Making it to Makiling

‘For everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.’

I was ecstatic upon learning that we will be having a hike in Makiling. I instantly commited myself in joining the event. Not even the presence of the Limatiks (Blood Leeches) can stop me from going. Makiling was one of the few mountains I was familiar with even before I became a hiking enthusiast. To know more about Makiling, I decided to do some research prior to the climb, which I usually do with my previous climbs. That’s when I learned about the blood sucking Limatiks. It was my biggest concern in this climb simply because I am terrified of the mere sight of blood and not of the creatures itself. To make the story short, I armed myself with information on how to properly deal with these inhabitants of Makiling when the day of the climb came about.

This was my third major climb so I was not particularly nervous, but there were still some apprehensions on my part. We left Cubao early Sunday morning and entered South Luzon Expressway. Along the expressway, we stopped at a gasoline station and ate breakfast at one of the fast food stores there. Some of my companions simply bought food to eat later during the hike, while other decided to stay inside the van and nap.

Upon reaching Santo Tomas, Batangas, we got lost on our way to the jump-off point. After two attempts of locating the jump-off point, we decided to call our guide since he was near the area. He suggested to meet us so that he can show us the way. We returned to the route we just passed and met the guide there. He was with another group of hikers. After everybody was ready, we headed to the jump-off point via convoy.

We finally reached the jump-off point amidst the confusion. We started preparing the things we were going to need before we headed out to the registration area. It was a traverse climb so our van will be dropping us off here and will be waiting for us at the exit point, which was at the UP College of Forestry in Los Banos, Laguna. We all lined up at the mandatory registration. There was a brief orientation and a kind of getting-to-know-each-other session, followed by a short prayer. The trek started then after everything was in place.

I’ve read that there were several entry points to Makiling. However, the local tourism office decided to make the Sipit Trail the official trail for hikers, but the other trails are also open. We used the Sipit Trail as our entry point, which was a bit longer than that of the Palanggana Trail.

From the registration site, we started walking and passed huge pipes along the side of the road. I later learned that these pipes were part of the Mak-Ban Geothermal Power Plant.

As usual, our climb started at a moderate pace. I stayed behind as the sweeper of our group. The initial trail was easy and because Makiling was covered in forests and vegetation, we didn’t have to worry that much about sun exposure.

As we continued with the trek, I noticed one signage that was pinned to a tree. It read “Station 1” and indicated how many meters we had to traverse before the next station. This was a unique feature. The signage helps you keep track of the distance and the direction of where you’re headed to. The only problem was that these signs didn’t complete the 30 stations that we were supposed to follow. They stopped at the 20th station and only resumed at the 30th station.

We made our first stop-over at Station 2. There was a resting area there with bamboo benches and a table. There was also a water source near the area. We rested a bit there and saw some hikers who set up camp there. After a few minutes, we decided to go on with the trek.

Somehow I forgot the events that happened after we left Station 2.  All I remember was the anticipation of the succeeding stations after the other. It seemed to be taking so long to reach Station 30. We managed to arrive at another station which was Station 15. It was only later that I found out that it was also called Melkas Campsite.

We reached Melkas Campsite and found other members of our group there. It was almost lunchtime so we decided to eat our lunch. After eating and resting for a little while, we did some photo shoot and then headed to Peak 3. We then passed the famous Haring Bato and did some rappelling which I’ve become quite fond of now. At Peak 3, we stayed for a while for some photo ops, and after that headed to Peak 2.

After that it was a long journey to the summit as we passed station after station. We reached Peak 2 (Station 30) after another round of what looked like an obstacle course. We met other members of our group there. We did a quick photo shoot then headed down to UP Los Banos. 

The descent proved to be more challenging. The trail was steep and slippery because the soil was moist. There were some rope segments which were a big help, but then I still struggled to keep up. The key to avoid any accidents or injuries is by taking your time. Patience will definitely keep you safe, although there was an instance where we encountered someone who seemed to be trail running. I just shook my head in disbelief. Given the complexity of Makiling’s trail I didn’t expect it to be suitable for trail running, but daredevils out there would probably disagree with me.

I somehow noticed the diversity of the plants and trees growing there. I anticipated an encounter with Limatiks, but fortunately the creatures made no appearance at all. Maybe because it was summer and they’re only prevalent during rainy season. But I wasn’t complaining. The Limatiks were the last thing on my mind as we were making our descent. I was struggling the whole time because of the complexity of the trail. Hard as it is, I still had to go on.

After a few minutes, I started to feel the exhaustion creep in from the challenging trek going down to UPLB. My companions didn’t attempt to stop and rest so I had no choice but to continue walking. I don’t know how far we had to go until we reached our destination as I lost count of the station markings we’ve already passed. I was somehow relieved when we started walking along a slightly flat and rocky terrain.

I almost came into exultation when we finally reached the Agila Base where most members of our group were waiting and were enjoying a much deserve refreshment. There was vendor selling coconut water (buco juice). One of my companions bought one and offered me some. It was refreshing but it wasn’t enough to quench my thirst and exhaustion. It seems that I lost all my energy during the climb.

When everyone arrived at the Agila base, we decided to proceed to the UP College of Forestry. We were supposed to ride a habal-habal but it turns out that there was an available jeepney that can take us there, so we rode the jeepney on the way down. The jeepney passed through rugged terrain until we reached a concrete road. Part of the road was under construction so we had to bear with the inconvenience every now and then. I lost count of how many stations we passed along the way until we finally reached Station 1 of the UPLB trail.

When we arrived at Station 1, we signed out in the logbook and paid the necessary fees. We immediately looked for our van to retrieve our clothes so that we could take a shower. Unfortunately, our van wasn’t there. The two vans, we later learned, suddenly left us to do some business. We were left with no option but to wait in vain. Those who had their clothes with them started to take a bath. We wasted at least two hours waiting for our van. When they arrived, we immediately grabbed our personal belongings and headed to the shower rooms.

There were only two shower rooms so there was a long queue outside. It didn’t take long before my turn came since a lot of our companions were already done and others chose to just wash up at the back of the bathrooms where a deep well was situated. When I went inside the bathroom, I was ecstatic that the water was warm. I was done in about five minutes. After everybody was done we proceeded to our vans. We made our way back to Cubao after making sure everything was ready. We took our dinner along the way and then journeyed back home.

The Makiling Traverse route was difficult. It was like an obstacle course. The Sipit Trail was so narrow and bordered with a combination of lush trees and various shrubs. Maybe that’s where they got the name for the trail. It was hard on my part being tall as I had difficulty getting through narrow passages. I had to kneel to avoid hitting my head. Nothing prepared me for the complexity of the trail especially the descent to Los Banos.

About the mysteries surrounding the mountain, I didn’t or any in my group experience any of those. I don’t believe in the supernatural but I always practice caution and responsibility as a mountaineer. With regards to the Limatiks, thankfully I didn’t see any although others in our group had some encounters with them. Regarding the unfortunate incident with regards to our drivers, it was irritating because we could have at least saved time and go home early had they been at the exit point waiting for us. In the end, I was still thankful that our dayhike turned out to be a success and I can proudly say I made it to Makiling without any scratch given the complexity of the trail.

It was hard to tell if I enjoyed my traverse hike of Makiling. It was a long trek and the trail was too complex and difficult to maneuver. If you’re after complicated trails and want some thrill and adventure, Makiling is definitely for you. Nevertheless, if you’re expecting an easy trail, you’d be disappointed like me. I had high expectations of Mt. Makiling and I was really frustrated at how the events turned out, but then this is just based on my experiences on that particular day. It looked like there’s still more to be explored and discovered in the mountain that I somehow missed. Considering that it is a Forest Reserve and an ASEAN Heritage Park, it just proves that there was something special about this mountain. Despite my frustrations, I am still grateful that Maria Makiling showed me something different, something to reckon with, and something subtly beautiful. Someday when I find myself again in this mountain, I will surely find ways to truly enjoy my visit. Because as I viewed it from a far, towering alone in the midst of its greenery, its beauty seemed like it was concealing something precious, waiting to be unraveled.