Bakun, Benguet: Bakun Trio

posted on Monday, February 3, 2025

Three peaks in three days? G!

Our Bakun Trio climb was supposed to be scheduled last March 2024. But as it was cancelled, Ling and I had to wait for our next preferred sched. And so, our long awaited adventure finally pushed through on the end of January 2025.

The plan was to do a three-day hike conquering Mt. Patullok (formerly known as Mt. Lubo), Mt. Tenglawan and Mt. Kabunian respectively. The highest yet easiest among the three mountains is Mt. Patullok, standing at 2087 MASL. The mountain with the longest trail, on the other hand, is Mt. Tenglawan with 1943 MASL. The most famous of the trio is Mt. Kabunian, soaring at 1789 MASL. It is named after the highest deity in the mythology of the Kankaney Indigenous People tribe.

We have done trilogies within a day before but this is our first time doing three day hikes in a row. The level of difficulty of these trio differs online though (as it should hehe). Pinoy Mountaineer rated the level of difficulty of the three mountains combined as 5 out of 9. For other hikers/organizers, Mt. Patullok has been rated 3 or 4 out of 9. 4 or 5 out of 9 for Mt. Tenglawan while Mt. Kabunian is given a 5 or 6 out of 9 difficulty rating.

Ling and I joined the Rabas Outdoors organizer for the fee of P6,500 per person. It is inclusive of private van transpo, homestay accommodation, local guides and environmental fees plus five meals. There were 12 of us in the group and we were off to the jumpoff by 8:00 pm.

We arrived at Bakun, Benguet around 6:00 am the following day. After breakfast, we were on our way by 7:30 am. Mt. Patullok is derived from the Tagalog word, patusok, which means pointed. It is literally a description of the mountain’s cone-shaped summit. After passing through farmlands, cemented and unpaved roads, the steep 30-meter ascent was upon us. We were at Mt. Patullok’s peak before 9:30 am. The overlooking view was breathtaking. Simply grateful for the day’s clearing.

For our second day, we had the option to start the trek at the upper portion of Barangay Sinacbat after more or less 3 hours of monster jeep ride. We started the hike around 4:30 am. Beware of the descending trail and its cemented stairs. This leads to the steep pine forest going to Mt. Tenglawan’s summit. I can liken the path to Mt. Pulag’s Akiki trail, also filled with pine trees. Luck was on our side as there were no leeches along the trail. After almost 3 hours, we’ve finally reached the summit believed to be home to the devil god, Insaking. Its famous rock formation though carrot-shaped also looks like a devil’s horn from afar...fueling the local’s belief system about wicked spirits. Despite this myth, Mt. Tenglawan gave us a summit view like no other. And we were yet again blessed with a clearing. I also had the courage to conquer the steep Carrot Peak in spite and despite my fear of heights.

We started around 4:30 am on our last and final day. It was our choice to start early to not expose ourselves to too much heat. Mt. Kabunian’s total trail distance of 10 kilometers is a challenging and steep combo of stairs, hanging bridges, pine forest and fenced trails. There is also a known Spanish Trail along the way, which was believed to be traversed by our ancestors and Spanish colonizers years ago. The path towards the summit is marked by the Stairway to Heaven also tagged as ‘Tekdag Camsit.’ 'Tekdag' is a Kankaney word, which means “to fall.” 'Camsit', on the one hand, was the local’s name who fell from the staircase. After almost 4 hours, God Kabunian welcomed us on its sacred peak. It was no doubt a challenging and humbling climb but the scenery that greeted us was beyond what I’ve expected. 3 out of 3 mountains---all with clearing! The descent, on the other hand, triggered my fear of heights. Thanks, Ling, for being my literal human pole. hehe

See also our climb up Mt. Sicapoo, Mt. Napulauan, Mt. Apo, Kibungan Cross Country, Mt. Makiling, Mt. Purgatory Traverse, Tarak Ridge, Mt. Ugo, Mt. Pulag via Ambangeg Trail, Mt. Arayat, Mt. Balagbag, Mt. Amuyao, Mt. Pigingan, Mt. Pulag via Akiki Trail, Mt. Pulag via Ambaguio-Tawangan Traverse and Mt. Timbak.