It was almost a year ago when I found a comrade-in-arms in the art of moving on. A knack – because it takes a while figuring how to pull it off, and requires keen imagination to create a way for one’s self to wiggle out. A heartache that punctures deeply and hurting necessitates a massive redo of one’s routines. A friend of mine; Cha found a progression to distance herself from that madness; by indulging in the sport of mountain climbing. Mountaineering - my first love back in college, which I had abandoned except during sporadic hiking trips that happens far in between.
Hiking Mount Ulap in the Most Opportune Time
“You should join our next climb, Marky,” she told me one day. Forever looking for an opportunity to wander, I signed up with a small group of people that fit in a van—mostly her friends and a few other joiners; some cheery chaps and ladies from DIY Travels.
Since her own break-up, Cha had scaled five mountains and counting at that time, while my last climb was at Mount Pulag a year before with my ex-girlfriend. This made the trip invite from Cha a wonderful opportunity for myself to create a space to separate that memory with a new one; this time with old and new friends alike. As a man back in singlehood—ascending the trails of a place fittingly called Mount Ulap, I was also bringing a version of myself ripe for breaking out of a cracked shell.
The Great Gig in Mount Ulap
The jump-off of Mount Ulap is at Brgy. Ampucao, Itogon, Benguet and caters mostly to beginner hikers—which appealed to me, as I was just beginning a comeback trail at the gym and hadn’t built up heavy stamina and endurance yet. An easy climb was precisely what I craved.
Our guide promised us “five to six hours of trekking starting from Ampucao to Sta. Fe Ridge, completing a traverse.” Most mountains offer a more difficult traverse route, but at Mount Ulap, descending on the opposite trail is the easiest and affords climbers the chance to cover more scenic spots. “It is going to be a chill hike; the five hours already include rest stops and picture-taking time,” he told us.
Our trail started at a blistering stride until our guide reminded us to take it easy. As if saying “slow down and smell the flowers,” we switched our hurried steps into dawdling paces, and as soon as we took it slow, the spectacular surrounding nature revealed itself. The best the Cordillera Mountains are known for—towering pine trees, swaying green grasses, and rolling hills, all colluding to form postcard-worthy scenery—quickly arrested my attention. Our hiking trip to Mount Ulap had started to unveil itself as one great gig in the sky indeed.
The First Boulder Pit-Stop
After less than an hour, we reached a saddle with a protruding boulder where one can sit and stand while staring at the vastness of the outdoors. On the far right side, one could see the mining town of Philex and the community surrounding it. We rested and took our sweet time taking photographs on the rock, which reminded me of the kind of backdrop the young Jack Kerouac might have gazed at while working as a fire lookout at Desolation Peak in the North Cascade Mountains of Washington State.
“I could stay here the whole afternoon and pretend to be good old Jack,” I thought to myself. “With this kind of view, creative juices shall flow like wine inside my mind.” But before I could entertain the idea of excusing myself from our group to stay behind, our guide motioned for us to get moving.
Ambunao Paoay to Gungal Rock
An hour of slow hiking later, we emerged into an open space of lawn-covered hills away from the canopy of pine trees. The change in landscape meant feeling a stronger gust of wind blowing from all directions, and the highland weather instantly became cooler. We negotiated various snaking paths uphill into Ambunao Paoay, where scattered loose rocks were piled pyramidal style.
A lone tree stood offering miniature shade, but we all chose to be bathed in sunlight and once again stared at the distant gifts of Mother Nature. We took a minute to pose for a group photo, and as Cha was setting up her iPhone, she directed us to “make continuous movements.” It turned out she was using an app called Boomerang.
A little further ahead, we finally reached the popular landmark at Mount Ulap: Gungal Rock. A massive slab of rock sitting on the ridge overlooking a plunging ravine, it is perfect for daring photo-ops and usually attracts a line of hikers stopping by for an extended period.
As big as Gungal Rock was, the insects flying around boasted a humongous size resembling steroid-boosted blowflies. They quickly covered the cap I was wearing and bothered the rest of us, forcing us to take photos at Gungal Rock at a hurried pace.
The last part of our hike took us to the peak of Mount Ulap and into the vast downhill stretch of rolling hills. At the top, we all took a much-needed rest. As Tanya practiced her yoga poses, I sat over a patch of grass and once again directed my gaze toward the vast adjacent highlands.
After a lengthy moment isolated with my thoughts, I stood up to gather my backpack. Around the same time, I sensed the signal from our guide to proceed. I took first dibs in attempting a downward dash toward the campsite. The steep hill—angling at almost 45 degrees—proved a bit tricky to negotiate.
With gravity pulling me down, I summoned my legs to run at a faster pace while knowing fully well I could break an ankle in the process. Fortunately, I reached the campsite with both feet still standing, glad that only my Merrell shoes suffered the inconvenience of being covered in grass and cow dung.
An Easy Day-Hike Becomes a Moving-on Pill
Our traverse was supposed to take us to the Pong-ol Burial Caves as well, but during that time the trail leading to the caves was closed for restoration work, so we ended up hurrying our trek back down to town.
The whole day-hike felt like a wonderful departure from my usual travels. Feeling charmed back into hiking and still feeling strong afterward, I believed I could take a shot at another mountain.
More importantly, I started seeing life as clear as the azure skies that prevailed that day. I met new friends and saw how beautiful nature made up the rest of my world. “How could I go mad at this beautiful world?” I asked myself.
I have to admit, I've gotten the blues over and again after that day. However, our little gig at Mount Ulap delivered an effective drug that helped me heaps in moving on.
As they say, “There’s no such thing travel can’t cure.” I guess I should make it more specific: “There is no such thing as a hike in the woods can’t remedy.”
