Monday, February 28, 2011

The SECOND LAGATAW INVITATIONAL CLIMB

Alvin Evangelista on top of the Carrot Rock at Mt Tenglawan
I have decided! The destination for the Second Lagataw Invitational Climb is Bakun, Benguet! I’m planning to organize a BAKUN TRIO (Tenglawan-Kabunian-Lobo) Expedition from April 21 to April 24. (Holy Thursday to Easter Sunday). The budget is 2k-2.5k per person depending on the rent for the monster jeep!
The town of Bakun is in the northwest of Benguet. It is bounded by Mankayan, Benguet on the east and Ilocos Sur on the west.  It is 86 km away from Baguio City. This town of Benguet is difficult to access. If you want to use public transportation, there are two daily trips to Sinacbat (the jumpoff to Mt Tenglawan) at the Trading Post (KM5). The trip to Sinacbat takes about six hours. As the bus turns off the Halsema Highway at Sinipsip, the road gets bumpy and dusty! 

The highlight of the Tenglawan climb is the carrot rock. This resembles Pico de Loro’s monolith. Only, it looks as if it’s about to fall! It juts out of the surface at an angle of around sixty degrees to the horizontal. There was a metal cross fixed on top of the carrot rock when I climbed it in 2008. The hike up Mt Tenglawan is not very taxing. It’s probably just like climbing up Tarak Ridge from Papaya River. Me and my buddy Alvin Evangelista didn’t rely on water sources, although, we saw a clear brook on the way to the summit. 
The descent from Mt Tenglawan to Bakun dam is breath-taking and precarious at the same time. The views as one approaches the chasm that divides Tenglawan and Kabunian will remind you of the New Zealand you see in movies! The wall of Kabunian which backdrops the verdant plateau near Tenglawan is lined with long waterfalls. My guide in Mt Tabayoc showed me a video on the Legend of Kabunian. It talks of a man (or a god) who got fixed to the boulders of the mountain whose ‘lingam’ turned into a fountain of healing water! Or something to that effect! The final descent to the dam is one of the steepest I’ve experienced. There’s a rope on the near-vertical trail of loose pebbles but I hope this is enough to make you overcome your vertigo!
I can’t vividly describe the scenes in Mt Kabunian cuz we trekked it at night! But from the fence that lines the trail I could tell that it is even more vertiginous! The photos of others who have climbed Kabunian are spectacular! This is the best place to practice your skill in nature photography!
The wall of Mt Kabunian lined with waterfalls
The last leg of the expedition is Mt Lobo. This is the easiest of the three and can be trekked in a day. It’s an open trail so we'll need cover against the sun!
I want to limit the number of participants to just sixteen carefully chosen individuals. A lot of friends have been making reservations but I can’t guarantee any slot. I require training climbs before the expedition. I’m sorry if I have to disqualify some of you! I reiterate, I DON’T REQUIRE FEES! I JUST REQUIRE SPEED, ENDURANCE AND GOOD MANNERS!

TRAINING CLIMBS are scheduled on the first three weekends of April.
ARAYATRAV (day hike)
TARAK RIDGE (overnight)
MAKTRAV (dayhike)
Participants should attend at least one of the three.

I am very much hoping that I could provide an event shirt for this. AND THE SHIRT IS OPTIONAL. It’s expensive! So I discourage you from buying it! And for those who attended the First Lagataw Invitational Climb, I really hope I could have the shirts made before the Second Lagataw Invitational Climb kicks off!

ITINERARY COMING OUT SOON!

For a preview of the expedition click HERE

16 comments:

  1. Astig sir.. sama ako dyan sa training climb, arayat and maktrav, Sunday's ba ng april yan sir?

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  2. This resembles Pico de Loro’s monolith!!!?
    sounds soooo cool!!!

    I would love join it...! ;(
    good luck☆

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  3. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  4. ilang beses ko na tong gusto gawin, traverse ng trio, nag off pa ako 1 month just to do this, trained for 1 week then got sick for three weeks...pfffttt there goes my one month break.. hanggang kelan po reservation nito ser?

    --dewdrops--

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  5. sir bka pd me join thanks-richard almodovar

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  6. @dewdrops: hahaha...pag tinamaan nga naman ng malas.hehe ang final confirmation is two weekends before the climb (Apr 10).
    @richard: sige ser...sama k lng sa kahit isang training climb para magkakakilala ung mga participants
    @everyone: the training climbs are open to everyone. kahit di kayo sasama sa invitational climb itself

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  7. Pag umabot pa ako, sasabit ako :)
    -mikoy

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  8. sir kelan po maktrav?

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  9. participants of the 1st Lagataw Invitational, sana makasama ko ulit kayo hehe...kelan sir yung MAKTRAV?

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  10. sir, may date na ba yung mga training climb for april? Thanks..

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  11. Please check out my CALENDAR page for updates on the training climb dates! If we don't reach the 16pax quota, I might change this into a solo climb elsewhere! So invite more friends!

    - Thanks -

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  12. Sir Adonis, pwede pa po ba sumabit sa ArayaTrav nio sa April 10? Thanks...

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  13. this is bullshit! dame restrictions pero naka post sa net! alam ko na! di ka solo climber by choice! meron kang attitude problem! -yourfriendlyneighborhoodclimberwithoutrules

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  14. @myfriendlyneighborhoodclimberwithoutrules
    thanks for the feedback...i need a critic...keep checking my blog!

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  15. hello sir. matutuloy po ba itong climb nyo na ito? pwede po bang sumama> Lester from Baguio sir.

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  16. yep ser lester (sotelo ba?)...check this link for more details. http://www.lagataw.com/2011/03/second-lagataw-invitational-climb.html?utm_source=BP_recent

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