Makiling Traverse (via Sipit Trail)

February 2, 2014

Another Adventure lives on with Jazz. This time we will be having a Traverse hike of Makiling from Sto Tomas, Batangas to Los Banos, Laguna. In this adventure I will be with Bree, Jassem and some TAPIK Mountaineers (Mark, Dan, Noriel, LJ).

Bag of mountaineers

Sunday morning, our call time is around 4am in Kamias, Quezon city going to Sto Tomas, we will be riding a bus bound to Lucena. We arrived at the Sto Tomas around 6:30am (near Sea Oil and 7 /11). We took our breakfast and buy our packed lunch at one of the eatery in the area. Our bags are packed and ready to go and we are just waiting for Bree and Jassem which will be coming from Alabang. We wait for almost an hour and they decided to catch us along the trail and we decided to go on first. We ride a tricycle going to the Ecopark, along the road you will see large pipelines in the area, this pipelines contain steam with can be used as another source of energy in the area (Geothermal Power Plant).

Pipeline seen in the area

We arrive at the registration area around 7:40am and start to register and prepare ourselves for another adventure. We start our hike around 8am. We will be using the Sipit trail since the Palanggana trail is not accessible now. Kuya Eddie will be our guide in this hike. At first, we are only 5 walking but there are other 4 mountaineer that conduct an early hike almost 1 hour before we arrived at the registration site. After some time kuya Eddie got a text message that our 2 members arrived and he must fetch them since there are no other guide but kuya Eddie. He told us to wait at the station 2. He also told us that we will be passing an ilat "a river without water" and turn left on that area.

Station 2: bahay Kubo

We wait for Bree and Jassem in the station 2 that kuya Eddie told us. When they arrive at the station, we continue our journey to Makiling, Make It Makiling 2014. Sipit trail has 17 Stations, station 2 to 11 will be a steep ascend, and a minimal ascend from station 11-15. We arrive at the station 15 around 11am and took our lunch. In this station we saw our little blood sucking friends.

A view of MakTrav

The little tiny blood sucking limatik friends

 After our lunch at station 15, another steep ascend with matching rope segment awaits us until the peak 3 of Makiling. The Melkas ridge was really a fun trail because of the rope segments that we encounter. We reach the Haring Bato around 11:40 and reach Makiling peak 3 around 12:30pm.

Reach Haring Bato

Rope segment going to peak 3

Mt. Makiling Peak 3

Wacky pose at Peak 3

After peak 3, we start walking at the ridge of Makiling gong to peak 2 "The Wild Boar Trail". This trail was the muddiest of all trail in MakTrav, we experience great mud moments, our shoes , shorts, pants get muddy because of the trail.

Wild Boar Trail

 Around 2:15 when we arrive at peak 2. Still peak 2 was no view but only trees and plants can be seen from the area.

Makiling Peak 2

After a short break at picture taking at peak 2, we decided to descend Makiling using the Los Banos trail. In our descend from Makiling we encounter a group of mountaineer going to peak 2 (I think they are 1st timer hikers due to their attire) also we saw a group of soldiers going to makiling also (maybe they will conduct a camping at the peak). We arrive at the Agila Base around 4:30pm. In this area, kuya Eddie will be separated from us and he will return to Sto Tomas using the other trail. There is a trail going to Sto Tomas at the Aguila Base.

Makiling trail using the Los Banos

Agila base

 Around 5pm, we arrive at nanay sari sari store and do a short break, drink some softdrinks and eat some crackers.

Nanay sari sari store

 Around 6pm, we arrive at the registration area of Los Banos. A total of 10 hours of trekking in Makiling Traverse.
 

Los Banos Registration site- College of Forestry

Our shoes have the same colors

MakTrav team

ITINERARY
Via Sipit Trail

0430 Take Lucena or any Maharlika-bound bus
0630 Drop off at Brgy. San Felix; Head to Ecopark by trike
0750 Registration at Sitio Jordan; secure guides (optional)
0800 Start trek
0930 Trail Junction (Station 7)

1100 Station 15, lunch
1140 ETA Melkas Ridge (Haring Bato)
1230 Peak 3 (1020 MASL)

1250 Continue trek in Wild Boar Trail
1415 ETA Peak 2 (1090 MASL)
1440 Start descent
1630 ETA Agila Base
1800 ETA College of Forestry; Registration site; wash up
1900 Take jeep to Los Banos proper
1940 Dinner at Mang Inasal

2030 Take bus back to Manila
2300 ETA Manila