Introduction 

As outdoor enthusiasts, we can't get enough of the great outdoors, and being mountaineers, climbing once or twice or even thrice just don't make the count. The thrill we feel when we see mountains, the hardship we feel when we climb them and the undescribable feeling we have when we reach the summit are rewarding and fulfilling!!! We just can't get enough and  we can't deny the fact that we belong to nature, that's why we keep coming back for more no matter the pain and the hardship, nothing can compare the feeling when we reach our goal. 

The traverse that we were to do in Mount Napulauan will complete the goal of the group to accomplish the 3 Great Cordillera Traverse. Everyone in the team were excited at the same time nervous. The Christmas holiday plus the new year celebration put a lot of weight in us physically. We needed to train and we did. We were not able to train together, but each one of us did our best to prepare for the major climb ahead. 

The Climb 

January 21, 2010 at around 10:45 PM we left Manila via Florida Bus bound for Banaue. We were 19 in the group. 2 members were first time major climbers and 1 member is an American, an English Teacher based in Seoul Korea (our noses bled as we tried our very best to talk to him!) The thought of seeing Banaue again sent waves to my brain and I prayed that I can go to sleep with such excitement. The trip was a pleasant one. Every stop we made was an opportunity for us to go outside the bus and feel the cool air. It was colder outside than inside the bus! 

January 22, 2010 at around 7:30 AM we reached Banaue. We had to walk back to Las Vegas Restaurant as there was a miscommunication between the bus conductor and us. The conductor thought we were going to Las Vegas Hotel so he did not stop at the restaurant when we passed by. Nevertheless the short walk was exhilarating and helped every bit of muscle and bone to wake up in the cold weather. We ate our breakfast and made last minute preparations. Our friendly guides arrived and they informed us that we will stay in Hungduan for the night and we will do the climb the next day. It meant we had a lot of time in our hands for that day! We visited the Banaue Viewpoint and around 10AM we started our trip to Hungduan. We reached the Hungduan Tourist Information Center around 11AM and we registered. Around 11:40 AM we reached Hapao and we were greeted by the beautiful view of the rice terraces. Our guides told us that we have time to do a warm up trek so we trekked along Hapao's Rice Terraces. There were a lot of tourists but we were the only mountaineering group in the vicinity.  We completed our short trek around 1:00 PM and we continued our journey. Around 2:00 PM we reached Hungduan Ifugao proper. Our power-puff smb girls made a courtesy call to the Mayor. The Mayor generously offered us one of the native huts, the hall and the vicinity where we can pitch our tents. From where we were standing, we saw Mount Napulauan. "Can't wait to climb!!!" that's what I said to myself. The night was cold, but the warm hospitality of the people of Hungduan made the night very pleasant for all of us. We very much enjoyed our stay. The concoction of Coffee and Gin that was offered to us by our native Hungduan friends helped in countering the chilling temperature. 

Our camp in Hungduan

January 23, 2010 at around 7:00 AM after saying our prayers, we started our trek to the jump-off point. We reached the jump-off point and the official climb started around 8:00 AM. We were greeted by steep concrete steps! After the concrete steps we managed steep trails with thick vegetation. The angle of ascent was 50 to 70 degrees and we were up to it. Around 10:30 AM we reached the first clearing and we needed to recharge ourselves by eating our trail food. Our guides advised us to conserve water as there were no water sources along the trail. As we continued to climb, the trail got steeper and the notorious limatiks (leeches) said their hellos as they clung to our backpacks, warmers and clothes. We can hear the shrieks of horror made by Miss Dorothy up ahead, a sign that she was being attacked by limatiks hehehe. The climb is not for the weak hearted as the terrain gradually became steeper. We needed to maintain our pace and take a short rest when needed. Thoughts of doing a night trek troubled our minds but we were prepared. At last around 4:00 PM we saw the summit!!! No night trek for us this time!!! We reached the summit around 4:30 PM and we started to make camp. No sunset viewing as the fog engulfed the campsite. Everyone felt the chill and when I checked the temperature in my watch it was 4.7 degrees Celsius!!! Boy we were going to have a very chilling night at the summit!!! Some of our kabarkadas went to get some water from a nearby water source. Dinnertime, Matthew (our english teacher) ate with us. He really wanted to taste adobo and lucky for him it was our viand for dinner (lovingly prepared by my wife). In turn he shared with us his garlic spam which I sautéed in oil. Matthew liked the adobo a lot! We had some socials and we did our best to catch some sleep. For some the evening was a nightmare since the temperature dropped even more. Inside my tent it was 6.5 degrees Celsius and I did not bother go outside to record the temperature because I was so sleepy. I can stand the cold but what made my evening a nightmare was that many of my ka-berks were snoring! The snores were so loud and coupled with the howling wind was so eerie, it was hard to get some sleep. "I will bring earplugs next time and it will be in my priority list!" that was all I can say to myself. 

The start of a very steep trail

January 24, 2010 at around 5:00 AM we waited for the sunrise. It was still cold around 4.7 degrees Celsius but there was a clearing. No fog to disturb the view. Sea-of-clouds were forming from a distance. We had time to prepare breakfast and our packed lunch. We took lots and lots of pictures. Everyone enjoyed the morning in the summit specially when we discovered that some of our tents were covered with frozen dew!!! It was a sight to see and we were ecstatic. Now what was the temperature again????

Around 9:00 AM, after saying our prayers, we started the long descent to Hapao. The trail was very steep. It was a very slippery, difficult and rolling trail. There were a lot of fallen trees and we needed to go under them. It was very difficult for those who had tall backpacks. The trek was very difficult. Not having enough sleep took its toll for some. The trail going to Hapao was very slippery and limatik infested. We were blessed that it did not rain or else it would have been one hell of a trek!!! Our water supply was low and we really did our best to conserve. There was a water source when we were already near Hapao jump-off and we stopped to refuel ourselves with the crystal clear refreshing water. Around 5:30 PM we arrived in Hapao and it was a fun feeling. Matthew was nursing his feet because it was bleeding due to Limatik bite. We had to stop the bleeding but it was difficult. Eventually the bleeding stopped.  

Around 6:00 PM our vehicle arrived and we were excited to go to Batad! The thought of seeing Tappiya falls energized us! Well that’s another story…..

Conclusion 

The key to this successful climb was our prayers! No matter how prepared we were, if the weather turned against us, then it would have been a very very difficult time for us in Mount Napulauan (maybe another Amuyao experience). Thank God for hearing our prayers!

Another factor was that everyone was really eager to complete the traverse. Who would not want to complete the 3 Great Cordillera Traverse? It was our goal and we fulfilled it. 

Praise God for a really great time in Napulauan. Where will our feet take us next time??? We will see

God bless and happy climbing!!!