Mt. Maculot (Returning to a past favorite, and testing out a new pack)

It's easy to understand why a lot of outdoors people like Mt. Maculot. It's fairly accessible; relatively cheap; not so difficult to climb; guides are optional; and the view is unbeatable. During my climbing days pre-UPM, this ranks among my most-frequented mountains. But then I (we) came to realize that everyone else also loved to climb the mountain; which is very obvious with the level of erosion along the trail the saddle. What came next was the conscious decision not to climb it anymore; save the mountain at least from the impact from my footprints. January 2004 was my last visit.

We scheduled a sort of speed hiking competition (with a twist) this past weekend. The venue was supposed to be the Tarak Ridge of Mt. Mariveles. Unfortunately, there were no takers, so that plan was scrapped. I guess people were daunted by the rules of the game (get to the ridge with the fastest time, carrying at least 20kg of load). To save the weekend, we agreed to Twylah's proposal to hike up Mt. Maculot.

I also wanted to test my new Osprey Kestrel 58. And so, even though we won't spend the night up the mountain, I went ahead and packed my bag with the usual gear. 

I started to stuff my equipment into the pack. The wider profile of the pack made it easier to slot things in, with room to spare. I decided to test if using a hydration bladder would cause any stuffing problems. It didn't.

After putting everything in, I was surprised by the amount of empty space still available in the pack. I already had in my tent, a stove and fuel, cook set, sleeping pad, 7 liters of water, clothes, first aid kit, and food. I was tempted to put in more things just to see the limit of what it can handle (but decided not to, as my knees might buckle from the weight). 

A few more people dropped out at the last moment, leaving only me, Cece, Twylah, and Jaja to carry on. We drove out to Cuenca through very light traffic. While I only remember the town vaguely, the degree of its physical transformation was obvious, from the number of new buildings and the traffic along the town center. The concrete road has extended to the trail way beyond the Mountaineer's Stopover, which was previously the traditional jump-off point. A lot of parking and bathing establishments have sprung out along this road (I would've gone further inward to here if I've known earlier of its existence). 

they paved paradise...

My pack looked gigantic compared to the day-packs the others brought for this hike. I began to worry that I'd lag behind because of my load, and slow the group down. My other worry was remembering the correct trail. We fortunately met a group of hikers along the fork of my concern, and we were able to take the right trail (take the left trail that descends slightly). 

They recently (probably in the last 5 years) made a new trail to the saddle (instead of heading up from the first rest stop, you will walk through the more established trail on the left side). We hit our stride were moving pretty well, until the trail started to become steeper. As expected, my load became a factor, and soon I was sweating and my heart rate quickened. I suggested we take regular stops so I can recover, which they didn't mind, much to my relief.

While heavy, the pack didn't feel cumbersome. Stability was maintained throughout the climb; the weight didn't seem to shift from side to side. The hip belt was snug and supportive; helping to transfer the weight to my center. Two things that were mildly annoying are a) the "load lifters" loosen up when the ladder locks get stuck under the top load (so you need to make sure they're set properly before loading), and b) the elastic band supposed to hold extra webbing of the hip belt needs a little improvement to work properly.

I took advantage of the stop-go movement of the people ahead of us to rest and observe the trail. I tried to remember how I felt about hiking on the old trail so I can compare it with this new one. Again, I can only vaguely remember. I felt that this trail was less steep than the other one, and there was less need to rely on trees to pull yourself up. The people approaching us didn't seem to have a problem running on their way down. How I wish my legs were still made of iron.

I remember that I usually take about 2 hours to get to the saddle on a good day. So I was pleasantly surprised to be at the ridge after less than an hour and a half of huffing and puffing. To celebrate this, we opened one of the two bottles of Red Horse we bought from the store. (Good thing we opened the one with me, so my pack just got 1 kilo lighter) 

breakfast of champs (photo: T. Rubin)

Maybe it's just the rainy season, but the saddle seemed to be less open than 10 years ago. The overgrowth of the cogon grass on what were previously tent pitching sites was very noticeable. The areas where before you could see Taal Lake just by standing are now obstructed by 6-footer weeds. Maybe there are fewer campers now than before?

The "rockies" became ever-more popular (or notorious) after the passing of Victor Ayson last year. According to the store owner at the saddle, his death didn't diminish the number of climbers. Instead, the numbers spiked, fueled by curiosity; wanting to see for themselves where it happened. We four can only speculate where he ultimately fell (or pushed, depending on what you read). What we can be sure of is the spectacular view it gives of Taal Lake and the volcano, even under an overcast sky. 

Jaja and the amazing view of Taal Lake

With nowhere else to go, we agreed to hike up to the summit. After all, it was only 10:30 a.m. I looked forward to this, as I haven't been to the summit. The rockies is truly the star of this mountain. Already content with the this, most of the hikers opt not to go to the summit anymore, including me.

I left my pack, so we can reach the summit and get back down quicker. I was again initially worried that we might get lost (after the experience of Fredd, Ian and PJ years ago). The cumulative hiking done over the years of my absence quickly dispelled this worry, as the trail is very visible. Having said that, we still had to contend with what felt like miles of cogon fields. Cogon looks harmless, until you pass its blades the wrong way and get yourself a nice papercut-like, uhm, cut. Try as you may to protect your face, arms or legs, you will get scratched.

Vegetation-related problems aside, the trail was relatively nice, offering active flora and fauna and some short but challenging ascents. We got to the summit in less than an hour. The view was anti-climactic, according to Cece. Testament to the beauty offered by the rockies, on which others pale in comparison.

mabuhay!

We got back to the saddle fairly quickly, ate lunch, and went on our down through the old trail. It's sad to see the scars that the land still bears from the thousands of feet walking through it, year after year. It made me regret somehow our decision to go down through this route. Maybe it's time to finally ban anyone from walking through there, until it heals (10-20 years, probably?).

going down the old trail

The pack remained stable on my back even on the descent. I guess the lower center of gravity from its profile helped to achieve this. I don't recall needing to adjust the pack a lot during the climb and the way down. I love that the built-in pack cover is attached to the pack, making it less likely to get lost accidentally (it can be detached if you need to wash it)

The absence of regulation has its pros and cons. While it makes it more convenient to climb the mountain, it makes people leave their sense of responsibility at home. Trash, while seemingly less of a problem now than before, is still a problem with campers. A group that we met and shared a drink with left all their garbage strewn on their campsite. If not for the store-owner's son who cleaned after them, we might have found ourselves in a heated row with our new-found friends. It is somehow comforting to know that the locals have taken some of the responsibility of keeping the mountain clean, in exchange for the livelihood they've created from selling drinks and food to hikers. I do hope it's true that they bring their trash down, and dispose it properly.

cleaning up after littering tourists

Do I regret staying away from the mountain for a decade? Probably not. I liked the surprise I got by the fact that condition of the mountain slightly improved. I do hope the trend keeps that way. When I come back there in a few years, I hope to be pleasantly surprised a bit more.

As for the Kestrel 58, aside from the load-lifter and hip-belt strap issues the pack is two-for-two in positive experience, so far. It's far roomy than it looks, stable, and comfortable. I'd probably try it's carrying limit the next time around, just to see how it performs under all that weight.