Mt. Maculot - Rockies

daniellecuaresma
Mar 29, 2015
5 min read

"Where do broken hearts go nga ba, Tita Whitney?". A line that has been made famous by a movie called 'That Thing Called Tadhana'. A lot of people seems to be quoting some lines from this movie. It is a good film, quite predictable but still kinda worth my time. Anyway, this isn't a movie review. I just wanted to start my post with that line because my trail buddies, Vren and Sha mentioned it while we were on the trail.

It's been quite a while since my last climb which was last February 1 and it made me so excited for this Maculot climb. We assembled in La Salle - Taft at around 5:30am, had our breakfast while waiting for the others, and left the place at around 6:00am. We rented a van which made the trip quite shorter than I expected, even with the traffic along Bicutan area.

The climb was organized by Summit Surfin with Javi which was requested by a group of alumni of La Salle - Taft. We arrived in the jump-off at around 9:30am, did some stretching and took a rest, then we start trekking at around 10:00am. It was a 'chill climb' because we had unlimited breaks and there were Buko Juice Stops/Stores like every 10 minutes which was actually a good beverage for climbers as it promotes healthy living. lol. Anyway, the trail is really nice, clean, and is really good for first-time climbers. There were some slippery parts because of loose soil but there were rocks and tree roots/vines that gave us something to grab on. And of course, we have one another to help each other out. Aw, how sweet was that? :)

After 2-3 hours of trekking, slipping/sliding, almost-rolling, and a few more Buko Juice Stops, we finally arrived at the Campsite. The Amazing Javier (lol) left us there to have lunch while he went down the trail again; I think it took him only an hour or less until he reached the campsite, again. There is a sari-sari store in the campsite and they also sell some souvenirs like necklaces and keychains made from snake bones and civet skull.

We resumed trekking at around 2:00pm and headed to the Rockies. The trail going there is quite challenging because it is really steep and slippery. Good thing the management placed a rope along the slippery trail. The trail also reminded me of Pico de Loro's trail going to the Monolith.

There were so many people in the Rockies when we arrived so we had to wait for our turn to avoid traffic in the trail.

After a long couple of minutes, we finally went down the trail and headed up for the Rockies. It was fun because we did some really nice rock-climbing. It took us less than 10 minutes to reach the Rockies. The view up there was really amazing and splendid. We get to see a really awesome view of Taal Lake and some major parts of Batangas. It made me forget all my worries in the city. Sometimes, I feel more at home in the mountains than in my own home.

We took a lot of awesome photos in the Rockies while enjoying the view of course and to capture the moment. Carpe Diem.

These are my new found friends, Vren and Sha, and of course Javi. :)

We didn't go to the actual summit because it will take us another hour (or two) to reach it and it's quite already late. But from the Rockies, we saw the majestic view of Mt. Maculot Summit.

After the photo op, we went down the Rockies and headed back to the campsite to rest and had snacks before we start to descend.

As usual, going down is a lot easier and faster than going up. It took us at least just an hour to get to the jump-off. I really like that the place has 12 comfort rooms where we took a bath and washed ourselves up. There is also a sari-sari store where we bought some soda to freshen up. They also cook food and rice meals if requested. How convenient is that? :))

We left the place at around 6:00pm and had our dinner at some gasoline station along the way. I arrived home at roughly 10:30pm. Quite early, really.

I was really thankful for a very nice and warm weather that day. It made me think that I'd rather go mountain-climbing on a warm and sunny day than a cold and rainy day. Imagine the trail will be muddy and much slippery if it rained that day, and there was no clearing at the top. So yeah, thank you Universe and Mother Earth for a really great weather. I will help in taking care and preserving you in return. <3

Small note before I end this. Someone left his/her bottle of gatorade in the Rockies. Please be reminded that we should not leave a trace anywhere we go, especially in the mountains (and the seas, of course). It is destroying the beauty of the place. Let others enjoy the clean view the same way you did. Practice the "Leave No Trace" attitude. Okay? :)

Anyway, I really enjoyed the trip because I met new friends and trail buddies. I hope to see them again in the future and in the mountains as well. I also wish that they were inspired by nature to do more mountain-climbing and explore the outdoors more. To be honest, I was really surprised and amazed by how willing you all are to go on an adventure like this. Very down to earth people. Keep it up. :)

Thank you Javi for inviting me to this climb. I owe you big time. Haha.

So going back to the question "Where do go broken hearts go?" I can say that going on a mountain-climbing adventure is one really good way to cope up with life. It will make you forget your worries. It will make you stronger, not just physically but mentally as well. Mountain-climbing is not just about the physical state of our bodies, but also about our mental state. It will help us condition our minds for much more difficult challenges that will come our way. It will teach us how to handle stress properly. After all, It's all in the mind. If you think that you can do it, make it so. Thinking is the first step in creating. So do not, for everyone's sake, think of negativity. Put your worries aside and start hiking. It's painful yes, but it's the kind of pain that will give you a relief. :)

Excelsior!