Mt. Daguldol | Laiya Beach

daniellecuaresma
Apr 26, 2015
4 min read

Mountaineering has taught me a lot of things in life. One of those is how to set my priorities correctly. Strangely, I realized this when I was packing my bag for our Daguldol trip. I laid down all the things which at first, I thought were important. Then I thought that I can't carry such load so I had to let go of the 'less iimportant' things and just settle with the basics. So I was basically left with a towel, my mess kit (eating utensils), some clothes, sleeping bag (which I didn't use), my two bottles of 500mL water, and of course my camera. :)

This climb was organized by Summit Surfin' with Javi, one of my most favorite group. Lol. We assembled in South Station Alabang at around 4am then rode the bus going to Lipa, Batangas. We arrived in Lipa at around 7am then rode a jeepney going to Laiya. We arrived in Hugom beach, Laiya at around 9am.

We had our breakfast at some eatery near the beach then we headed to some local's (friend of a friend, I think?) nipa hut where we left our big bags because we're only gonna do dayhike. I only brought my 2 bottles of water, my face towel, my phone, and my camera. :)

From the beach we had to cross roads that are being paved. It was hot, not the usual 'warm weather' here in the Philippines but it was hotter than I thought it would be.

After "who knows how long we walked until we reached the actual jump-off" (lol), we finally reached the actual start of the trail. Of course like every mountain I've been to, the start of the trail was all smooth and steady. The trail was a bit rocky but all nice nonetheless. There were a few assaults, quite challenging but still doable. :)

There were also some nipa huts along the trail where you can rest and buy some Halo-halo to freshen yourself up.

"Masarap!" - Johan Linden. Hahaha

We had our lunch at a nipa hut where the locals also sell some food and rice meals plus a very very refreshing buko juice served in the coconut shell! :D

We resumed trekking after having our lunch and we actually had quite a lot of breaks throughout the trail. It was a bit challenging especially in the steep parts of the trail but we still managed to make it after almost 5 hours of trekking.

The summit was really nice, grassy, and really perfect for campers. It also has some really nice views of the Laiya shoreline and some parts of Batangas.

Some group photos at the summit :D

Some of my landscape stuff at the summit. Haha

After having some rest and our photos taken, we started to trek down the trail and headed for the beach. We arrived at the beach at around 5pm, took a short rest and prepared our dinner. While some of us were cooking the food, some of us started to pitch the tents. The beach was quite crowded because it's summer but we still managed to enjoy the night with booze and some other stuff. Hehe. It was a fun night as we got to talk to each other about random things. From what do we do in life, what our Swedish friends think about the Philippines, to Greek, Roman, and Norse Mythology, to Religion and whatsoever's.

Some of us got up earlier to see the sunrise while I woke up at around 10, a bit wasted. Haha.

(C) Fatimah Botawan, my favorite tent buddy. Haha.

The campsite

The beach and the crowd :))

We spent half of the day beach-bumming and then left the place at around 2pm. We had our merienda along the way at Kuya Peter's Lomihan (still in Batangas). The Lomi they serve there could be the best Lomi I've had so far in my life! It's not the typical Lomi you see in Manila and anywhere else. :D

We left the place and headed to SM Lipa where we part ways as we rode different bus routes going to Manila and Alabang. I arrived in Manila at roughly 8pm.

A few reminders before I end this. First, of course, practice the Leave No Trace principle at all times especially when you're out in the woods or when you're basically just outdoors. Let this principle reach Manila and let it touch everyone here. Lol. Second, if you're planning to hike during Summer make sure to bring lots of water for rehydration and an umbrella for sun protection. I actually prefer bringing an umbrella instead of using sunblocks as it might cause some skin irritation or worse. Lastly, pack light. Just pack light. Know your priorities when packing your bags. Leave your unnecessary things at home. You're going on a hike not on a stay-cation. ;)

Until then, Mt. Daguldol. Let's all start with a New Horizon. :)