Mt Maculot: Same Mountain, New Trail

The Philippine mountaineering community classifies Mt Maculot in Cuenca, Batangas as a beginner's mountain and therefore an easy hiking destination. I've been hiking since I was a teenager, but ironically for me, I never had an easy Mt Maculot hike.

The first time was an overnight hike when I was in college and new to an outdoor student organization. My bag was heavy and even though it was not my first hiking trip, I was still what most would call a "newbie".


Second time was a dayhike in April 2007 after an 8-year hiatus from hiking during which time I got married, finished school, had my baby girl, started working. That summer, I finally had the time, energy, and some money to hike again. Since it was a comeback, my body ached all over after the climb. Even my abs and back muscles that I never knew existed were sore.

Third was a dayhike of the traverse route in November 2012. I've been hiking rather regularly for the five years prior to this but since we took the traverse route which was steeper, longer, and where vegetation was denser, it was still not the easy hike Maculot was known to be.

So last February, I organized a dayhike with friends, old and new, whom I've wanted to go hiking with but rarely (or never) had the chance. They're my friends from college, from work, some I've met in other hiking trips, plus a new friend I was glad to have met in the mountaineering blogosphere. We were a mix of old and not-so-new hikers, expecting a moderate to easy trek to the Mt Maculot Rockies to enjoy one of the most scenic hiking destinations in the country. We were a group of 12, but we split up into two groups- 9 of us took the traditional route which now has the new trail, and 3 took the traverse route.

Two days before the hike, I got word that the old trail has been closed and a new one was made. It was to be less than two weeks old. This was confirmed when we got to the jumpoff where we were informed of the trail markers that would lead to the new trail. Locals assured us we would not get lost because the markers were clearly in place, along with colored ribbons tied to the trees.

No one warned us that it was no longer the easy trail we were expecting.

The new trail started out with an easy incline and a few winding turns, but then it soon gets steep and the soil was really loose. This one was narrower than the old one, and there were times when we could hold on to tree trunks to pull ourselves up the slopes. The trail got trickier as we got closer to the summit. By then, there were parts where there was hardly anything to hold on to, except for the tall Cogon grass that grew beside the bare, loose soil that was supposed to be the trail. Even as we climbed, we already worried about how hard it would be to come down the same way.

We started the trek with a prayer for guidance and protection. (photo by Egay Merene)

All smiles despite the steep trail

Steep trail, loose soil

As with the old trail, local vendors were quick to position themselves at the rest stops. They sold buko juice, halo-halo, banana-que, bread. They were a welcome relief to tired, overheating, sleep-deprived hikers like us. While there are some concerns about the amount of non-biodegradable waste these stores can bring up the mountain, I find that both hikers and vendors are to share the responsibility of keeping the mountain free from litter and plastic waste.

One of the several stores at the rest stops, or 7/11s as we call them. (Photo by Egay Merene)

For a group our size, I allotted 4 hours of trekking time to the Mt Maculot Ridge. It turned out to be enough time for us to ascend at a decent, moderate pace. We got to the ridge ahead of schedule. By then the traverse group was waiting for us and we all had an early lunch.

We then trooped to the Rockies. The scrambling ascent to the Rockies never gets old. It's still exciting to old hikers like me, and a thrilling challenge for newer ones.

(Photo by Egay Merene)

 Then we got to enjoy the breathtaking view of the Taal Volcano and Taal Lake.

Hubby and Me

As expected, descending from Mt Maculot was more challenging than climbing it. The loose soil made it quite hard for most hikers to be sure of their footing. The trail was also carved along steep slopes where slipping sideways could lead to a bad fall. We took nearly the same amount of time coming down as we did going up.

We got some rain showers towards the end of the hike, but not enough to get us all muddied and wet. After a quick halo-halo break to reward ourselves, we posed for our group photo and headed back to our jumpoff where our rented van was waiting.

Front Row, L-R: Tin, Apol, Ingrid, Jonas, Jenna, Me; Back Row, L-R: Egay, Roland, Agot, Jade, Che, Naldy

We finished on schedule, without injury, and having had a marvelous time.  I'm proud of the group for being both physically and mentally prepared to meet the challenges of this dayhike.  It was an honor to have climbed with my friends and I look forward to more hiking trips with this group.