There is really something about gaining heights. Though gaining heights with other levels are unquestionably feels good, I'm talking about it literally. I'm referring to mountain heights that however uncomfortable and tiring it is, it will always makes you longing for more after. Nothing beats a mountain air and mountain view while you are catching your breath.
Location
The street going to the jump-off site after the bus ride. Mountain is already an eye candy from here.
With the same group I was with at the hike at Mt. Batulosong, we arranged the day trip to Cuenca, Batangas where Mt. Maculot is located. We met at Buendia Bus Terminal as early as 3AM though we were able to depart in the Terminal at around 4AM, riding a Lemery bound bus. We arrived at Cuenca Batangas around 6AM and started to walk at the jump-off site of Mt. Maculot.
Starting the trek with a high spirit. Go guys!
After the registration and paid the needed fee for entrance and guides, we started our trek. There are 3 main destination for Mt. Maculot, the Rockies (the most popular among the 3), the Summit, and the Grotto. The 3 destinations don't come as pre-requisite to one another. You can opt to take only one or two destinations. We did the traverse hike which mean, we all went to the 3 destinations which was actually doable for a day. Mt. Maculot is considered as a minor hike at 3/9 level of difficulty if you only intend to do the Rockies climb and 4/9 difficulty for Traverse hike.
1st Stop | R o c k i e s
The climb to Rockies can take an hour or less to the experienced climbers. In our case, it took us 2 hours to the camp site, 10 minutes to Rockies. And honestly, going to Rockies was one of the hardest climb I have experienced yet. The trail was stiff and a little slippery because the soil was loose and dusty. It was unforgivable ascend, so hard that they made at least 14 resting camps before you reach a steady and flat ground to the foot of the Rockies.
My shirt was soaked with sweat and we were tired until it started to show off.
We arrived at the foot of the Rockies at around 11AM. We rested and ate our packed lunch before heading for another climb. Rockies is the most famous destination in this climb because of its uncovered and scenic view of Taal Lake. Since it was already late in the morning, group of climbers were already on the top so it was hard to get a clean shot. The rocky mountain is vertically inclined that made it difficult to climb though there were rope that can help you with carrying your weight. And the guide will make sure that you will safely reach the top.
The climb to the Rockies.
We wanted to have a shot on this spot but unfortunately, it was already occupied and it took a while for some groups to leave this spot. And there was already a line of people waiting for their turns to get here. :(
We even waited for a while to have a clean shot on the top.
At the end we just settled for a selfie with some people in the background. But Still yeyyy, we made it to the Rockies!
2nd Stop | M t. M a c u l o t S u m m i t
From the Rockies, it will take another hour or more, depends on your phase for the ascend to the Summit. The climb to summit has a combination of flat surface, ascent and descent to some narrow and stiff path but not as gruesome as the ascent to the Rockies. But since we started our climb at around noon, the heat made it more tiring and almost unbearable.
Success!
Wait, let me just savor it!
We rested for a while to catch our breath before heading to our final location. It was difficult to find an empty and shaded area to rest at those time because there was already a built up of people at the top and there wasn't a lot of trees and shaded spot on top.
Last Stop | G r o t t o
At last, we were on our last destination. The way to the Grotto was mostly descent and though it was of course easier than a climb, the path was forested and rocky. When I say rocky, it was not just small stones, they were big rock so the descent were composed of rope course that made it challenging.
Didn't got a shot of the Grotto as the group were already in a hurry to go down. We were all tired and exhausted.
The way going down the Grotto were all paved stairs that lasted for almost 20 minutes. We almost want to jump to the end of the stair to fast track our descend.
And that concludes our traverse hike to Mt. Maculot. There were available showers and stores at the bottom of the hike where you can rest, eat and cool off. As I mentioned earlier, Mt. Maculot is the hardest climb I had experienced so far and yet it is still considered as a minor hike. Though it was hard and exhausting, I never regret this experience. This hike can definitely attest to the saying that "the best view comes after the hardest climb." One for the books! And we can finally shout, "hey, we conquered Mt. Maculot!"
We reward ourselves with Batangas lomi before heading home.
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