Recon Climb at Mt. Banahaw's Tinagong-Dagat Saddle

Mount Banahaw
Having missed UP Mountaineers' (UPM) level 1 climb to Mt. Balagbag, I zeroed-in on Tope's invite for a reconnaiassance cliimb of Mt. Banahaw's Tinagong-Dagat saddle for UPM's level 2 climb. I've heard intriguing things about Mt. Banahaw - that it's the good mountain (compared to its neighbor, Mt. Cristobal), that it's lush with undergrowth, that it's haven for blood sucking limatiks, that it's a long tough climb, etc. Climbing Mt. Banahaw, as of this writing, is on a permit basis only.

In Through the Backdoor
The 2 common jump-offs to Mt. Banahaw are through Dolores and Liliw, Laguna. However, with Tope hailing from Majayjay, Laguna (just off the foot of Mt. Banahaw), we took this not-so-known backdoor access aided by 2 guides. To be more specific, our jump off was near Taytay's waterfalls.

Limatik Country
The initial climb took us to sloping farmlands with vine crops latching its way through trellis. With the grounds being wet, we were fair game to the limatiks in waiting. They were in such horde we could literally see them carpeting the trails. It was a prelude to bloody things to come. We made frequent stops pulling out the limatiks that made its way through our socks, shoes and pants, but at some point, I gave up and decided to let them have a feast. It was awfully tiring to pull them out, brush them away, as new ones would quickly replace them anyway.

Mossy Forest
After the open trail, we came upon the mossy forest. The trail system was largely through thick brush and vegetation. At some point, we had to blaze our way through by hacking with our machetes. Some climbs were steep with little to hold on to. Others, we had to go on all fours, or crawl under to make it under fallen trees or sometimes, over them.

Are We There Yet?
The plan was to reach the saddle in 4 hours and head back before we run out of sunlight. At 12 noon, after 4 hours of climbing with hardly any rest, the guides told us it will take another 2 to 3 hours to reach the saddle at the pace we were doing (read: no rest!). HUUUWAT? To continue further would mean we'll have to set up camp as we won't be able to make it back in time. This was just a recon climb and we didn't bring any provision except for water and food (no tent, no stove, no cookset, etc.). The only option was to abort the climb and head back.

Verdict
There was no easy part on that climb. The open trails were swarmed by limatics and the mossy forest was either too brushy, too steep, too slippery or plain technical. Having no rest on the aborted 4-hour ascent and the 2-hour descent even made it more challenging. To top it all, there was no reliable water source. I had major knee issues by the time we arrived back at the jump-off. Verdict for a possible level 2 climb? NIL!

--- TheLoneRider

Tips for a Mt. Banahaw climb:

• bring trekking poles, 2 if you can - trust me on this...your knees will thank you
• apply OFF lotion - according to the guides, OFF works against the limatiks
• wear leggings - again, it's another measure for limatik protection
• wear hiking boots with aggressive soles - the steep section is slippery, specially on the descent
• keep your backpack lean and compact - you'll have an easier time going under fallen logs

Climb Comments:

Fredd
(Jan 12, 2010) ...nabasa ko article mo sa website mo, galing nyo! i-re-explo natin ang Mt.Oriod!

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