Mt. Batulao, Batangas

After climbing Mt. Fuji in Japan in 2004, my second climb followed five years later in Mt. Batulao in Nasugbu, Batangas. All thanks to the group I met in Sagada in December 2008. I also extended the invite to my highschool friends, Jean and Yna. We were nine in the group.

Mt. Batulao's level of difficulty is 4 out of 9, with a trail class of 3 and 60-70 degrees assault. With this in mind, I religiously prepped for the climb as this was technically my first trek in the country. I was advised by the group to do cardio exercises to help strengthen stamina and endurance and so I did. Might as well come prepared than sorry.

From Manila, we took a 2-3 hours bus ride bound for Nasugbu-Lemery in Batangas. Once we alighted at Evercrest Golf Course, we rode a tricycle going to the jump-off. I was basically introduced to mountaineering 101---registration, briefing, local guides, take fives. And oh, random calls of Q-Q-Q!

We took the old 2-hour trail up to Camp 6 where we set-up our tents. Aside from local guides, there were also trail dogs leading hikers to the campsite. After securing our things in the tent, we then hiked to the summit which is not more than an hour away. The mountain's name, by the way, is derived from "Bato sa Ilao" in Tagalog which is a phenomenon that happens in the last week of December. This year-ender view features the sun setting right between Batulao's two peaks. Such a sight to behold but seeing Batulao's twin peaks is enough charm in itself. What I also vividly remember about my second climb was our attempt at bouldering. It was a first for me! I scraped my knees and hands going up and down a big boulder situated near Batulao's summit. We descended just a bit post-sunset. After dinner, I had a taste of my first ever 'socials,' a kind of bonding session done by mountaineers at nighttime.

After breakfast the following day, we packed up and started our 1-2 hours descent. Climbing Mt. Batulao started my love affair with mountains. It has also been our training climb before taking on Mt. Pulag, the country's third highest peak, in 2010.

Batulao 1

Batulao 10

Batulao 11

Batulao 12

Batulao 13

Batulao 14

Batulao 15

Batulao 2

Batulao 3

Batulao 4

Batulao 5

Batulao 6

Batulao 7

Batulao 8

Batulao 9

Batulao New Trail 1

Batulao New Trail 2

Batulao New Trail

Batulao Sunset

Batulao Training Climb for Pulag 1

Batulao Training Climb for Pulag 2

Batulao Training Climb for Pulag 3

Batulao Training Climb for Pulag 4

Batulao Training Climb for Pulag

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About Mona

Certified as a PADI rescue diver. Got my first compact camera in 2011. I was simply content then to just capture a glimpse of what I see during my dives. It was only last February 2014 that I fully maximized the use of manual macro settings.

My camera skills and knowledge are still a work in progress. Enjoy browsin’!

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Mt. Batulao, Batangas

Batulao 1

Batulao 10

Batulao 11

Batulao 12

Batulao 13

Batulao 14

Batulao 15

Batulao 2

Batulao 3

Batulao 4

Batulao 5

Batulao 6

Batulao 7

Batulao 8

Batulao 9

Batulao New Trail 1

Batulao New Trail 2

Batulao New Trail

Batulao Sunset

Batulao Training Climb for Pulag 1

Batulao Training Climb for Pulag 2

Batulao Training Climb for Pulag 3

Batulao Training Climb for Pulag 4

Batulao Training Climb for Pulag

What do you think about my work?

MY UNDERWATER GALLERY

More Fun in the Philippines

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