#mountmaculot

After a long hiatus, I am back!

First post of the year will be our recent hike at Mt. Maculot located in Cuenca, Batangas. 

Me and my boyfriend Jesse went together with BackLa (https://www.facebook.com/backpackersoflaguna/) for only P850.00! Visit their Fb page for complete details.

My first hike in Mt. Maculot was in 2008 when I was still in college, and that just revealed my age, I think! hahaha

Before anything else, you need to have your names registered at the Barangay for safety purposes. We were a group of 12 people and were accompanied with 2 guides.

Anyhow, we did the reverse-traverse trail, we started going up the grotto, the Summit and of course, the Rockies!

Pausing for a photo halfway thru the Grotto

Lucky enough, we were able to watch the sunrise.

The group at the Grotto.

At the Summit

Going up the Rockies

Trekking up this mountain is generally safe. It is a day hike and can be enjoyed by everyone, but prepare yourself with the challenge of continuous uphill. Bring gloves cause there’s a portion where you need to push yourself up with a rope.

 I like wearing sandals but if you don’t want to get all dirty with mud, better wear a shoes. There are small sari-sari stores along the trail, so there’s no need to bring a lot of food but expect it to be a little expensive than usual, like a cup of buko juice ranging from 25php to 40php, ice candy for 20php, a bottle of softdrinks for 35php and so on. There are also people that can cook you pancit canton but I was not able to ask the price. Please bring a sunscreen/sunblock if you dont want to have sunburns.

At the campsite, there’s a comfort room to where you can take a bath and they are charging it for 20php per bucket of water. 

Must haves:

Headlamp/flashlight

Gloves

1-2L drinking water

sunscreen/sunblock

trail food

cap, arm sleeves and/or bandana/buff

Malong - i use this as a cover up whenever I have to pee

toiletries

first aid kit - never ever forget to have this everytime!

extra set of clothes (stored in a ziplock)

small black bag - for litter/trash, leave every trail as clean as possible

extra ziplock for gadgets/money coz you never know if its gonna rain or shine

Mt. Maculot Cuenca, Batangas Major Jumpoff: Mountaineer’s Store, Brgy. 7 “Siete”, Cuenca Exit point (traverse): Brgy 5 (to Grotto), Cuenca LLA: 13°55 N; 121°2 E; 706 MASL (Rockies) / 930 MASL (summit) Days required / Hours to Rockies / summit : 1 day / 1-2 hr / 2-4 hr Specs: Minor, Difficulty 3/9 (Rockies); 4/9 (Traverse) Trail class 1-3. Features: Scenic views of Taal Lake, rock formations, forests