Above the Clouds in Mt. Pulag

Nary a drop of rain in sight for our visit to Mt. Pulag ❤

2016 started off in a very high note for me because  I was able to climb the third highest mountain in the Philippines. January 10-11 will mark the dates when I was able to see the sea of clouds on top of Mt. Pulag. The experience was not without difficulty, but it just made the trip more precious. I hope that my first trip of the year set the tone for an adventure-filled 2016. And so far, it has been 🙂

My Companions:

Rose, Ian and I joined a scheduled climb of the Off the Grid Adventures team for Mt. Pulag. The schedule was originally for the third week of December, but we had to re-schedule because of bad weather conditions. I already know the organizers because they were also our guides for the Mt. Batulao climb. I knew that we were in good hands with the OTG team 🙂

L-R: Rose, Ruby, Deejay, Mayette, Dalvin, Sir H, Ian & Ara at the bottom 🙂 (Photo by Sir Abner)

Our group was made up of 7 guests and 2 guides. We didn’t really talk with each other at first, but the long climb and the cold night was an excellent icebreaker. Pretty soon we were getting to know each other and exchanging jokes.

What I wore in Mt. Pulag:

I Googled a lot and asked several people about what I should wear for the climb. I get cold easily and I didn’t want to spend the whole night trembling in our tent because I didn’t prepare well. My research paid off. I didn’t turn to ice during the long and cold night. Lol.

The following is what I wore during the climb and I hope that this will be a helpful reference to anyone who reads this section:

My full battle gear against the cold. Brrrrrrr.

For the head:

1. Bonnet – I brought 2. One had a visor to protect my eyes from the sun. The other was a regular bonnet that I wore at night. You need this to keep your head protected from the cold or you might suffer from  headache.
2. Brimless beanie – I used this as a nose cover most of the time to lessen the cold air coming up my head and also to cover my face from dust.

Upper body:

1. Sports bra – just a personal preference
2. Heattech long-sleeve shirt from Uniqlo – a friend suggested this as a good base layer. I had some doubts at first because the material felt thin when I bought it from Uniqlo. I tried it at home and I almost fainted from the heat. The material retains body heat and soaks up sweat. I bought this on sale.
   

   Heattech shirt & leggings from Uniqlo. Photo lifted from Uniqlo’s website.

3. Long-sleeve cotton shirt – this and the Heattech base was enough to keep me warm as we were climbing
4. Heattech long-sleeve fleece shirt from Uniqlo (borrowed) – I only added this layer when we were about to sleep until our trek to the peak
5. Polyester winter jacket with fleece lining (borrowed) – this had a fleece lining and is windproof. All these layers bundled me up in a nice cocoon of warmth even when I was standing at the peak with the cold wind coming at me.
6. Winter gloves (borrowed) – I only intended to wear crocheted gloves until a friend advised me that it won’t do anything against the cold. So I borrowed winter gloves instead. I’m thankful I did because it kept my hands warm. My hands immediately felt like ice whenever I removed them.

Legs:

1. Heattech leggings from Uniqlo
2. Regular leggings
3. Trek pants – three layers were not enough. I should have added more.
4. Socks – I wore one pair during the trek, but I added two more layers when we arrived at camp