves were really big and the wind was strong. Luckily, nothing happened and we just enjoyed the ride. The view was amazing, anyways. The rock formations on the scattered islands are a sight! I've been to Zambales numerous times but it still takes my breath away.

Stubborn as mules, we refused to wear life vests.

The other group took the boats as well.

The Itinerary and Budget

Kenjie was our expedition and leader and this is the IT he came up with. We just decided to improvise when we learned that the last bus was leaving at 8 in the evening. It was a Holy Week so the roads were cleared and zoomed to Olongapo in no time. We also decided to go straight to the beach because there was still time. We were so early than our estimated time of arrival which is a good thing and we thought it'll be great to drink by the beach than in the campsite. There are stores there, too for back up. (whispers) In case, we finish the bottles we brought.

The budget was worth it. In just, $ 30, you're good to go. Of course, as always, you have to take care of your own food. You buy your food, you can choose what to eat. We had Sinigang na Liempo (Pork Belly Stew) for dinner that night at the beach. It's all I can remember. Food in the mountains and in the beach are always delicious.

Highlights of our Climb

1. I saw day and night in one view.

Nature always amazes me. I saw the moon in daylight before. It happened when the sun is about to set. Well, we know that the moon is always there. It's just not visible because the sunlight is too bright. But this time, I actually saw the rising sun and the light touching everything but darkness on the other side where the moon was still able to be seen. We started trekking at 2 in the morning if I'm not mistaken and arrived at that spot to see the sunrise perfectly. The camera just didn't capture it well.

2. Beautiful ladies passed by us.

We were taking our last 5-minute-rest when we saw a group of ladies on their bikinis approaching with a foreigner at the back of the line. (Probably Caucasian) The boys were all staring until the one in the yellow two-piece swimsuit in front talked to us saying, "You stopped at the wrong place," she said. "May waterfalls dun banda," she added pointing at the direction they came from. That's when we knew that they were all gay. Still, they were gorgeous but they disappeared quickly. We followed the group a little later after they get past us but we weren't able to see them again. They weren't even in the beach when we arrived. Strange. Maybe, they took a different path.

3. We are the UNBURNT.

Coming down the beach from Cinco Picos, a burning field welcomed us. We literally walked the field where fire was all around us. The sun was setting but the heat was extreme in our right and left. We weren't able to take any picture because all we wanted to do was get out of there. And we were tired, already.

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Check out my previous posts:
Peak 10: Mt. Makiling
Peak 9: Mt. Kalugong
Peak 8: Mt. Romelo
Peak 7: Mt. Batulao
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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