Mt. Maculot Day Hike Traverse

I've been wanting to do a traverse in Maculot, ascending from the grotto to the summit, and finally to Rockies. I am so happy that I was able to do it! My adventure buddy for the day is my friend Ivan and this is his first climb! Yay, congrats!

We started hiking at 9:00 AM. I didn't know the way from Grotto to summit and the only information I have are from the net but thank God we were able get directions from the friendly locals and met other climbers so we followed them.

As it had been raining, the terrain was very muddy and slippery. There was also this ascent  portion of the climb which scared me a lot because we had to walk over boulders and cling to a rope. It was high and triggered my acrophobia. I am also afraid of boulders because of a rock climbing accident 2 years ago where I incurred 7 stitches on my left leg (and now I have a keloid as souvenir, haha). I had to rest for a minute to get my "balls" back to continue the rest of the climb. Hahaha!

We eventually finished - happy, muddy all-over and ahead of schedule! Yay! 
Thank you God for another amazing climb! :) 



From grotto to summit


Rope time!
Rockies

Here's our itinerary with updated expenses.
IT Source is Pinoy Mountaineer. I just added some info. 


Day Hike Traverse (Route : Grotto-Summit-Rockies)
0400 Board Lemery-bound bus from Buendia. Terminal is near LRT Gil Puyat Station - (P120-130 Pesos). A good meeting place would be KFC/Wendy's/7 Eleven which are all within walking distance from the terminal. 


*Alternate route to Cuenca : Road works currently ongoing at the national highway to Cuenca so buses are unable to pass through. Board a Lipa bound bus and get down at Tambo. Cross the highway and board a jeepney to Lemery.) It would take you to Cuenca where you can get a tricycle to the registration area. Bus fare from Buendia to Tambo is 120 Pesos and jeep from Tambo to Cuenca is around 24 Pesos/head


0700 ETA Cuenca Registration area.  Originally located at Municipal Hall but this has been moved recently.  Tricycle drivers  know where this is. (70 Pesos/trike); Registration Fee is 10 Pesos/Person. Get the number of the barangay tanod on shift in case of emergencies. 0800 ETA jump-off point, start traverse.
0915 ETA Grotto, take pictures
0930 Set out for the peak via forested trail
1200 ETA summit. Lunch.
1230 Start descent to shoulder campsite and rockies
1430 ETA rockies; take pictures
1500 ETA start descent to mountaineer's store
1620 ETA mountaineer's store; tidy up then head back to the highway for Manila-bound bus

Recommended Things to Bring:
2-3 Liters of Water (Pocari Sweat is a good drink but you still need to bring water. I usually bring 1.5 Liters of Water and 500 ML Pocari Sweat)
Trail Food (Like nuts, chocolate, jelly sticks. I buy energy bars and usually consume  only 1 piece for a day hike here)
Packed lunch
Rain gear
Trash bag 


What to Expect :
Steep Trails :) Mt. Maculot is a great training climb because majority of the trail is uphill. 
Some bouldering - there are ropes in place to assist you.  You will encounter two areas with ropes. 
Prepare for rain

Past adventures

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