Mt. Balagbag and Maranat Range

August 1 - 2, 2015 - Bikers at the summit of Mt. Balagbag

It was that same friend of mine from Mt. Daraitan who, this time, invited me for a hike. She told me that we will be traversing Mt. Balagbag to Mt. Maranat. Traverse? What was that? Is it possible to hike 2 mountains in a day? Because one is enough for me and I get exhausted easily. Anyway, I still give it a go since this time we're going as a team (we also have our drifit shirts with the name of our group in it - Hikayat Mountaineers).

In the end, I learned the meaning of the word "traverse" in a hard way. Well, an unforgettable one.

About the mountains:

Source: Pinoy Mountaineer

Mt. Balagbag offers considerable view of Ortigas and some parts of Metro Manila, as well as the Ipo Watershed. Mt. Oriod and neighboring mountains of the Sierra Madre Mountain Range can also be seen from the summit. It is also popular to mountain bikers because of its open wide trail. Trekking in this mountain can be debilitating during summer because of the scorching heat of the sun, so dimtrekking is advisable.



Maranat Range, also known as Mt. Maranat, is part of the Sierra Madre Mountain Range boasting flamboyant vegetation, rolling terrain, pools, stream, and waterfalls.

Unknown to many, “Maranat” is actually the name of the falls, which belongs to Mt. Oriod. It is so majestic and challenging - with big boulders one can climb by hand or with aid of ropes, trees and fallen logs framing up the views, and cold water that is so refreshing upon every dip. It truly offers such a wonderful experience for outdoor enthusiast.

Highlights

• Meeting people who loves the outdoor too.
• The wide, open trail going to Mt. Balagbag's "helipad" summit.
• Meeting bikers along the trail.
• Balagbag's kitty cat, most commonly known as Garfield. Really playful and fluffy. I love cats.
• The Sirko-Balentong trail (Balagbag loop) traversing to Maranat Range and Waterfalls - not a beginner-friendly trail.
• The homey campsite of Tatay Nestor at the Maranat range.
• Chuck "the camera-shy dog" and Jerry "the sleepy cat", pets of Tatay Nestor.
• The trail runners who were really close to Tatay Nestor. Well, it's the first time that I actually encounter the term "trail runners". I am really amazed by how strong these people are! I mean, hiking/trekking on a mountain is definitely hard and they're running on the trail. Whoa!
• The beautiful, challenging, and magnificent Maranat Falls. For exploration, I highly recommend starting from the foot of the falls all the way up. It's definitely adventure-filled!

Photos

Hikayat Mountaineers

The group was formed June 18, 2015 during their Buntot Palos falls exploration. I wasn't able to join them, but they were kind enough to welcome me in the group.

Where bikers and mountaineers meet - "Helipad" summit

I haven't tried overnight camping at Mt. Balagbag but it could be one of the options. One might be able to see the beauty of the city lights but I think stargazing is not as grand as it is in other Rizal mountains because of the light pollution. I'm not even sure if the Milky Way can be seen in the summit in its time of the year.

Garfield. Let me scream like Agnes, saying "He's so fluffy, I'm gonna die!"

Mt. Balagbag is popular to bikers as well

Upon traversing to Maranat range, we were unaware that the path we were taking was the Sirko-Balentong (Balagbag loop) trail. There have been misunderstandings with the guide and my co-mountaineers who have been to Mt. Maranat before. Long story short, I will name this trail as the "Paasa" trail. Why? Because there will always come a time where we could see the campsite and the falls, but then we were off to the trail again with tall cogon grass, then bushes and trees. It was literally the "so close, yet I think we're going far from the campsite again" trail. The end of the it includes crossing boulders in the river, walking unto steep and narrow beaten track, and then welcomed by the sight of the falls. It was excruciating, specially for the beginners (it's not my first time but I still consider myself as a novice). Our traverse took around 8 hrs to finish, which is usually around 3 to 4 hrs only.

First leg of the Sirko-Balentong trail

Tired and hungry, we immediately set up our camp. Some of us chose to dimtrekked back to the jump off point since they're only prepared for a dayhike. I set up my hammock at Tatay Nestor's house with the help of one trail runner named Kulot (we call him Kap Kulot, "Kap" stands for kapatid).

Nothing beats waking up in a hammock.

Meet Chuck. He's friendly but a bit camera shy.

This is Jerry. He loves sitting on a Hooman's lap and sleep.

If you want to know where your heart is, look where your mind goes when it wanders.

Mt. Balagbag as seen from Maranat campsite.

Hiking Notes:

Transportation:

• From Coastal Mall/Gil Puyat (Buendia LRT)/Cubao (EDSA):
• Ride a bus with route going to Tungko (just look for buses with signage SM Fairview Tungko)
• From Tungko, go to the jeepney terminal and look for Licao-Licao bound jeepney.
• From Licao-Licao, it is optional to ride a tricycle going to the jumpof point which is the Brgy. Hall of Sitio Balagbag.