Mt. Mariveles: Tarak Ridge

September 6, 2015

The prelude to the new chapter of my life.

Tarak Ridge (1,130+ MASL), found at the west side of Mt. Mariveles, is a popular hiking destination in Bataan. It is located in Mariveles with its jump-off point at Brgy. Alas Asin.

Highlights

• I joined a group of total strangers.I don't know where I get the guts to do it, but I have no regrets at all. I made new friends!

New hiking buddies!

• Dim-trekking. We started our trek as early as 3am. It was really dark along the trail, and I rely only on the flashlight I brought along with me. We did not hire a local guide with us because someone in our group was already familiar with the trail. It had rained the previous night and so the trail was muddy.

Muddy trail

It was a long walk from the jump-off marker, passing through Nanay Cording’s abode, and on to the trail going to Papaya River. It was dark but one can see how thickly forested the trail was. They say monkeys can also be seen along the trail but since it’s dark, I guess the monkeys were still fast asleep to put a show off.

The sun was already up when we reach Papaya River. There were overnight campers near it and we pay a courtesy call to them as well. They were kind enough to offer us some early morning munchies as well. I refused and just enjoy the serene river up ahead wherein we spend an hour or so. The water was clean, clear, and potable. I quench my thirst by drinking water from the river, and save the remaining of my 500ml Gatorade. It was a refreshing drink, really! I was tempted to have a cold dip in the river as well, but we still got a long way ahead of us, and so we moved on.

Papaya River

Clarity

The trail after the river was getting steeper and there were times that I have to scramble all the way up. There were roots that can one can take a hold of.

Steep

Once we reach the grassland, the trail became rocky and the soil, loose. We met other hikers as well. There were no clearing that time, and so we continue on to our hike to the peak of the ridge where a lonesome tree can be found as a marker.

The lonesome tree, aka "Kidlat"

We reached the peak at around ten in the morning – still no clearing. We’ve had early our lunch; some even had taken power naps while waiting for the others. I waited for the clearing, I am still hopeful for even just a glimpse. And I’m glad I waited. Suddenly, the fog disappeared giving us view of the nearby peaks of Mt. Mariveles. We waited for some of our co-hikers but since they’re taking a long time, we decided to go down. We learned afterwards that most of them decided not to go on and stayed at the lower part of the peak. We regrouped and back trailed to Papaya River where we’ve had a cold dip and photo-ops.

Better days are coming.

Pass four in the afternoon, we reached Nanay Cording’s house and had short chat with her while waiting for the others. From there we have the option to hire a tricycle to the Barangay Hall, but we chose to walk instead.

Sir Ghil, Nanay Cording, and Me.

Please do check my documentation of the  Flora and Fauna Collection that I spotted along the trail.

Take-aways
* Be mindful of your surroundings. Focus on the trail.
** Hike at your pace. Going too fast or too slow will make you feel exhausted fast. However, see to it that you would not stray too far from your group.

* as of June 2016, the tree at the peak of the ridge already fell down due to unknown reason. It was such heartbreaking news for me and for those who find this tree memorable. To whatever they called you, you will always have a special place in my heart.

* This hike was made possible by Ulupong Mountaineers, through Mr. Dharz Malonzo and William Pajarillo.