Another climb! Yeh! :D

We had this climb set within a week. Having the spot near home, I immediately said yes and I invited friends to come too. Quick blog for this one!

Who: 10 persons
What: Day Hike
Where: Pico De Loro
When: March 29, 2015
How?

• How much: approx. budget is Php 500.00/ea (or less)
• How we get there: Public transport
• How long: approx. 5 hours and 30 mins (climb to summit, rest included, Monolith not included)

As for the itinerary I’ve listed below, the start and end point of this trip is based from our home (Imus, Cavite).

04:15 AM | Commute

Jeepney ride from Imus to SM City Bacoor. From SM Bacoor, we took a bus that would drop us off at Saulog Terminal. You can wait for an air-conditioned bus there but there are readily available mini buses there 24hrs. Just make sure to ask the barker and the driver to drop you off at Saulog Terminal.

Lastly, from Saulog Terminal, you’ll have to ride a tricycle and ask to drop you off at DENR. The locals there are friendly; just ask where to ride the tricycles up to DENR and they’ll assist you nicely. The fair from SM City Bacoor up to DENR roughly costs around Php 150.00/ea.



At the drop off point, you will need to register and write your name at the log book and pay for the registration fee of Php 25.00/ea. They also sell anything that you missed bringing there. Also a souvenir shop and small dining areas can be locater there.



Now, this is not a requirement but we encountered trouble while we were on the hike. Before you start hiking, ask for a stub after you log your name. I’m not sure if they’ve already cleared the policy about this but at the middle of our hike we were blocked by an “official” asking us for stubs that we weren’t provided at the registration area.

06:55 AM | Start the Climb

We started when everybody arrived at the drop off point. It was an easier hike compared to our Mt. Daraitan Hike.

Our group consists of almost beginners and as I have been told before, Pico de Loro is the best trail you should take if you’re still starting with hiking.



By the way, we didn’t hire a guide at this hike. The trail was very visible, easy and there are no confusing turns so we were able to find our way up the peak without any guide.

Most of the rest we had was to wait for the other half to catch up. Climbing up is very pleasant that day. I guess the longest mid hike rest we had was when we ate mais con yelo. ^__^

09:33 AM | Campsite

We arrived at the camp site, chose a spot and rest for a bit. The campsite had an amazing view of the peak and the Monolith! After few shots, we took our early lunch and waited for people to hike down from the peak.

11:50 AM | Peak

The trail to the peak was veeeeeery dusty! It’s inclined and there were just few rocks to step on and few twigs to take a grip to.

The view at the peak was stunning! There are no trees at the peak and you literally feel that the clouds are your ceiling. It was very picturesque. By this point, we decided not to continue to the Monolith. Climbing the Monolith requires ropes and gloves and assistant by the locals. One of our friends tried climbing it and he said that he almost lost grip with his bare hands. That made us more cautious and decided to hike down to the camp site instead.



Few more shots at the peak!

12:30 PM | Back to Campsite, rest

If you ran out of drinks and want refreshments, there’s a store stationed at the campsite. The whole campsite is very spacious for a good number of campers. We took a breather and refilled our bottles before we hiked down.

By 01:45 PM, we started to hike down to the drop off point. It’s easier hiking down as always. ^-^

02:52 PM | Back to drop off point (DENR)

By the time we got down, we saw few hikers taking a shower at this open area where there’s running water continuously flowing from the stream nearby.

When they got finished, we were able to wash our heads too! It was very refreshing.



We had snack by the souvenir shop and refueled our bodies with ice cold drinks! Too bad they don’t have the PVC card souvenirs.

Before we go, we took few more photos of the place.



It was convenient that there are tricycles waiting outside to drop us back to vicinity. :P On our road back, we were able to ask the tricycle driver to stop by at the bridge that we saw earlier. Just look at the amazing view!



From Saulog Terminal, there are buses that travel to Pasay. As for us (Cavite-bound), our drop off was at the Zeus Gas Station. From there, there are mini buses that travel to SM City Bacoor (back from our start point).

That’s quick! For my usual reminder; if you are planning to hike at Pico de Loro, make sure to "Leave NO Trace". Enjoy your day!

More photos **here**! **The photos used at this post are collectively gathered, grabbed and provided by me and the friends I had the trip with.