A Tale of Two Mountains: Twin Dayhike (Mt. Talamitam-Mt. Batulao)

Double or twin dayhike is a term that refers on the itinerary of mountaineers planning two mountains in a single day. Proximity wise, there are lot of mountains that are near to each other so one can conquer one mountain in the morning and another in the afternoon. Nowadays, twin dayhikes are popular to mountaineers. And so, I engaged myself in doing one. My initial plan was to go solo but my officemate Noli, who bought a new pair of shoes, wanted to come along. There were a lot of choices to pick from but I decided the one closest to my heart, I opted for the mountains in Nasugbu, Batangas.

That's Mt. Talamitam

Mt.Talamitam

The first mountain for the day was Mt. Talamitam. It was my first time to climb this mountain. I  even don't know where will we alight the bus. Fortunately, the bus conductor knew where Sampaloc is located. From the drop off, it only took us five minutes to reach the registration ste. We just arrived on time because the one in charge was about to leave the house. After paying the 25.00 Pesos registration fee, we hired the services of Mang Rolly for the price of 300.00. After crossing the river, we went on to the mountain. The trail was covered by dried mud due to the rainfall the previous night. A few minutes later, we reached the open field. It was around 9 am so it was hot as in very hot.

It was unlike any mountain that I visited before because it was more of a farm than a mountain. Cows, horses and dogs were visible throughout the climb. It was a gradual walk towards the summit. However, a tough assault was waiting for us to reach the summit. Fortunately, another trail can be use and it is less stressful than the usual trail. But we took a lot of zigzag route just to go up stress free. However, I suffered a lot of scratch in my arms when I walked in a bunch of tall grasses.

At the summit, we saw Mt. Batulao and Pico de Loro as well. It was a pleasant view from the top. There was also a grotto at the top just like in Mt. Batulao. Our guide told us that it was donated by a well known educational and religious institute. Also present were cow dungs. I could not imagine setting camp there. After thirty minutes, we decided to descend because we have still another mountain to conquer. We even saw a couple of mountaineers who spend overnight there. Unfortunately, they did not reach the summit because the male companion was not able to figure out the right trail so they decided to just stay near the forest side of the mountain. It took us an hour to descend the mountain. Then we went on to our next mountain.

Mt. Batulao

Just 11 kilometers from Sampaloc, we reached Evercrest Golf Club. We decided to eat lunch first before resarting our trek. After we ate a not so delicious meal, we're off to another trek. This is my fourth time to be here. The said mountain was my first mountain to hike (July 2010). This is also where I had my first clearing at the summit after three unsuccessfull attempts (FEB 2011). This is also where I had my first rainless overnight camp (April 2011). Needless to say, this mountain is special to my heart. Because I know the trail by heart, I opted not to secure a guide. And also there were no kids at the front but we passed some persistent kids on the way up. One even offered a free service but I declined (for fear of DSWD and DOLE and other society groups. Joke.) I was somewhat disappointed because the usual suspects or the people you regularly meet there were not around. Of course, I understand because it was a Monday. However, we met fellow mountaineers on their way home. As we near the school, rain fall from the sky. Good thing we have umbrellas. Yes, umbrellas and not ponchos. Unusual pick but still it was good to have them. Moments later, the sun showed up again. Then when we settle on the shelter which was situated between the junction of the new and old trails, rain came back with a vengeance. Instead of going down to the old trail, I decided to pick the much easier new trail route.

parang endorser lang

When we reached the new trail campsite, the dogs sercved us our unwelcoming committee as they barked at us nonstop. After paying the 20 peso registration fee, I asked the person in charge where the fateful incident occured. (Last February 29, a first timer lost her life here in the mountain.) Peak 8, he answered. It so happened that it was just the top of where we stood from. I was curious that they went up there instead of just using the trail beside the peak. Again, curiousity kills the cat as they say, tempted me to go up there. When I got there, I pause for a moment in respect to that woman who unfortanetely lost her life. It was a sad incident and tragic news for mountaineers like me.

Reflecting at Peak 8. Site of the fateful tragedy last Feb. 29

As we near the summit, rain started to subside and eventually run out of water. But it had the last laugh as we did not have a good clearing at the summit. I just prayed in the grotto for having another safe and successful climb. However,Noli was kind of disappointed because it was his first foggy summit experience. This was his fifth mountain in three months so he should not feel so bad. After a few photos, we took the old trail this time. There were no one in sight in the old trail campsite so we did not registered and paid the required fee. It was almost for when we got out from the old trail. On our way down, we stumbled to fellow mountaineers who will spend a night there. At 17:00, Noli and I accomplished the twin day hike of Mt. Talamitam and Mt. Batulao.

And yes even I had scratches, bruises, body ache, and even sun burn as have achieved another milestone, they are just another reason why I enjoy this form of recreation.

Looking for another adventure