Regrets in Pico de Loro

‘Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.’

Pico de Loro is a popular destination among outdoor enthusiasts. It is also famed in the mountaineering community for one thing: its towering and iconic monolith. A hike in this mountain will never be complete without scaling the treacherous 50-feet single pillar of stone standing near the summit. Sadly though, I didn’t get the chance to climb it during my hike in this mountain. Being my second climb after Mount Daraitan, I immediately lost my guts after seeing the monolith. My first thought was: how the hell would I make it to the top of that thing? So, my journey ended up being uneventful with nothing meaningful to reminisce and to boast of. It was only later that I realized that I missed that opportunity to climb the monolith.

There was nothing extraordinary that happened during my dayhike in Pico de Loro. My only vivid recollection of that particular Sunday morning is the trip going there. It was actually my first time to travel in the province of Cavite. I was attentive although a bit sleepy while sitting inside the van. It was still dark when we reached Cavite and I can hardly see the surroundings outside. It was silent and calm inside the van which made me agitated at some point. Everyone was taking naps except me; perhaps I wasn’t able to fall asleep because of my uncomfortable position sitting between two female companions. We made a stopover in a convenience store to buy some supplies. I already forgot the name of the town but the store was in front of a church and beside the church looked like a plaza. While others were busy doing their shopping, some of us took the chance to eat breakfast. After everyone was done we again boarded our van and proceeded on our trip.

The road going to the DENR outpost in Maragondon was winding along mountainous terrain. I was surprised because I never expected this kind of terrain in Cavite. Pardon my ignorance but I had no idea that there were mountains in Cavite. My knowledge of the south is limited to my long forgotten trip to Calamba. It was during my college student days. Remember that mandatory field trip to our National Hero’s hometown? Well, it was a long time ago and I am not familiar with the geography of the CALABARZON area up to this day.  

We reached the DENR outpost which is also serves as the jump-off point. We did some last minute preparations. We did the registration, paid the necessary fees, and secured our guides. It was worth noting that we made the individual registration ourselves and indicated some personal data in their log book.

Soon, we began our trek to the summit. We let the other members of the group go first and decided to trail behind them. We were on our usual pace and were in no hurry. I learned from my previous hike to take my time. The beginning of the trail was well shaded and proved to be easy. There were instances though that we came across oversized roots protruding from the ground and uprooted trees blocking our way. We had to make our way over them which took a bit of effort because of their size. It was noticeable that some irresponsible hikers found time to vandalize the poor trees. 

After more than two hours of trekking, we reached the campsite which was just below the summit. The campsite was surrounded by bamboos groves and from the ridge you can see the summit and the monolith. It indeed looked like a parrot’s beak from that vantage point. We took a rest there and bought beverages from the many stores that sell basically everything. These makeshift stores are called 7-11, a term coined by mountaineers in reference to the ubiquitous chain of convenience stores.

The steep climb to the summit took five to ten minutes. It was a bit of a challenge and it was a bit risky too. The summit looked like a bare hill of steep dust and rocks and it was inclined to the point that you’ll need all fours while making your way up. If you accidentally slip, you may roll down the cliff and who knows what will happen to you next. Luckily, I managed to reach the summit without harming myself. But it was exhausting as I did the assault at a faster pace. I just didn’t have the patience to wait for the other hikers as they scrambled on their way to the top. I hurried past them whilst panting relentlessly.

I reached the summit then realized that a crowd of people were already there, some were from my group. The summit was barren and you will be exposed to the scorching sun. Having no choice at all, I just savored the moment and was amazed and grateful for accomplishing another feat – my second summited mountain. While waiting for the others, I busied myself by looking at the lush landscape of the province of Cavite and Batangas, the coast of Bataan, and Corregidor Island. Not far from the summit, it was hard to ignore the lone huge stone pillar proudly standing beside it. The monolith is the icon of Pico de Loro and one of the main reason people go there.

From the summit, there is an option to scale the monolith. You have to fall in line though because the top of the monolith can only accommodate a limited number of people. Thus, others need to wait for their turn below. Upon seeing the monolith, I became dumbstruck and then chickened out. I immediately told my companions that I didn’t have any intention of scaling it. I didn’t want to take the risk and most of all I was scared to do it even with the assistance of the guides and the presence of a rope in the vertical side of the monolith.

Since I did not dare climb the monolith unlike my fellow hikers, we decided to make our descent. It was decided when we were still in the summit that we will traverse to Nasugbu in Batangas since we all wanted a long trek. Thus, we made our way down to the side of the monolith. It was steep descent and seemed to be a long trek ahead. After hours of braving the heat of the sun, we finally arrived at a resting place where other members of our group were already resting. We took a seat there and had our lunch. We rested and took naps while waiting for the others. The members of our group arrived one after the other and when everyone was there, we proceeded to the exit point where our van was waiting.

Our van was waiting for us along the Nasugbu-Ternate Highway. Our guides were also there and they let us sign the logbook upon our exit of the trail. We initially planned on going to a nearby falls but we decided not to go on. We instead headed to Nasugbu in Batangas to look for a resort where we can take a bath and change clothes. We ended up in a small fishing village near Nasugbu. It was getting dark so we immediately did our thing before finally leaving the place to go home.

Sometimes life can be generous and grant us a second chance, a third even, or maybe a fourth . . . a chance for lost opportunities, a chance to redeem ourselves. I missed a lot of great opportunities during my first hike to Pico de Loro but then I hope there is still a chance for me. It’s uncertain when but I will definitely make another trip to Maragondon, Cavite one day. Yes, I will come back to this mountain soon. This time with a light daypack and with lots of courage so that I can finally scale the monolith, take loads of pictures and make lots of memories.