Mt. Daraitan

I greeted the month of love with a dayhike in Tanay, Rizal. It is my first time to travel eastward and I am not at all familiar with things there. But I was with a group and we rented a van from Starmall in Shaw Boulevard all the way to Tanay so it was not much of a hassle.

this bridge can be used by vehicles!

 Mt. Daraitan is rated as having a difficulty of 2/9 so I was expecting a carefree hike since I was only looking for a way to escape the city. Who would have thought that it wasn't as easy as they said it was!

The ascent surprised me because of the large steps. Being a small girl put me at a disadvantage and it required me to exert extra effort. Poor knees of mine! The mountain is made up of limestone and some andesitic (not quite sure if they indeed are andesitic but they sure are porphyritic). The limestone are quite pointed and sharp so extra caution needed. It brings to mind the climb we did in Ille Rockshelter and Ugong Rock Formation, both in Palawan. Anyway, I was not able to closely examine the rocks due to the group's speed and I wouldn't want to be left behind.

fish: not sure where the local got these but he was descending and we met him during our ascent

 Another thing of surprise was the very cool weather. Just the day before Metro Manila experienced a sunny day. Yet on the day of our hike, it was cloudy with scattered, intermittent rainshowers, probably the reason why the whole experience gained a bit of a difficulty.

So anyway, it was a hassle putting on and taking off my raincoat all throughout the hike. It doesn't help that I only brought one cardigan and it's not even a jacket to protect me from the chillly winds which remind me a lot of Pulag. 

view from the summit

 The descent was even more challenging, bringing to mind Buntot Palos because I was wearing the same rubber sandals I wore back then. The trail became slippery because of the downpours but at least, it wasn't as muddy as in Buntot Palos, reminding me more of Mt. Arayat.

view from one of the side trails going down

 When we came to the river, it was as the picture on the net I have looked at prior to the hike. It was really a beautiful place. One thing I noted during the whole journey is how clean the mountain and the river is, you will not see garbage along the trail. The locals really make an effort to ensure not only the cleanliness but also the safety of the adventurers as evidenced by the wooden railings they make especially along slippery parts of the trail. These indeed are very much appreciated especially by someone like me who's not too comfortable at descending.

gushing waters of Tinipak River

 We did some cave exploration and by the time we were on our way to the cave, I was already exhausted, and my hands and legs already had a lot of cuts and bruises. Still I could not pass the chance to see what's inside the cave so I still tagged along.

The cave reminded me of Sumaguing Cave in Sagada. But there aren't remarkable formations in Daraitan cave. Still, the sparkling stalactites and the cool refreshing waters of the cave pool are not to be missed. (Though I felt like I might get fever from immersing myself in extra cold water after an exhausting hike. Whew!)

stalactites inside the cave

 I was able to converse with a local, a woman who sells chicharon and oils. Curious, I bought two oils from her: Sampaguita and Mandarin. Ate Bernadette is very enterprising in her own way. She knows how to mend stuffs, showing me how she fixed her bag and how she mended a pair of broken sandals. I am simply in awe of her resourcefulness and inspired to be like her who does not accept defeat and still fight on for her family's future's sake. (Because you know, being a drifter like me makes you complacent and accept things readily as they are...)

beautiful Tinipak River

Going on this adventure made me realize that maybe I have gained much experience with mountains to be able to make comparisons and associating this whole adventure to my past climbs. Many times, I am considering to stop hiking altogether because of the dangers and because my family is always worried about me, but the experiences and the learnings I get only from the mountains are things I cannot give up that easily.