8th Hike: Mascap Trilogy
Hiking Leaf # 8: Trilogy hike Returns!
My schedule for this month changed because my rest day fell on a Sunday, making it easier to head back to the mountains! Fortunately, I was also invited to an event called the "Mascap Trilogy". It involves three mountains, which is exciting, although I initially thought that some peaks in that trilogy were just peaks, I still committed to their event.
I invited my friend Mary Rose (whom I hiked with at Mount Sawi) to join me for this event, and we met in Aurora, Cubao. I also invited others to join, including Edlen (my colleague and companion in Batulao), her sister Ella, Ken (my companion during Montalban Trilogy V1) and four more of her friends. We went straight to the meet-up point, McDonald's on Aurora Blvd. Some of the joiners were already there, and as far as I knew, we had 2 vans for this event!
Exactly at 1:00 am, we departed for Rizal. I fell asleep during the journey to catch up on rest because I came from work. Around 3:00 am, we arrived at Brgy. Mascap, unlike the jump-off in Rodriguez, the stores were still closed when we got there. We stayed there while waiting for our guides. It was also an opportunity for us to have breakfast before starting the climb.
Orientation before the start of hike
At 4:00 am, Ms. Lea (TAMAD PH HIKERS) gathered all of us for orientation and some reminders, along with our five guides (because we were a large group). Ms. Lea also organized our formation, and my companions and I decided to stay in the middle for a more leisurely pace before we started on the trail. Mount Ayaas was said to be our first peak to climb, the highest in the Mascap Trilogy.
The initial part of the trail was paved road, and it was still dark, so I couldn't see my surroundings clearly, but we passed by some houses. After about half an hour, the trail became forested, and we even crossed a small stream. There were some uphill parts, but you could find something to hold onto. After almost an hour of walking, as the sky began to brighten, we reached a transmission tower where we decided to take a 5-minute break because the trail was about to get steeper. We also encountered another group doing their Undecalogy hike, and I was amazed to see that they had children with them.
We resumed the trail, and according to our guide, it would take another 30 minutes to reach the summit. The trail to Ayaas was an assault and somewhat narrow. There were times when I encouraged some of my companions to continue and ascend because I could sense their fatigue. After a few minutes, we reached the view deck of Ayaas, where you could see the sea of clouds, Binacayan and Pamitinan, and even the Sierra Madre mountains! We continued on the trail until we reached the summit of Ayaas. The best part was that we witnessed the sunrise from there!
Best view while ascent
Sea of Clouds
We spent some time here taking pictures, with most of us doing daring poses at the famous tree on Ayaas!
Ms. Analyn (Coor), Rose and Me
Ella, Edlen and Me
Me with Ken's group
Over looking the vast Sierra Madre mountains
Group Picture sa Ayaas
After everyone had their pictures taken and we had a group photo, we decided to descend towards Espadang Bato. We took the backtrail route. My companions and I took a break at a hut before the junction; some of us ate and rested. Here, Edlen and Ella decided to stay behind (which I shouldn't have allowed, and I should have waited for them) because they were still very tired. They mentioned that they would just join the sweeper team, led by Ms. Lea.
We reached the junction and rested a bit to wait for the sweeper team to find out if Edlen and Ella were with them. We waited for quite some time and then resumed on the trail. We took a different route towards Espadang Bato, and this part was quite overgrown. I started to worry about Edlen and Ella because I wasn't sure if they had joined Ms. Lea's sweeper team. I was concerned they might have gone straight back to the pave-road and gotten lost. These thoughts troubled me on the trail, making me quite uneasy.
Ken's group was in the lead, and I felt reassured that they were with their team. When we reached the hut before the assault part of Espadang Bato, I instructed our guide to radio the sweeper team to check if the siblings were with them. The radio frequency was weak, so they couldn't communicate, which added to my worry. We took a break and waited for news. Eventually, the guide informed me that the siblings were indeed with the sweeper team, which relieved my anxiety, so I invited them to continue the trek.
The trail going up Espadang Bato became an assault trail and became rocky as well. There was also a bamboo forest here all the way to the peak of Espadang Bato. The rocks here were sharp, and you really had to hold onto them. Upon reaching Espadang Bato, some of them started taking pictures while I was still thinking about the siblings. Shortly after, they arrived, and I felt relieved. We also took a group picture there.
We resumed the trek towards Sipit Ulang, and at this point, I acted as the sweeper for our group and accompanied the siblings. We took a shortcut towards Sipit Ulang, and we went through a very long walk. Here, an unexpected event occurred in my mountaineering life. Since the trail was downhill, I have the habit of looking for alternative paths to move forward on the trail. I grabbed a branch to help me descend, but it suddenly broke, causing me to lose my balance and fall downward. As the path was descending, I continued to fall uncontrollably, and our guide caught me, to stop me from falling further. We tumbled down several times until I grabbed onto a thick bamboo to prevent us from continuing to fall. My companions were surprised and worried about what happened, and I was truly shocked and laughed (but deep inside, I was very nervous and concerned about the incident). I apologized to my companions and especially to our guide who caught me. I will never forget that event in my entire life and in my mountaineering journey.
Ken's group was in the lead, and I felt reassured that they were with their team. When we reached the hut before the assault part of Espadang Bato, I instructed our guide to radio the sweeper team to check if the siblings were with them. The radio frequency was weak, so they couldn't communicate, which added to my worry. We took a break and waited for news. Eventually, the guide informed me that the siblings were indeed with the sweeper team, which relieved my anxiety, so I invited them to continue the trek.
Bamboo Forest
Group picture at Espadang Bato
Our five fantastic tour guides
The trail going up Espadang Bato became an assault trail and became rocky as well. There was also a bamboo forest here all the way to the peak of Espadang Bato. The rocks here were sharp, and you really had to hold onto them. Upon reaching Espadang Bato, some of them started taking pictures while I was still thinking about the siblings. Shortly after, they arrived, and I felt relieved. We also took a group picture there.
We resumed the trek towards Sipit Ulang, and at this point, I acted as the sweeper for our group and accompanied the siblings. We took a shortcut towards Sipit Ulang, and we went through a very long walk. Here, an unexpected event occurred in my mountaineering life. Since the trail was downhill, I have the habit of looking for alternative paths to move forward on the trail. I grabbed a branch to help me descend, but it suddenly broke, causing me to lose my balance and fall downward. As the path was descending, I continued to fall uncontrollably, and our guide caught me, to stop me from falling further. We tumbled down several times until I grabbed onto a thick bamboo to prevent us from continuing to fall. My companions were surprised and worried about what happened, and I was truly shocked and laughed (but deep inside, I was very nervous and concerned about the incident). I apologized to my companions and especially to our guide who caught me. I will never forget that event in my entire life and in my mountaineering journey.
Ayaas (L) and Espadang Bato (R)
We were hit hard by the intensity of the sun on the trail, which further emphasized our fatigue. As we continued walking, I noticed that the trail seemed familiar, and I confirmed this when we reached the main road where we had passed through from the jump-off point. We continued walking until we reached the junction leading to Sipit Ulang. Edlen and Ella were hungry, so they invited our other guide to accompany them back to the jump-off point to have lunch. I didn't join them, and Rose and I continued towards Sipit Ulang because we were only 30 minutes away from the third mountain peak.
The trail towards Sipit Ulang was easy, and you could see small caves and rock formations along the trail. After a few minutes, we reached the peak of Sipit Ulang. We rested at a bamboo-made resting place with a beautiful view. From there, you could see Pamitinan, Binacayan, and Hapunang Banoi. We had our lunch there. After a few more minutes, Edlen and Ella arrived, and I was surprised because I thought they wouldn't continue. I also took a picture at the rock formation of Sipit Ulang, but I didn't attempt to climb to the very top due to its steepness.
Selfie at Sipit Ulang Rock formation
Me, Badet and Ken
Manong guide who saved me
(L-R: Haponang Banoi, Pamitinan and Binicayan)
Date of Hike:
February 11, 2018
8th hike
My 10th - 12th mountains
Mascap Trilogy
Mt. Ayaas (627+ masl)
Espadang Bato (455+ masl)
Mt. Sipit-Ulang (252+ masl)
Minor Hike
Jump-off:
Brgy. Mascap, Rodriguez, Rizal
Event organiser/group:
Ms. Lea Tambalque of TAMAD PH Hikers
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