A Batangas day trip Part 1: Conquering Mt. Talamitam

Batangas' Mt. Talamitam
by: anakngkidlat

Another opportunity came to the tropa to be together once again. Luckily almost all of us had available schedules for the weekend and of course the group's promotor Brian cooked up another day hike for us. One of the tropa had even invited her friend to come with us. This time I already made preparations prior to the trip like food and enough water and conditioning for long walks.

We had met on the same meet up place on an early Saturday morning and went to Taft Station (Via MRT) to hook up with the rest of the group and rode the bus that made it straight to Mt. Talamitam. After at least a two hour bus ride, We came at our stop and sought for a guide. There's also the barangay hall where you'd have to register and pay a small fee.

The Barangay Hall that serves as registration area and prep point 

 With the preparation and payment made, we started our hike. Since were only 3 guys (including the guide) I was the sweeper.

And here we go!

 Just a simple factoid, Mt Talamitam is located specifically in Nasugbu, Batangas. Categorized as a minor climb, the hike usually lasts within an hour and 40 mins but since were not that experienced and conditioned that much, we would be having it a little bit longer. Besides we would want to enjoy and take as much as many pictures while going up.

Pictures here and there...

 We also had stops as the sun was striking hot and there wasn't enough trees for cover.

Photo Opps!

 As far as I can remember we had least 3-5 stops before we had made our way to the top. And as much as possible I try to shoot pictures.

yeah!

One of the stops we had

Moo!

Compared with Mt. Humarap, I would say this was relatively easier. Maybe it was the soft ground that helps minimize stress on the knees or the slope of the mountain was not too steep. The down side (I think) is that there were a lot of land mines (poop) on the way.

Yikes!

The cool breeze relieves much of the tired feeling we have. With no trees around the mountain, we can easily see the scenery.

As we go near the peak, winds also start to pick up.

Just a little more..

  And finally we reached the summit! As far as I can recall it was 10 am when we had made it to the top. We had our lunch then and made much of our time taking pictures!

Lunch Time!

More group pics!

What's wrong with this picture?

Finally! A complete group picture

Planking.. It's more fun in the Philippines!

We went down the mountain at 12 noon. Brian had set another place to visit so we had to maximize our time so went on the more steeper end.

The shortcut

As a side trip, we had taken a bath in the river nearby. The cool and relaxing waters erased the stress from the hike.

One tatay for sure is enjoying the slide! 

I must say that even though this is a minor climb, No hiker should miss this mountain on their list. For its unique landscape and diverse features, Mt. Talamitam has an identity of its own. Thanks to Brian of xplorerboyz.blogspot.com and Aleli of me-and-my-lens.blogspot.com for some of the photos in this blog post.