13th Hike: Mount Arayat - South Peak

Hiking Leaf # 13: Arayat-Southpeak Day hike


I still had my hangover from my overnight hike at BDT, so I looked for another mountain to climb before the end of May. Luckily, Jaypee also invited me to climb. We found an event climb at Mount Arayat, so we decided to join that instead. On the day of the hike, many participants backed out from the Arayat event, which was disappointing for the organiser who had set up the event, but in the end, all other participants backed out. It was amazing that the organiser still proceeded with the event even though only three of us were left in the group.

At 4:00 am, JP and I arrived in Cubao to wait for another companion. At 4:30 am, we travelled to Dau via bus. By 6:00 am, we reached Dau Terminal where Dennis (the Organiser) was waiting for us, and we immediately hopped into his car and headed straight to the jump-off point of Arayat. There were only five of us in the group, including Dennis' friend.

At 7:20 am, we reached the Jump-off point. We secured a guide, registered, and had a brief orientation. Since we started late, which should have been early in the morning, we decided to just climb the South Peak. At 7:40, we started the trek. The sun was scorching, so we really felt the heat while ascending. There were also times when we stopped to rest. I also drank my water because of the heat.



 After almost an hour of walking, we were just starting the Unli-assault trail of Arayat. Fortunately, this area was wooded, so the ascent was not too difficult. We also encountered other hikers along the way. Exactly at 9:00 am, we reached the view-deck where you could see a wide view. We rested here for a while. We also came across a group resting here, seeming like a family together. What was even more surprising was that, aside from having children with them, they also had a 70-year-old grandmother with them. We learned that it was their yearly pledge to climb Arayat, so they did it as a family. The grandmother was strong because the assault trail of Arayat is no joke. We soon resumed our trek.



At 10:30 am, we reached the South Peak summit of Arayat. There was no view at the summit, but there was a spot where you could see the pinnacle peak of Arayat. The group took pictures and then rested. We also encountered other hikers at the summit who even offered us some of their extra food. At 11:00 am, we started our descent back to the Jump-off point. Because the descent was quick and continuous, we were able to return to the Jump-off point in just an hour. Due to the intense heat on the trail, JP and I had several soft drinks to refresh ourselves. Since we didn't see any bathing facilities at the Jump-off point, we made a side trip to a nearby Hot spring to bathe and refresh ourselves.


It was already evening when we returned to Manila. JP and I promised to come back to Arayat and try conquering the famous QuadPeak itself when we return.


ACTUAL ITINERARY:

4:00 AM        Meetup with JP & Leona @ cubao
4:30 AM        ATD going to Dau
6:00 AM        ATA Dau Terminal, pickup by Dennis
7:20 AM        ATA Jumpoff Mt. Arayat, register
7:40 AM        Start of Trekk
8:10 AM        Start of Assault Trail
9:00 AM        Viewdeck, rest
10:30 AM       South Peak summit, lunch & rest
11:00 AM       Start descent
12:00 PM       Jumpoff, rest, chitchat
1:00 PM        ATD going to Hotspring
3:00 PM        ATD going to Dau, lunch @ Inasal
5:00 PM        ATD going back to Manila
7:00 PM        ATA manila

Date of hike:
May 24, 2018

13th hike (my 6th major)

My 22nd mountain
Mt. Arayat - South Peak (1,026+ masl)

Major Hike


Event organiser/group:
Dennis

Location: Mt. Arayat, Arayat, Pampanga, Philippines

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