DESTINATION: Mt. Gulugod Baboy a.k.a. G-Bab 525 MASL
JUMP-OFF POINT: Philpan Dive Resort, Anilao, Mabini
SPECS: Minor climb, Difficulty 2/9, Trail class 1-2
CLIMB DATES: May 15-16, 2010
Ever since Anawangin, I appreciated nature more. The thought of combining climbing and swimming consummated multiple nature tripping in a weekend.
The G-Bab Ascent. It is a gentle mountain to climb. Seasoned climbers will even find it too boring to conquer. The ultimate challenge in the whole G-Bab experience is the fact that it involves 100% assault. The whole trek was almost too friendly except for the scorching sun that burnt our skin and left us groping for water and air every 20 minutes. I was close to having an asthma attack 10 minutes away from jump off point. Isn't that embarrassing? And we were still at the concrete road that time. At 4pm, I never thought the sun could still be that intense.
We were still at the trail when the sun decided to set in the west. The scene was breath-taking. Palms... The ocean looked like it was having the sun for its supper. We didn't want to stop taking pictures of it. The sun was maybe trying to make up for the hardships he caused us, he slowly bade goodbye, giving us ample time to appreciate sunset.
Houses, farm animals, and friendly locals were everywhere. It made me feel like I was in my hometown, Naga, just going around the neighborhood dressed as a mountaineer. The nearest house to where we pitched our tents was merely about 30 meters away. White cows were mooing from a not-so-far distance...
After the sun set, the breeze became cool. Although the zephyr felt like it could blow our tent down, it was weaker compared to the zephyr in Pico de Loro. Nothing beats my first love yet.
Dinner was ready a few hours after our tents had been put up. "Herbs" were the main ingredients in almost all our main dishes, including our rice. But to climbers who were both hungry and tired, a few dried shrubs made the food only more appetizing.
Socials aka bonfire over liquor drinking. I prepared the concoction I learned from our trek leader in the Pico climb. It was a solution of Ginebra mixed with 2 sachets of Tang Mango powder and a sachet of Extra Joss. Lights out when the last drop hit our tongue.
The following day, Vae and I woke up as early as 5am to appreciate sunrise. The sun was playing a tease, making us wait for long. It was worth the wait, though.
Breakfast was next. Break camp came after. Then, the descent started. It was 100% downhill and it took us less than an hour and we were already at the Philpan Diving Resort.
Our next trip: Anilao Sea-dipping. We paid Php60 per pax for the entrance and Php300 for the cottage. While the boys were busy preparing lunch, the girls enjoyed the clear water. The seabed was tiled with stones and pebbles, it hurt my feet. There was a balsa a few meters from the shore. I took a rough course on proper diving into the water. The water was extra salty--it made me feel more confident that I would stay afloat no matter what.
When we'd had enough of seawater, we climbed back to the municipal road only to stop in a snack bar to grab something to eat. Then, we headed back to the city. It is safe to say that I had another leisure climb.
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