Los Banos, Laguna
May 22, 2009
(posted at pinoy mountaineer.com)hi this is ivan again.
Just want to share our experience in climbing mt. makiling via uplb trail
We started and registered at the ranger's station at around 8.30 in the morning.
We told him our target was to reach Mudsprings but our real goal was to head to the summit.
The ranger even boasted that we did not look like we are going to the summit. Maybe because of our outfits. We were just chilling at Pook Makiling Place for our first team building when we decided to climb a mountain that day.
We hiked up and made it to station 7 (before mudsprings). The vendors there warned us about the dreaded LIMATIKS. Some of us hesitated to go on.
But we did. We passed Mudsprings and Agila campsite. The trail starting Agila campsite I must say is where the challenge begins.
The vendor told us that the limatik infestation will start on Station 20.
But we were just on Station 12 when we saw one tiny thing on our friend's (JANE) jeans (yes, she was wearing jeans :) ) Then one of our friend (RAYB) saw one on his foot. Just then I looked at mine to check and saw a tiny blood sucker clinging on my left foot. That's when we panicked and screamed and just ran off.
That was a horrifying experience, to see the bloodsuckers everywhere, (they are on every edge of the plants waiting for us to pass, firmly standing up like a television antenna!)
We reached the board saying Wilderness Zone
There were two paths. We headed the wrong way! Because there were no signs that we should go to the path which was somewhat descending. I suggest to the facilitator or any concerned citizen or mountain climber to fix this. The vendor told us that many hikers got really ost by taking that other trail. Although it points up to the summit, that trail is very dangerous! We didnt reach the summit because we realized that there were not any yellow markers for ten - fifteen minutes and it was raining already. Thunder.
We decided to go down. We met the not so friendly leeches again.
THIS IS THE MOST DREADED PART.
When we stopped over at station 7 again, that was the time when one of our friedn (WILSON) revealed that he feels that there was a limatik on his eye. I looked at it and, yes, the blood sucker (fat, this time) was very comfortable inside his right eye. We panicked (of course) I did the honor of pulling it using a tweezer, but I just could not do it, every time the limatik free itself from the tweezer, everyone will just shout and scream. One villager helped us and pulle dthe limatik using his fingers. Then, we burned the f***ing blood sucker using a cigarette.
Whew. What an experience.
We were not experienced mountain climbers.
We did not reach the summit.
But the experience was wonderful and very memorable.
Wilson said that he wants to climb Makiling via UPLB trail again in the hopes that next time, we shall reach the summit.
(We conducted this as part of our team building activity, we were 16 but only eight of us bravely faced the challenge to hike Mt. Makiling.
Ivan-that's me. I think I was bitten by at least twenty limatkis along the way
Jane-the first victim of the limatik
Wilson-one limatik entered his eye, tragic,
Mae-the girl scout slash cheerleader
Dan-the quiet guy (on the way down, a huge limatik was biting his arm!!!)
Camille-youngest in the group, 16 years old
Rayb-his sweat could fill a bucket, his legs were also a limatik fave
Tela-scream scream scream "tanggalin nyo tanggalin nyo huhuhu)
I will upload the video of our Mt. Makiling escapade including the limatik on the eye soon on my youtube account
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