sayaramae

Mt. Pigingan Major Dayhike

Major jumpoff: Sitio Balocloc, Brgy. Dalupirip, Itogon LLA: 1328 MASL Days required / Hours to summit: 1-2 days / 5-7 hours Specs: Borderline major

Difficulty 4/9

Trail class 1-4 Features: Pine forests, scenic views of the Cordilleras

Source: http://www.pinoymountaineer.com

I remember saying "Yes" to my best-friend Joy when she asked me if I want to join her in a day-hike in Benguet. And so when she said that it's going to be in Mt. Pigingan, I did my research right away and got super excited when I saw some of the pictures in Instagram and few blogs that I've read. When I saw a picture of the trail going up to the summit, I told myself, "Ok xai, this will be a training climb for Mt. Guiting-Guiting, my dream mountain".

I met my friends in KFC Shopwise Cubao - In front of Kia Theater at around 11 PM of February 24th. After having our dinner and buying our packed lunch we started to travel from Manila to Benguet.

Five hours later, our van arrived at Sitio Balocloc where we registered and hired 2 guides (12 pax). After all the final preparations and a quick prayer, we started the hike.

We started walking at around 5 AM, everything was cloaked in darkness. We had to be careful and watch our steps. We reached the hanging bridged after 40 minutes and continue the trail.

We haven't had any problem with the first part of the trail because it was an easy long road. But the catch is, it's an open area so expect the scorching heat of the sun. Good thing you'll pass by two water sources were you can refill your hydration.

Along the trail you will be rewarded by a beautiful scenery of Itogon. As we continue to move forward, the assault became more gradual and steeper. What makes it more difficult is the direct heat of the sun. We also took enough take five's so we can enjoy watching and appreciating this magnificent view while resting.

I had to stop and take a quick photo op with this beautiful view. Photo credits to Jin.

After reaching the campsite, we decided to continue and head to the base of the summit since we knew that the summit can only accommodate few people and there's a queue on the way up . So while waiting for our turn that's the time we decided to eat our lunch.

All of us are a bit exhausted but we still have to finish the final leg going up to the summit.

This is me, Joy and Jin getting ready to conquer the summit. :)

Finally, we’ve reached the summit. Indeed the view from the top is worth it. It is beyond beautiful. It made me appreciate how wonderful and amazing God's creations is. The feeling was surreal. "Thank You Lord for allowing me to witness this awesome creation of Yours."

Another one-off my bucket list. After taking our time taking pictures, we started to decent. The trail going down was a knee-breaker. But I was motivated by the thought of me buying Halo-Halo and cold soft drinks at the jump-off. haha silly!

This is another hike were I pushed myself again to it's limit. A lot of times during the trail, I could feel my legs burning, my endurance was tested. But I'm so happy I was able to finish it. With this experience, I must say that Mt. Guiting-Guiting isn't for me yet. Maybe after a lot of training, but not now. Dreams can wait anyway! :) For now, I'm very thankful to be able to enjoy Mt. Piginan.

Sample Itinerary

02/24/2018 20:00 meetup KFC Shopwise Cubao - In front of Kia Theater 21:00 ETD from Cubao 02/25/2018 04:00 Arrival at Sitio Balocloc. Reguister and secure guides 05:00 Start Trek 07:30 Arrival at Junction 12:00 ETA summit 02:00 Start Descent 14:30 back at Trailhead; Tidy up 15:30 ETD Sitio Balocloc going to Baguio 17:00 ETA Baguio 20:00 ETD from Baguio to Cubao Things to Bring: -2-4L water (depends on your water consumption) -Trail food (e.g. Mani, jelly ace, etc) -Pack Lunch -Extra Clothes -Cap/Sleeves/Sun glasses -Pocket Money