The next day after our hike in Bud Tumantangis (see post here), we headed to Bud Dajo, another historically significant mountain in Sulu. Its crater was the grim site of the First Battle of Bud Dajo in 1906, where over 600 Moro men, women, and children perished in a brutal fight of bolos vs firearms against the Americans.
Visiting the mountain requires coordination with the 1101st IB of the Philippine Army. Thankfully, our Sulu-based organizer, Na Jib had taken care of everything. Before heading to the trailhead, we visited the military camp where we were warmly welcomed with cups of freshly brewed Kahawa Sug (Sulu coffee).
It was already 9:12 AM when we started our hike. Passing an area filled with ferns, it was a nice and easy warm-up, but once we got to the edge of the forest, it felt like climbing a very long staircase, all the way to the top! Making up for the tiring challenge is the nature around us. Its forest is enjoyable and carries the charm of hiking a volcano - lots of ferns, thick foliage but it was definitely steeper than Bud Tumantangis. I hiked with mixed emotions - of fatigue and elation for such a beautiful trail while catching my breath!
As we made our way up, we saw a lot of signages scrawled with these flirty, comical distractions in Filipino. (Note : These lines won't be funny anymore if translated in English but I suppose it would be an interesting challenge to do so!)
We reached the first view point in 1.5 hours, a welcoming relief after that steep ascent! PHILVOLCS classifies Bud Dajo as an Active volcano (has erupted within the last 600 years), creating a fertile soil making its forest densely beautiful.
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| with Christian and Gid at the first view point |
The crater was a short but slippery hike down taking less than 30 minutes. A memorial marker has been placed at the battle site. Going back to the jump-off wasn't an easy feat either as we had to navigate steep slopes. Still, it was easier for me rather than hauling my body weight up. By 1PM, we were back at the jump-off. Our short journey to Sulu was ending and we had a few hours to rest before taking the 8PM Alesson ferry back to Zamboanga.
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| After our hike, a very brief reunion with my friend Dam in Bright Attic, their photography studio in Jolo |
Related Blog - Pinoy Mountaineer | Hiking matters #802: Climbing Bud Dajo (620m), the historic mountain in Sulu