My Journal in Climbing Mount Kallugong

Mt Kallugong is just my neighbour.  Perhaps it is the most popular mountain in La Trinidad, bordered by (or should I say within the boundaries of) barangays Balili, Tawang, Camp Dangwa and Cruz.  It is not a high mountain.  But it took me three tries before I finally said I reached the apex.  Here’s my journal of those tries.

The First Try

On a Sunday morning, after that uplifting climb to nearby Mt. Yangbaw, I decided to go up the smaller and nearer Mt. Kallugong.  This was a mountain I see every day and heard of the beauty to relish up at its peak but I had never climbed it.  Some more than ten years past, my ex-girlfriend (now my wife) and I tried to ascend to that portion where there is what appears to be a cave when one sees it from the foot of the mountain but was not successful.   Instead, with some imprecise directions we got from friends and some folks at Tabangaoen, the sitio at the foot of Kallugong, we wandered at a sayote garden.  And from then on, that desire to climb that mountain has taken a backseat.

This time, my sisters who recently had an afternoon walk to that rocky mount gave sufficient directions.   I walked up past the Benguet State University (BSU) Men’s Dormitory (after the Tabangaoen new bridge) and turned left following the road above the dormitory.  There are several flight of steps that leads up towards the residences at the mount but my sisters told me to take the one nearest the end of the road.  The steps seemed to lead me directly to doors of big houses but I simply went on until I reached the last house where that one which seemed to be a cave can already be seen.  A rugged foot path is also very visible, and although tall grasses shrouded it, it is obvious that many pass through it regularly.

When I checked my time as I reached that seeming cave, it was some fifteen minutes past the while when I was at the BSU grounds.  There was a group whom I thought was a family having some picnic when I arrived.  That place features a shallow crevice (appearing down the mountain as an opening to a cave) and a flat that provided a good viewpoint of the Strawberry Farm.   I later gathered from conversation with the family that the place is a private property.  They were the owners and are actually there to clear the grass and at the same time those litters that uncaring (not to mention uninvited) guests have left.

At that point, I would say I was already satisfied of my view of the valley.  But I reminded myself that I won’t say I was successful of climbing Mt. Kallugong if I won’t sit on top of that stone formation which looked like a kallugong (hat in the local tongue) at the peak.  I climbed up and it was more amazing up there.

There were rock shapes, designs, and arrangements that are so wonderful.  At that height and with no roads in sight, it is so easy to believe that it is not man or his great inventions of heavy equipment that made such.  It is a Great Unseen, an Almighty One that has put those rocks into such configurations.  There are formations that looked like animals.  I saw one that looked like the remains of a dinosaur; another seemed the head of a pig; and another looks like the beak of a bird.  There are formations too that looked like man’s great innovations.  One looked like a helicopter; and another assembly formed a void which at one angle looked like the famous coca-cola shape. 

What struck me most though is the uppermost rocks that seemed to be the heads of human figures.  And among them is a pair  that looked like babies. I sat on an edge thinking, am I in the Heavens, which is the source of life… of babies?  Or the baby figures aborted fetuses that the divine has lifted up for special protection?

The rock formations that looks like animal and human heads and the clear blue sky are too impelling for a photograph.

After some moments of rest and reflection, I wanted to proceed further to other rocks, to discover more beauty, and to the kallugong, and perhaps find answer to my reflection questions, but there was a fence.  I remembered what I was told beforehand by some friends that a promenade to Kallugong requires some entrance fee.  I am still glad though that there is a “free” portion of this mountain of beauty and to me now a mountain of mystery.

 I wanted to find the way around to the entrance but I realized that I had been clambering from one rock formation to the other for almost two hours already.  Thinking of a noontime appointment, I started going down but hoping to climb the mountain again to be at the kallugong.

The Second Try

Thinking of the previous unsuccessful attempt to Mt Kallugong, a statement I heard several times in different contexts came to mind: “It is not because you saw a mountain that you have to climb it.”

I can still remember a village elder, who once gave advise to us youngsters then to literally and figuratively seek other “mountains” not anymore the mountains we see in the village.  He said, “Adigapu ta dakol di tigonyuduntug hi nunlini’idanhitunbobleyahiyaygahinanhan hi umekayaton” (It is not because you see many mountains around the village that it is them that you should climb.)  He explained that there are a lot more opportunities in other occupations than simply tilling the mountain for sweet potato.

On another occasion, a friend who perhaps has not found interest in mountain climbing said in jest to mountaineering friends, “it is not because you saw mountains that you need to climb them.”  Our mountaineering friends explained their purpose such as “to be closer to nature”, “to appreciate beauty”, “for personal health” and many other noble purposes but still this friend insisted on his premise that the existence does not justify climbing them as the purposes can be achieved in some other ways.

I almost agreed to this reasoning.  I almost conceded that it is not because there is kallugong that I have to get there.   But on Monday, I looked up Mt Kallugong and saw how the sunset made the rocks yellow green and how thick fog would conceal the peak then reveal it again.  The scene was amazing and the mystery I was contemplating up there the previous day flashed to my mind.  I felt an urge to climb it again.

At a certain angle, this hollow created by a rock assembly would look like the famous coca-cola shape

 After office hours the next day, I took off my barong for a shirt more comfortable for a climb and scrambled up the same route I took the other day.  It seemed that I was alone climbing up and the sound I could hear were the rustling of a soft wind against the tall grasses and the chirping of birds playing with the bushes and rocks.  It was Mother Nature making melodies.  At a juncture up where the rocks are, I went left, got past a garden and soon found a road and the gate where a big signboard is welcoming me to Mt. Kallugong.  Unfortunately, the gate was closed. I supposed business hours were over.   I was looking for a guard to inquire about the place but there was no one.  My thoughts went back to the adage, “It is not because there is a mountain that you have to climb it.”

I followed the road down.  After fifteen minutes, I realized that I was at the main road in Cruz.  It was already going dark then.  I saw the signboard of a familiar bar and decided to get in for a bottle or two of beer.

The table available was behind the table of some youngsters, probably college students, who were talking about some girls.  One of the boys asked his companion, “Apay  kunam girlfriend mu ni ____, ngem haanku pulus nakita nga nasallabay mu?”  (You said ______ is your girlfriend but I never saw you holding her on her shoulder?)  Their other companion replied, “Ay adi gapu piman ta waday girlfriend yan kasapulan ay akbayan.” (Well, it is not because you have a girlfriend that you need to hold her shoulder.)

I was smiling alone on my seat.  Perhaps that is one practical and wise application of the maxim that  it is not because there are mountains that one has to touch them.

The Third Try

I have told about my adventures to Mt Kallugong to some friends whom I assume were more familiar of the place because they grew in La Trinidad.  One suggested that I take the Mt. Tayawan route.  That would be great, I thought.  I have also read Mt. Tayawan in the official website of La Trinidad as one good viewpoint and going to Kallugong via that mount would be like shooting two birds with one stone.  And so in the afternoon of that weekend, I resolved to reach Kallugong.

I was given direction to simply go Central Tawang, and find the trail that leads to Kallugong.  I rode a passenger jeepney to Tomay and alighted at the Tawang junction.  Reaching Central Tawang by foot , I saw a signboard put up by NSTP students of a certain school pointing to the Mt. Tayawan Viewpoint.  I followed the trail, walked past a cemetery, and up to the summit.  I noticed that there was also a fenced portion with a house on it but there was a visible footpath that runs parallel the fence.  Presumably, the fenced portion is also owned by the same owner of the fenced portion of Kallugong as there is a long zipline from this portion up the hat-shaped rock formation. 

NAME THE FIGURE...  Along the trail from Tayawan  and within the compound of Kallugong are unusual rock shapes that would make one believe that these must home of or are themselves supernatural beings.

I continued walking until I reached a shed, the Tayawan viewpoint.  It is so refreshing as both sides of La Trinidad (two valleys) are visible.  One is where the commercial and heavily populated district along the stretch of Kilometrers 3 to 5, and the other side is a valley filled with greenhouses amid residences too.  Kallugong was amazing as it seemed to be amidst pine trees.  I walked past several rock formations.  At one juncture, I stopped to explore around a big rock that has what seemed to be a the opening of a cave at the middle.  At the side was a deep gutter and around were bushes and vines.  Rustling of dead leaves made the place eerie that I left at once.

Soon I was on Kallugong grounds as declared by a big signboard nailed to a pine tree.  The rock with a hat-formation became more amazing as I got nearer.  I was little bit tired and was wet with sweat but the cool air provided a refreshing feel.  I noticed the picnic ground, some swing and small cabins which made me understood why fees are collected.  It haven’t seen any patron yet though.  In fact I can see no one.  As I drew nearer, a dog came out from under a cabin and started barking towards the direction I was at.  I actually am scared of dogs especially this particular one as it is big and the fangs were long but got some self-assurance when I saw that it was firmly tied.  As I approached the yard, a woman got out from the cabin.  She said the usual “Umalikayo” (the equivalent of “Welcome” here in the Cordillera).  She explained that there is a fee in entering the compound.  I appeared to be surprised even if I knew beforehand that there really was.  She showed me a logbook where in the opening page, it was explained that the fee is for maintenance of the park.

An unobstructed view of the Strawberry Farm and the valley from KM 4 - KM 6 is a reward upon reaching the pick of Kallugong.  This particular afternoon I went there, fog and dark clouds provided the twist.  

She showed immediately the path to the rock with the hat-formation.  She also pointed other places of interest such as the native Cordilleran huts, a trail up to a view point of the other side of La Trinidad amid fully-grown pine trees.  She offered that if I need assistance, I’ll just ask from helpers around.  I asked if there are other guests walking around, and she said there were a lot earlier in the day but perhaps most have left already.

Indeed, I was alone when I got to peak where the kallugong is.  The view of the valley was another amazing experience even if it was the nth time I viewed the Strawberry Farm.  Mt. Yangbaw was also a great view with the repeating scene of fog covering the peak the showing it after a while.

Gate of Heaven?  This was the first thing that came to my mind when I reached this point within Kallugong.

I took time to get around the rock formations and they too are as amazing as that on the other side of the fence where I previously went.  At one point, I thought I have found the “gate of heaven” as at one angle of the camera, it seemed to be a road that leads directly to the sky.  There too are rock formations that resemble animals or their parts.  There was also one that seemed to be a cactus in the dessert.  And at the middle of the rock garden was a rock that has both the human reproductive organs.  At a clearing, there were some men and women probably employees of the eco-park cutting grasses perhaps preparing it for a sweet potato garden.  Circling around the rocks led me back to where the hat-shaped rock is.

Riding a Rhino atop the mountain.

One needs to be careful in walking around.  Aside from possible dangerous reptiles lurking beneath the stones, a misstep on some of the rocks can lead to fatal accidents.  I almost fell down a gap when I miscalculated my step.  Strong shoes are also recommended.  The sole of my shoe fell off after negotiating through those rocks.  It was good that my laces were long that I used to bundle it up so it wouldn’t fall of my foot.

As soon as I got into the yard where the huts are, I realized that I spent almost two hours among the rock.  I walked to the forested area for the view of the other side of La Trinidad but the afternoon fog caused zero visibility.  I was satisfied though having sat a while back, finally, on the kallugong.  That great feeling stayed with me as I negotiated the familiar road back home.

Sitting at the peak of the "hat." On the background is Mount Yangbaw also known as the Little Pulag.

A WALK TO MOUNT YANGBAW

On the eve of the Chinese New Year, I reminded my kids that when they’d wake up the following morning I wouldn’t be beside them.  I would be somewhere scrambling up to the peak of a nearby mountain that has been featured on a local television some few days ago.  That mount is called Mt. Yangbaw.

The view of the mountain from the front of the La Trinidad Municipal Hall one sunset.

My climb wouldn’t have anything to do with the New Year celebration (Yangbaw sounds Chinese) but much of my yearning to discover more of the township of La Trinidad which I considered my second hometown.  I had been looking up the two peaks east side of this valley yet I never had an idea of the beauty to behold at the top except what friends tell about Mt. Kallugong which is the nearer one featuring a stone formation that resembles a baseball cap (which is probably why it is called Kallugong meaning cap/hat in the local dialect).  And then the TV feature that encouraged me to scale up the farther and taller one which I supposed is the Yangbaw.  The long weekend brought about by the Chinese New Year being a holiday was a good opportunity.

“Why won’t you bring us along?” the kids asked.  I brought them along the few times I went up the smaller Kesbeng knoll north side of the valley.  I told them I’ll have to discover the path to the peak first.  The TV feature wasn’t clear about a landmark where the trail to the top would start.  And when I’m sure of the path, that would be the time I’ll bring them along. “I promise,” I told them.

At 5:00 AM I rode a jeep at the town center bound for Tomay and got off the road intersection to barangay Tawang where Yangbaw is.  While walking through the road, I always look up for a possible path that would lead me up the peak.  My first try led me to a chayote garden and so I went back the main road.  An on the second crack, I found a track of cow’s footprints that seemed steering me to the peak.  After some minutes of ascent through tall grasses, I heard the hum of a generator which I recognized to be that of a telco transmitter.  I knew then I was nearing the peak as a transmitter  on top of the mountain was very visible down the valley.  As soon as the peak was in sight,  my shoes and my pants are drenched with the morning mountain dew.  But this was insignificant now as the view was amazing.  The valley was tranquil with some thin mist covering the green gardens at the middle collectively known as the Strawberry Farm and the sprawling compound of Benguet State University.  It was bound by houses and buildings all around and then lined by hills and mounts, green and yellowish with either trees or grasses and a pinkish horizon at the background.  On the far south, Mount Sto Tomas with parts of Baguio City at its foot is in sight.  The blue and greyish sky at the backdrop and some sporadic fog over the city made a beautiful scenery.  On the far north are views of mountain ranges probably still part of Benguet province.  The peak of Yangbaw, which is actually a combination of rolling hills and flat terrains, is itself a marvellous sight to behold especially with the sunrise slithering up a taller mountain farther east.  Foot trails criss-crossing at the terrains were obvious and from these, I figured out the more convenient path to this peak than the one I ascended through.

I went around the trails going through every possible corner I could.   I chose a spot on a flat periphery overlooking the valley and sat there to enjoy the cool air.  At around eight, a group of joggers ascended up the peak.  I suppose, the ascent part is routine to them as after a few minutes of stretching at the top most, they were already jogging down the mount.  But as a first timer to the site, I wanted to make the most time of it.  I stood up and proceeded to the trails eastward.  I realized that it was leading to another mountain.  I decided that the walk to the next would be reserved for another day so I proceeded back to the top most peak.

After some more minutes of enjoying the scenery, my stomach and shirt soaked in sweat suggest that I go down.  When I was near the foot of the mount, now via the more convenient path, I realized that I had been here before once although I did not know then that it was Yangbaw for a tree-planting activity.  And no one told us that there is something more beautiful to behold up the summit.  The footpath is connected to a concrete road leading up linked from the main Tawang road.  Parallel to this road is where I noticed some equipment and men working, perhaps for another road or perhaps a quarry.  Either of these, it came to mind that I should make the promise to my kids the soonest or they will miss much of the naturalness of the spot as the road development or quarry progresses.

The view of the mountain from the Benguet State University grounds.  Photo taken some five years ago.

I asked at some residence nearby for a shortcut to the valley without passing through Tomay. And they generously pointed to a foot path down to Barangay Balili.  Some thirty minutes of unhurried walking, I was at the main highway of La Trinidad valley.  Looking up from where I came from, I asked myself, was that Yangbaw? No signage told it was so.