Mount Pulag Preps

UPDATE: We went up Mount Pulag with BACKPACKERS UNITED. Vagabond Pinas is an incompetent and unprofessional group. We are currently filing a case against them.

I met with the girls, Nina and Ayn, over brunch last Holy Thursday because we have not seen each other since Joyce came for a visit. Tin had to go to Bulacan for the holidays so she was not able to go too. We met at IHOP in U.P. Town Center because we were all craving for pancakes. Sorry, we were all so hungry that I forgot to take pictures! :)

We got to talking about where our next trip would be when Mount Pulag came up. I'm not really the hiking type of person but I have been reading a lot of blogs that documented their experiences in Pulag that I felt that I had to go at least once in my life. Since I am always the unofficial planner of the group, I asked Nina to give me the contact number of Vagabond Pinas, the company who is going to help us with the necessary preparations for the climb. It takes quite a while for them to reply but I have already spoken with their travel consultant, JP, and have also made our down payments.

Here's our suggested itinerary:

Day 0
8:30 PM Jollibee Cubao Farmers MALL Near Mrt Station
9:00 PM ETD Manila to Baguio

Day 1
2:00 AM ETA for Baguio ( Breakfast)
3:30 AM ETD for DENR (Via Monster Jeep)
7:00 AM ETA DENR (Briefing)
8:00 AM ETD for Babadak (ranger stn.)
8:30am - Start Trek
11:30namETA Camp 2 Grass Land/Pitch Tents/Photo Opps
5:30pm Dinner and Socials
8:00 PM Lights Out

Day 2
3:00 AM Wake up call (time for summit)
3:30 AM Trek for summit
5:30 AM ETA Summit Sunrise Viewing
6:30 AM Return to campsite
7:30 AM ETA Campsite EAT Breakfast
8:30 AM Break Camp
9:30 AM Start Trek (to ranger stn.)
12:00 NN ETA Ranger Station Lunch/Wash up Area
1:30 PM ETD Ranger to DENR
2:00 PM ETA Denr/
2:30 PM ETD Denr to Baguio
5:00 PM ETA Baguio
5:15 pm ETA Baguio – Manila (Dinner along the way)
10:00pm ETA manila

Of all the itineraries from other companies I've read, this is the one I like the most because we'll be using a private car going to Baguio and we'll be at the camp before lunch.

Reg and Drei will be joining us also. I think Ivan might be too but we're still waiting for his confirmation. :)

Here are some of the things Reg and I have initially prepared:

Mountain Trails Sleeping Bags

The first thing we ever bought for this trip is a pair of sleeping bags. The camping tents are already included in our package but JP told me that we still needed sleeping bags because it gets really cold at night. We got these at 30% off from Handyman in ZSquare. Each came out around Php700+. That branch always has discounts so we thought of checking there first before buying from other stores. Excuse the folded bag, I did not want to open it then roll it back into that position again. It takes a bit of muscle to fit everything inside the sleeping bag compartment of the backpack without compression bags. :)

CoTima 72L Hiking Backpacks

Reg and I were in Subic last Sunday with his family and saw these backpacks in Royal Subic at 50% off! We bought a green one for him and a pink one for me.

GE LED Camping Lamp

We also bought this from Puregold Duty Free in Clark. We need it at night because there will not be any electricity there.

Krispershock Trekking Poles

Reg's brother and fiancee went to Pulag last year so we asked them what are the other necessities we needed for the hike and they said we need trekking poles. The ones in Trinoma are selling at Php1750 each but I found some online that are way cheaper. I got these for just Php250, wholesale price because we bought 5 pcs.!

TravelJohn Jr. Disposable Urinal

Public bathrooms are always a big problem for me. This is one of the reasons why I am not an outdoor person. Since there are only makeshift toilets in Mount Pulag, I did some research and found this great new product called TravelJohn Disposable Urinals! Good thing my Atsi and Camille were still in Singapore earlier this week so I asked them to buy some for me.

Firmoo RX Sunglasses

I've worn glasses since I was in Grade 3. My current eye grade is above 500 already! I cannot wear contact lenses too early in the morning and I did not want to wear glasses outdoors because I have high astigmatism. The sunlight might make me dizzy. Good thing I found this website that makes graded sunglasses at really affordable prices. I think I spent less than Php3000 for a nice pair of RX sunglasses. A great deal considering it costs around Php11,000++ for a pair of graded frames locally. I got a pair for Reg too!

That's it for the stuff! The only things left to buy are trekking shoes and zip-off waterproof jogging pants. :)

Oh and another thing, our bodies are so not in shape for an 8KM climb currently so we have started our training as early as now. I'm not one to go to gyms but I think the best way for me to do this is to go to the treadmill, incline it to 15 (the max) and just keep walking. I did it for an hour last night and it was bearable, although the gym had air-conditioning and I was watching some TV series so time went by fast.

Anyway, that's it for now! I will post more stuff as our trip gets nearer! :)