I've been feeling great lately and finally have the mood to write about my overwhelming first-ever major climb in my life. It happened during the first weekend of October in Ormoc City, Leyte, Philippines. What made it so overwhelming, aside from being my first major climb, was that I didn't just climb one or two mountains, but three! Those three mountains are Mt. Janagdan, Mt. Malingatong, and, of course, the highest peak in Eastern Visayas, Mt. Alto. Basically, this is our ORMOC TRILOGY ADVENTURE!
Firstly, I would like to say thank you to @mariasalve and Kuya James who invited me and @katiemeow , and to Kuya Enzo who organized the climb. We wouldn't have experienced our first memorable major climb if it weren't for them.
The Journey to Ormoc City
On Friday night, as early as 8 PM, we headed to Cebu Port. We boarded a cargo-passenger ship bound for Ormoc City. We had already secured our tickets and paid 1,200 pesos for the round trip. Since it was an overnight cargo journey, we made ourselves comfortable and prepared to get some sleep because the next day, we would need extra energy as we were planning to climb two mountains, Mt. Janagdan and Mt. Malingatong, for the whole day.
After we arrived at Ormoc Port, we disembarked and met the other hikers who would be joining us for the entire adventure. We exchanged greetings and introduced ourselves one by one. With us, we had Enzo, Michael, JL, James, Mier, Frenz, June Reil, and Alwin, making us a total of 12, including me, Ate Kim, Ate Salve, and Kuya James. After that, we headed straight to a food stall to have our breakfast and then purchased more food for our upcoming meals and the next day. We then went to McDonald's, where the driver of our rented elf cab was waiting for us.
But before anything else, let's take a look at Mier's big bananas hanging from his bag. HAHAHAHAHAHA.
Barangay Cabintan
Way before our major climb, I had already learned about the necessary preparations, such as attending a before-climb orientation, coordinating with the barangay's Tourism Center or the City Police, obtaining climbing permits, and hiring a professional guide, etc.. In our case, we visited Brgy. Cabintan's Tourism Center and had a brief orientation. We were also introduced to our two guides, Kuya Ferdinand and Kuya Jurry.
Mt. Janagdan and its Lake
From the staging area, we took first a group picture. Just don't mind the lady covering herself with a towel from the back (she maybe had her moment hihi). Look at that smiles on our faces, surely not tired yet but maybe soon hahaha.
Started around 9 AM, and while all the way to the summit, it was quite tiring because of its nonstop ascending terrain. And look at that burger steaks from Jollibee (that were trying to survive until lunch time hahaha). We just had our stops from time to time to catch our breath and to sip some water.
First summit down! We were finally at the summit of Mt. Janagdan, and I was excited because it meant we were almost at Lake Janagdan.
Look how beautiful the lake is. It is as peaceful as it appears in the photo and as vibrant as it is in person. Since we reached the lake at noon, we decided to take a break and eat our lunch as well. But before eating lunch, of course, we took some time to take pictures and videos, making sure that we'll capture enough memories of this amazing lake scenery.
After the not-so-long break, we started to descend from this Mt. Janagdan. As we were going down, this beautiful view, which is the triangular-shaped mountain Mt. Alto, became very visible and that amazed me. It made me excited to reach its summit the next day!
As soon as we reached the junction, everyone decided to call the driver of our service and asked if he could buy us some drinks (cold water, soft drinks, and the other kind of drink, you know what I mean, hahaha) because everyone was extremely thirsty. After the driver arrived, we grabbed all our bags and the drinks he bought and took an extended break.
Mt. Malingatong View Deck
Next mountain to climb! Around 2-3 PM, we started the journey to Mt. Malingatong. As we were ascending, we encountered this white soil or rocks (I'm not sure if it's sulfur or what). When we finally reached the view deck, I was literally mesmerized by its clear panoramic view, and once again, there's the beautiful perfect triangle of Mt. Alto!
We took advantage of the clear view and immediately took turns taking solo shots and then had group shots using the drone from one of our new mountaineering friends, Kuya Michael.
Due to lack of time, we weren't able to go to the summit of Mt. Malingatong. It was a majority decision, but we really insisted that if others wanted to go to the summit, they could go, but they would have likely reached the campsite probably around 8 pm or 9 pm. However, none of us pursued it.
So we all went ahead to the campsite and reached there around 6 pm. It was already dark, and it was raining, which made pitching our tents a challenge. But of course, we did overcome that trying time, hahaha. Thanks to Kuya James!
I guess this is it for this blog. I'll be sharing part 2 of our Ormoc Trilogy adventure soon because I've got to share my unforgettable Mt. Alto climb and what happened the rest of our night in the campsite.
Thank you for reading, everyone!
Let's keep exploring and enjoying life!
Hello there! I'm Danah, a Marketing Services Associate by profession. I'm an adventurous person, always seeking to discover new experiences and extract valuable life lessons from each of them. I'm passionate about dancing and performing on stages in front of the crowd. I thrive on exploring the great outdoors and capturing memories.
Join me on my adventures by reading and supporting my blogs. Don't forget to follow, upvote, and leave a comment to share your thoughts. Get in touch through my PeakD, YouTube, or Instagram. 🤍
What a great adventure! Those peaks are stunning and those views, WOW!
Cheers to many more adventure like this! 😊
Thank you, @delishtreats 😊
Nice one Dan! Excited for part 2 😊
Ayieeee, excited sad ko to share it here, ate @katiemeow ..😊
We do live in a stunningly beautiful world not so! What a privilege to have explored those mountains and the lake up close and personal. Enjoy your travels, and thank you for sharing it with us!
Congrats sa first major climb, Danah! Clearing dayon sa summit!
Lage ya ay, gidungog among pag ampo. Hehe Thank you, ya @iamcjestrada !!
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Congratulations to summit 3 peaks. I guess you will remember this trip forever. Nicely written and amazing photos.
Thank you so much, @himalayanwomb !
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Thank you, @pinmapple & kuya @ybanezkim26 !!
Yayyy congrats sa successful first major climb. Swerte kaayo sa clearing jud. 🥳😁
As in te .. happy jud kaayo ko ana♥️
Beautiful
Thank you😊
your post is extraordinary, you are a great adventurer. We, Indonesia also have high mountain peaks, it looks like you can try an adventure to Indonesia.
Awiee! Thank you, @hendriwardewa !
Yeah, I bet the mountains there are also very beautiful. I hope someday I'll get to visit there.😊
Wow, an amazing adventure for sure.
!luv
Yeah, it was! Thank you @vaipraonde 🤍
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What a beautiful places 🤩
Indeed! ♥️
Very pleasant trip, adventure on top of the mountain peaks has deep similarities, I like it very much, some mountain peaks look very beautiful. I have to admit that this was really a wonderful adventure.
I couldn't agree more. That's why I'm so grateful that I have the chance to pursue this kind of hobby. Thank you for stopping by, @furkanmamplam ♥️
$WINE
Thank you, @theguruasia !!!
Wow - what lovely scenery. It looks like you all had a great day out. And I totally loved that guys big bunch of bananas - thats the perfect thing to take on a hiking trip !
!HUG
I sent 1.0 HUG on behalf of @hoosie.
(2/3)
We really did! And yeah, bananas are the best on a hiking trip hehe.. Thank you for the HUG, @hoosie 😊♥️
Epic!
Thanks!!!
nice! Di ko pa natry maghike sa pinas. parang ang challenging ng magubat na trail tapos multiple peaks pa. for sure naubos agad yung saging 😆 congrats to your first major hike!!
Try mo mag hike dito sa pinas when u visit here. Hehe. And about sa saging, oo naubos agad HAHAHA
Anyway, thank you @krios003 !!😊
It sounds like your first major climb in Ormoc City was an unforgettable adventure! Climbing three mountains in one weekend, experiencing the beautiful landscapes and lakes, and making new friends must have been an incredible experience. I look forward to reading part 2 of your Ormoc Trilogy adventure to learn more about your climb to Mt. Alto and the rest of your night in the campsite. Keep exploring and enjoying life, and thank you for sharing your journey with us!
You're right.. It was really unforgettable.
You too, keep enjoying life!
Btw, thank you so much for stopping by♥️
Sounds like an amazing trip! I could almost feel the exhaustion and excitement as you described your climb. The camaraderie among your fellow climbers added a special touch to your experience. And also those pictures amazing, extremely freshly, impressive. Can't wait to hear about the rest of your Ormoc Trilogy Adventure!
Owww🥺 Thank you, @bugavi! I appreciate that..