Welcomed September with a hike up Mt. Arayat. This time, I joined friends who I haven't seen in years - Gid, Carlo, Cha, Christian & FR - plus 2 new ones, Diego and Choi.
2008 was the first time, I visited Mt. Arayat, an overnight trek with friends, Glee and Ren. We had hiked from the DENR training center to Arayat National Park. The following year, I joined Milmar and JZ to attempt a new trail from Magalang to North Peak then on to South peak. Looking at my old hiking notes, I believe this new trail is now known as Pinnacle peak. We got a bit lost but ended up discovering a new side of the mountain, exiting at Brgy. Bitas. It was a tiring but exciting adventure, passing heavily forested sections that were not part of the usual trail.
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| summit photo at South peak. This is where we had camped in 2008. The monkeys are gone but the pesky mosquitoes are still here! |
This time, we're going up via Pinnacle to South Peak. I don't recall Mt. Arayat being too tough but 2024 me found it quite a struggle. LOL. I was catching my breath most of the time! I'm now in my 40's but I refuse to accept that it's an age thing as I know people who are older and so much stronger than I am. I just need to train more and eat smarter. LOL.
We finished our hike in 6.5 hours and had our post hike meal at a good old classic Kapampangan resto, Nathaniel's in San Fernando. I enjoyed their friendly service and affordable yummy meals!