My first major climb!




Mt Arayat, Pampanga

Entry point: Brgy. Ayala, Magalang, Pampanga
Exit point: Brgy. Juan Bano, Arayat, Pampanga
LLA: 15.2067N, 120.7441E, 1030 MASL
Days required / Hours to summit: 1-2 days / 5 hours (NP) 8 hours (SP)
Specs: Major climb, Difficulty 5/9, Trail class 1-4 (10kms)
Features: Tropical forest, scenic views of Central Luzon
*Details from: http://www.pinoymountaineer.com/2008/09/mt-arayattraverse-1030.html


How to get there

From Victory Liner terminal in Cubao, we took a bus going to Dau, Pampanga. From Dau, our guide, Sir Rommel Canlas (+639189480917), was the one who organized our transportation. The jeepney he hired picked us up from Dau Bus Terminal and took us to the jump off point at Brgy Ayala, Magalang, Pampanga.


Itinerary

0300 Victory Liner Cubao
0400 ETD Cubao
0530 ETA Dau/breakfast
0600 ETD Dau
0730 ETA Jump Off/Start trek
1100 ETA North Peak/Lunch
1330 ETA South Peak
1600 Descent to Southside
1800 ETD Angeles/Dinner
2100 ETA Manila


The trail

Rising to a height of 1,030 meters above sea level, Mt Arayat is a composite volcano located in the Northern part of Luzon. The mountain is famous for being a part of Philippine history and folklore. For mountaineers, Mt Arayat is the northern counterpart of Mt Makiling's traverse.


The trail is generally shaded and forested. Along the first part of the Magalang trail, there are replicas of the Station of the Cross representing Christ's Passion which makes it a popular destination of devotees during the Holy week. Walking further, it became more challenging because of the descending and ascending trail accompanied by big roots, big rocks and boulders. After more an hour of walking, our group took a side trip to the White Rock.


Several minutes from the White Rock, our group reached the North Peak. We rested for a while and took our lunch there. Unfortunately, it was very cloudy so we were not able to take pictures of the surrounding view of the North Peak.



The South Peak is about an hour from the North. The trail is a strenuous walk composed of forested ridges and some rock formation. During the time we reached the South, the clouds gave way for Mr Sunshine. Yay! We were able to see a 360 degree view of the surrounding, the province of Pampanga and Nueva Ecija.


The descent from the Southside is a long walk. The first part is rocky with few steep descends. Then, as we go down, the trail became more forested until we reached the open, grassy slopes. The trail ended as we were welcomed by a concrete road going to the exit point.

It was a long journey going up and down Mt Arayat but, if you are with a good company, I don't think you'll mind the distance at all.

Shout out to my Arayat-mates! 'Til next bundok adventure! :)


Some few notes:
 - Bring insect repellant. There are a lot of mosquitoes and other biting insects along the trail.
 - Bring a lot of water. It is a long walk and the weather may be really hot.
 - No water source in the summit. (There is a water source at the first part of the Magalang trail though.)
 - There are no stores/vendors along the trail