Batangas - Mt. Gulugod Baboy, The Sosyal Klaymers' 2nd Anniversary Climb

Time really flies so fast, we never thought that it has been 2 years already. We're now celebrating our mountaineering group’s 2nd Anniversary. It was in 2009 when a group of young, energetic, adventurous individuals climbed Mt. Gulugod Baboy. It was my 2nd climb and it inflamed my love for mountaineering and the outdoors.

The dates were set. The last weekend of August is the best time for us to do an anniversary climb. But the challenge is where would it be?


It was a unanimous decision that we climb Mt. Gulugod Baboy once again. The mountain that we love so much as it is where our group, the Sosyal Klaymers was born 2 year ago. It's a favorite destination among mountaineers as it is an easy climb with a picturesque views of Janao Bay, Maricaban Strait (Sombrero and Maricaban Islands), and the bay of Batangas; plus the fact that there would be something to look forward to when you come down - the beach. Woohoo!


We met up at Jolibee Buendia and took a bus going to Batangas City. After about 2 hours, we got off at Bauan Diversion and hired a jeepney that will bring us to the jump-off (in front of PhilPan Resort in Anilao Mabini Batangas). By, the way, Anilao is a barangay not a town, it has been a common misconception. It belongs to the town of Mabini, province of Batangas.


Since we're a group of 20 (guests included), it's best to charter (1,200 PHP per way) a jeepney to lessen the hassle of transferring from one jeepney to another.


We said a little prayer first and started to trek. If you've been to Gulugod Baboy, an uphill paved road is the start of the trek. For me, this is the hardest part of the trail, it's harder to climb a cement road compared to uneven, rocky, muddy soil.



It all started well. We're actually taking our time as we expect the trek to just last for about 2 hours. That estimate already includes the breaks and photo ops along the way.





When we're nearing the campsite, the weather turned unfavorable for us. We were a bit troubled because the rain would fall any moment as the skies had already turned dark. There is a storm brewing in northern Luzon during that time, but it's too far to directly hit Batangas. I think, the southwest monsoon affected this part of Batangas. But, as adventure junkies, it will not stop us from pursuing this climb.


At around 5:00 PM, we reached the campsite and the rain had started to pour. Really hard. We quickly set up our tent while we are all wet by the rain. After about 30 minutes, the heavy rain still didn't stop. It was even coupled with winds blowing so hard. We felt our tent will be blown away. The campsite in Gulugod Baboy is what we call an “open campsite”, there are no trees that will shelter us from the strong winds.


We had to make a quick decision of descending right away. Break camp, pack your things and let's go! That's what we decided to do. Since it's already dark, we had a hard time finding the trail going down. Oh my, this is night trekking at it's finest! It's dark, raining, we are all wet and chilling. This is the hardest climbs I've ever had!


We finally reached a safe place after trekking for more than 2 hours. A house that we passed by on our way up gladly welcomed us. The owners allowed us to use the space under their house. Thank you po!




We changed into our dry clothes as we were really chilling as the wind is still blowing so hard. We then set up our tents, cooked our dinner and followed it with the “socials”. After all the “alcohol loading” and chit-chats, we called it a (challenging) day and slept in our respective tents.



Click here to know what happened the following morning...

This is part of the Sosyal Klaymers' Mt. Gulugod Baboy Climb that happened last August 28-29, 2011 in Anilao, Mabini Batangas. It was a climb full of fun, camaraderie, triumphs and friendship in celebration of our group's 2nd anniversary. To date, this is the 11th mountain on my list.
Map By: Wikipedia	Mt. Gulugod Baboy, Sosyal Klaymers' 2nd Anniversary Climb A Bright and Shining Morning at Mt. Gulugod Baboy Post-climb swimming at Aquaventure Reef Club in Anilao How To Get There, Itinerary, Side Trips, Expenses and Contact Details