Two weeks after not being able to summit the minor mountain of Mt. Marami. I said yes to another tiring, yet memorable climb. My first major hike. Mt. Irid.
Even though I don't want to climb Mt. Irid that time dahil nga traumatized pa ako sa Mt. Marami, I still said yes because the event would be a donation drive hike. Since it was scheduled on November 29, 2020, two weeks after being hit by Typhoon Ulysses.
Mt. Irid, this mountain is notorious for the blood-sucking leeches and on top of that kilala din ang Mt. Irid na madamot sa pagbibigay ng clearing, kaya ayaw ko talaga siyang puntahan. Sana.
On the way to Barangay Sta. Ines, the weather was perfectly fine. Walang ulan, walang trace na uulan, but then as we are about to cross the first river, the weather suddenly changed, there was already a light rain, nagsimula na akong kabahan para sa event na yun, but then wala ng atrasan.
When we finally arrived at Sta. Ines it was already raining. We started our hike at 3:00 am, maputik, na naman, but luckily I was wearing a hiking shoes kahit alam kong may river crossing, I don't want to take any chances anymore, hindi bale nang mabasa yung sapatos ko, mababasa din naman yun ng ulan.
The first river crossing went well even though the current was strong since it was raining that time. Originally we were supposed to cross eleven river but due to the damage that Typhoon Ulysses have brought to this trail it was reduced to nine.
We were crossing the second river nung maramdaman kong gumaan kaliwang paa ko, hindi maganda yung pakiramdam ko kaya dahan-dahan akong lumakad paahon sa ilog. We were still in the second river but my shoes already gave up. We weren't even halfway to the summit pero damage na yung sapatos ko. I wasn't really sure kung makakasummit ako nung mga oras na yun, pero sige lang.
Velcro. Paracord bracelet. A piece of cloth. Yun yung itinali ko pansamantala sa sapatos ko para lang makapagpatuloy ako. Nakailang river crossing din kami at kahit papaano kumapit naman yung mga itinali ko sa sapatos ko, pero dahil sa putik, natanggal din bandang huli. Thankfully Kuya Angelo (one of our guide) lend me his handkerchief at yun yung itinali ko sa sapatos ko kaya nakapagpatuloy pa din ako. (Hindi ko na naibalik pagbaba kasi hindi na siya mukhang panyo.)
 |
| Sinukuan mo agad ako, nagsisimula pa lang tayo. |
Last river before going to Sitio Kinabuan, nagbabadya na namang matanggal yung panyo sa pagkakatali sa sapatos ko, that's when I asked Kuya Poy (our lead guide) to tie it for me dahil for sure mas alam niya kung paanong pagtatali yung gagawin para hindi agad kumalas, thankfully it last hanggang sa nakarating kami sa Sitio Sadlak. I survived the four long hours of hike with a broken shoes. Thank God, but still it was just the first half of the climb. We have to walk another four hours to reach Mt. Irid's summit. This, so far, was the most accurate description I have ever encounter. When the guide said it would take us four hours to reach Sitio Sadlak, yun talaga yung nangyari.
From Sitio Sadlak, Mt. Irid's summit was not visible because of the non-stop rain and the clouds are covering it. We were told that some of the group who stayed in Sitio Sadlak for overnight decided not the pursue their hike up to the summit\dahil malabong magkaroon ng clearing sa taas sa lagay ng panahon nung mga oras na yun. But since we're in a day hike event, we continued after a 45 minutes rest.
 |
| Brunch at Sitio Sadlak, before the real battle begins. |
Hindi masyadong maalala yung mga kaganapan paakyat sa summit dahil ang tanging iniisip ko na lang ay makarating kami dun para makababa na din. Striving to reach the summit para makababa na agad.
Photo ops.
White background lang pala kailangan ko, hindi ko alam kung bakit dumayo pa ako ng Mt. Irid para doon. Wala talagang makita sa summit, ni anino ng Tukduang Banoi sa harap hindi sumilip. It was all white in the summit, the wind is blowing on our wet clothes. Akala ko magkakahypothermia ako sa taas. Matapos yung photo ops wih the white background nagdecide na din kaming bumaba.
 |
| Pasado na para sa passport white background photo |
Backtrail.
Pros. Familiar ka na sa daan. Cons. You'll suffer the same trail that bought you a great deal of struggle nung paakyat ka.
Kanya-kanyang lakad na pababa ng summit. Nahiwalay na kami sa lead guide at napunta sa sweep dahil naunang bumaba yung iba sa mga kagrupo namin. Pagod. Gutom. Giniginaw. Naghahalo na yung mga nararamdaman namin nung mga oras na yun. Nakakapanghina kasi backtrail unli assault mula Sitio Sadlak hanggang sa summit, at yun yung kailangan babain.
Kung paanong hindi ko na matandaan yung mga pangyayari nung paakyat, ganun din nung pababa. Basta nagkahiwa-hiwalay kami pabalik ng Sitio Sadlak.
Nagsimula ko ng maramdaman yung tuhod ko. Masakit na. All I want during that time was to reach Sitio Sadlak. Patag.
Dinadaan na lang namin sa kwentuhan ng guide yung hirap nung daan. I was really thankful to Sta. Ines guide, hindi ka talaga pababayaan. Buti pa yung mga guide hindi nang-iiwan. Charot.
3:00 pm when we started to descent from Sitio Sadlak to Sitio Kinabuan. Nasa likod ako ni Kuya Poy tinropa pa ko na talaga siya para mahirapan man ako sa daan kahit papaano may makakapitan ako plus moral support. We've been on the trail for 12 hours, pagod na katawang lupa ko nung mga oras na yun. Nagtutulakan na yung mga binti ko pababa, the struggle is real na talaga dahil walang tigil yung ulan.
Nakikipaghabulan kami hindi lang sa oras, kundi sa liwanag, halos lowbat na lahat ng flashlight namin, mahirap maabutan ng dilim sa trail lalo na't umuulan. Pangalawa, yung ilog sa baba dahil tumataas na yung tubig dahil sa walang tigil na pag-ulan.
I was updated sa mga nangyayari dahil naririnig ko sa radyo ni Kuya Poy yung mga palitan nila ng usapan nung mga taong nasa baba. Umakyat na yung ibang guide ng Sta. Ines dahil nga ilang grupo kaming nasa taas pa. Mahihirapan na daw magtawid ng tao sa ilog dahil masyado ng mataas at malakas yung current ng tubig.
Madilim na nung makarating kami sa unang ilog, at dahil ako yung nasa likod nung lead guide, ako yung naunang itawid. Other guides were already waiting for us dahil nga hindi na kaya ng isang tao lang yung magtatawid dun sa ibang ilog.
Na-orient naman ako ng maayos nung guide pero nauna yung nerbyos ko kaya while we were crossing the first river pareho kaming tinatangay ng current nung guide. During that time all I can think was saan kaya kami pupulutin nito? akala ko katapusan ko na when someone took a grab of my bag from the back. Hindi ko na nagawang tumayo sa ilog tatlong tao yung humila sa akin papunta dun sa kabilang side nung ilog. My mom during that time was crying already kasi nga ninerbyos din sa nangyayari.
Makakalabas pa ba kami ng buhay? Makakauwi pa kaya kami sa amin? All those question was lingering through my mind habang pinagmamasdan ko kung paanong tulong-tulong na itinatawid nung mga guide yung mga kasama ko isa-isa. Madami din sa amin yung nakaranas nung naranasan ko. Kaya I was really thankful and kudos to their guides dahil they were able to crossed us safely to those rivers.
We didn't used the 8th and 9th river from Kinabuan to Sta. Ines because as what the guide said malilintikan na talaga tayo pag doon tayo dumaan. It was past 6 already but we're still walking in an endless trail, thankfully no more river crossing ahead.
I can't feel my legs anymore dahil sa pagod. I keep on asking the guide kung malapit na ba dahil ayaw na talagang humakbang ng mga binti ko. On our way, the guides told us that they don't think we can get out of their barangay that night dahil mataas na yung ilog at malakas yung current nung tubig na hindi kakayaning dumaan ng monster jeep. We were told that makakalabas lang kami that night kung sakaling hihina yung ulan at bababa kahit kaunti yung tubig sa ilog. I choose not to believe what the guide said, kailangan makauwi kami ngayong gabi. All I want that time was to rest. Gusto ko ng makauwi.
When we finally reached the Sta. Ines nabuhayan ako, pero 10 minutes had pass already pero hindi pa din kami nakakarating sa jump-off. Kulang na lang ay magpagulong ako dahil I was really tired. Upon seeing Sta. Ines Multi Purpose Hall all I can say was "Thank you Lord, nakalabas din kami." during that time akala ko makakauwi na kami dahil nga day hike lang yung event namin, but that wasn't the case.
 |
| Taken the next day |
Mataas na yung ilog, malakas na yung current, patuloy pa din ang pagbagsak ng malakas na ulan. Walang signal sa Sta. Ines, walang kuryente dahil nga kagagaling lang nila sa bagyo.
We were stranded.
Together with different groups of hiker, we stayed at Sta. Ines's Day Care Center. Kanya-kanyang hanap ng pwesto para lang makapag-pahinga, kanya-kanyang latag ng karton para magsilbing banig, kanya-kanyang hanap ng paraan para maibsan yung lamig nung gabing yun. Wala kaming ibang dala kung hindi damit na pamalit dahil who would've thought that a dayhike even would turns out be a die hike and emergency overnight one. Regardless of how awful our situation during that night, I was able to sleep, dahil na din siguro sa pagod.
The next day, we were told to pack our things up so we could leave as early as possible. Wala ng ulan. Payapa na yung kalangitan. After waiting for several minutes, nakumpleto kami sa jeep and we bid our goodbyes to our guides.
Monster jeep started rolling, maliwanag na kaya kita yung daan. Kita na yung pinsalang idinulot nung nagdaang bagyong Ulysses. Madaming puno ang nakatumba, mga nagkalat na kahoy. We were on our way to the first river crossing nung may madaanan kaming isang monster jeep na nakahinto nabalahaw sabi nung kasama nung driver ng monster jeep. Nauna na yung jeep na sinasakyan namin na lumusong sa ilog, the first seconds seems normal but the next thing we saw was the water from the river's getting inside the monster jeep. Nabalahaw.
Luckily, hindi malakas yung current nung tubig nung mga oras na yun dahil walang ulan. We safe keep our mobiles phone and everything na pupwedeng mabasa doon sa styro box na nasa loob ng jeep so when worse come to worst safety na yung mga gamit namin.
A few minutes had past and the water inside the jeep was ankle deep already. Ilang jeep yung dumaan at sumubok an humila sa amin, halos 30 minutes kaming nasa gitna habang pinagtutulungan na ma-i-alis kami doon sa pagkakabalahaw.
As we were able to get out of the first river, we had a glimpse of a rainbow from a further distance. All I can think during that time was sinasabi ng bundok na dapat namin siyang balikan, it seems like it was giving us a hint that the next time we visit their place mawiwitness na namin kung gaano kaganda yung lugar nila.
 |
| Rainbow |
It was as if saying that after every struggle there is always a sweet success. We may not be able to see the beautiful view from the top of the mountain, at least we were able to surpass the different hurdles that we've encounter on our way to and from it. That experience itself was one of the most fulfilling thing I've ever experience so far sa pamumundok ko.
Mula sa trail hanggang sa nakababa, hanggang sa palabas na lang ng barangay puro adventure yung naranasan namin. From the broken shoes, to a white background summit, to the nonstop pouring of rain that lasted for almost twenty hours, to the raging river crossing, endless night trekking with only a single flashlight that guides us, to being stranded at an unfamiliar place for a night, and being stuck in the middle of a river. That was a hell of an experience.
