“Adventure is allowing the unexpected to happen to you.”
– RICHARD ALDINGTON –
A week before I hiked here in this Hexalogy hike, I had a very adventurous hike in Mt. Ambalawag located in Ifugao which is also part of Cordillera Mountain Range that is also the highest mountain range of the Philippines.
Though that Ambalawag adventure came as a surprise, I felt lack like I wanted to do something more. So, I messaged my favorite organizer KingArthur Imana of Lakbay Gabay Adventures and decided to join the Purgatory-Mangisi Hexalogy Traverse.
The Purgatory-Mangisi Traverse is a six-peak hike involving
- Mt. Mangagew (1705 MASL)
- Mt. Pack (2310 MASL)
- Mt. Purgatory (2210 MASL)
- Mt. Bakian (1840 MASL)
- Mt. Tangbaw (2200 MASL)
- Mt. Komkompol (2325 MASL)
TYPHOON BEFORE THE CLIMB
I checked the weather forecast on my last shift at work which was a day before the hike. A tropical storm has been ravaging parts of the country. I was anticipating that my organizer may cancel this climb because of the typhoon.
Fortunately, these mountains were located at the northern portion of Luzon, so the DENR and the Tourism of Bokod, Benguet did not cancel the hikes in the area since they were not included in any storm signal warning.
Metro Manila was placed in a storm signal no.1 on May 25, and we were scheduled to leave the metro at 7 PM Saturday. We left as scheduled still even if it was raining hard.
Though it was raining that night, I felt like I was in hell inside the van because the air-conditioning at the back of the van was not working. I had to open the windows even if it was raining. When this kind of hiccups happen, I kept reminding myself that this is always part of an adventure! Chill and just enjoy the moment!
We arrived in Bokod, Benguet Tourism office at past six in the morning, had a short orientation, prepared our stuff for the dayhike, and started the hike at past 7AM.
Let me walk you through the 3T’s of this hike to describe this adventure.
TRAIL and TIME
If you a hard-core hiker or a trail runner, this hike would be a walk in the park for you. The start of the hike was paved and even motorcycles can pass through.
The ascend were challenging because I was gasping for air. It was a gradual ascend. We had to stop to rest our restless lungs catching our breath.
Fortunately, we had a gloomy weather. It drizzled a bit which made the walk easy but still it burnt so many calories due the continuous ascend. Then after more than an hour of continuous ascend we reached the summit of Mt. Mangagew standing at 1705 meters above sea level.
We descended a bit and got into another longer ascend. We hiked through shortcut trail passing the vegetable field and side of the slopes; then reached the rough road going up to Mt. Pack.
I noticed the air was getting colder and the forest lusher. The rain started to fell as well. But that didn’t stop us to reach the summit of Mt. Pack, the second peak standing at 2,310 meters above sea level.
I was part of the lead pack, but I preferred to walk at a distance from our guide and the other two joiners. Their walking speed were too exhausting HAHA.
We rested for a few minutes in the second peak and waited for the rest of the group. Our guide was already telling stories about how the Japanese soldiers and American soldiers walked this trail during the World War 2.
I believed in ghosts, but I don’t want to disturb their peace on this trail. I just want to enjoy the wilderness. I did my best to ignore their stories.
After a short photo op, we proceeded to the third peak. It was just a very chill hike. The trail was mostly flat but it’s like the path was a zigzag trail.
To be honest, I felt like someone is following me. The forest is mossy and the forest thick with the weather cold. It was not even noon time, but it felt like the sun is about to set.
We reached the third peak at past 11AM which is the Mt. Purgatory standing at 2,210 meters above sea level. We took our lunch, rested for a few minutes, another photo op, and continued to the next peak which is about two hours away also.
My colleagues in the lead pack were really fast. So, I had to chill and walked according to my pace. The trail was just mostly flat, very little ascend and short descends as well.
As we reached the fourth peak, I was surprised that their signage was just along the trail. Here we passed through an elementary school which was almost burned down by the wildfires. The fourth peak was the Mt. Bakian standing at 1,840 meters above sea level.
Our guide and coordinator Justin told us that we had to hurry because we had to reach the fifth peak before the sun sets. They were telling creepy stories about the previous hikers how they were lost in that fifth peak.
We had to rush, and the trail was slowly ascending. We passed through vegetable crops then ascend to another lush forest again.
I felt exhausted this time. I was breathless so I had to walk slowly than normal. I was far now from the lead pack. I was walking alone. I was thinking what if I saw a snake, would I run? Or what if a ghost would show up, what would I do?
I know it’s funny, but I felt like someone invisible is following me. The sounds of squeaking branches sounded like crying men. I had to ignore. I constantly reminded myself that it was all an imagination.
After a long flat trail walk and ascends, we reached the peak of Mt. Komkompol which is the highest of all six peaks standing at 2,325 meters above sea level.
The Mt. Pulag campsite was visible at a distance. The weather was still cold and gloomy. The fog is covering the mountains as well sometimes it gets clear but got covered again. We stayed for around 30 minutes then started walking back to get to the last summit.
It was mostly flat going to the sixth summit. We reached the sixth peak at past 4 pm which is the Mt. Tangbaw standing at 2,200 meters above sea level.
There are local communities and kids playing around. It just felt nostalgic at the same time it felt like home. Kids here are away from gadgets and unnecessary distractions of the social media. Their laughters were genuine, kids would greet you and said hello. I was envious at their smiles. The kids were really very respectful and warm which is very different from kids in the cities where mostly would just ignore you. The locals here were very warm and welcoming.
After a long rest and everyone had relaxed, we then decided to descend to the pickup point of the van. The hike through the road was a surprise. It was long where it took like more than an hour to reach the end point. It’s challenging because the road was like 60 to 70 degrees slope. I was enjoying it though even if it was painful for my knees and toes. I was reminding myself to not give up because there’s always an end of this challenge. You have the option to take a motorcycle ride but the price was too costly, so I had to take the more difficult option.
Unknowingly, we saw the van shortly and the barangay hall after the long continuous descend. It took us more than 10 hours traverse total.
TOIL
How difficult was it?
Most of the online sources said that the difficulty level is at 6/9. Personally, this was just an easy trail but it was just a long walk, and the trail was a jagged terrain. There was no technical trail where you had to use your grip or had to crawl.
We were fortunate enough to hike this in a gloomy weather. I think the view would be best during summer season for clearer views.
The overall difficulty is really manageable for a physically fit person. The only challenge is the long walks.
If you’re planning to hike these mountains, then just be prepared with the long walk which is perfect for losing weight.
THINGS TO BRING
- Water 1-2L (there are communities you can buy mineral bottled water and multiple water sources)
- Trail food (Chocolates etc)
- Jacket (for the cold weather)
- Umbrella, poncho or raincoat
- Food for Lunch
- Energy Drink or Pocari
- Emergency Medical Kit
Will I recommend this Hexalogy hike on a dayhike? Definitely!!
There are overnight options here also. The views here are stunning. I am always amazed with how beautiful the Cordillera Mountains are. I will definitely be back on a summer!
This is one of the best Hexalogy with picturesque and panoramic views.
I hope this blog helped you. Please make sure you follow me in all my social media accounts and like my #ChillAdventures.
See you on my next #ChillAdventures Ka-ahon!
See you on my next blogs!
Chill Adventures with Joms 