Date of travel: August 17, 2008
I have been wanting to go to Pinatubo. I knew some people who has been there and they said that it is really a nice place to go to. Intrigued by what lies in a place where a volcano violently erupted before…I decided to join a trip of 24 people going to Pinatubo’s crater lake. Excitement filled me up as the day of our trek comes closer. I read blogs about trekking Pinatubo so I will have an idea of what I will be facing but no amount of blog reading prepared me for it. Well, I thought it will be relatively easy compared to mountain climbing as the terrain is different…mostly flat and not inclined as when climbing. But the flat terrain was not ‘just flat’…it was wet, rocky, and soooo long. It took us more than 2 hours to reach the crater. That is the trek only.
We met at Makati early in the morning and departed at 2:30 am going to Capas, Tarlac.  We stopped for 30 minutes at NLEX to eat breakfast and to buy lunch food. We arrived on time before sunrise and registered (travel agency did it- we actually just alighted from the van and transferred to the 4×4s).
This is actually the cool and exciting part of the trip. The 4×4 ride! It was fast. It was bumpy. And yes, it was wet!
It was fun seeing the 4×4 traverse the rocky wide terrain of ashland. :) There were a couple of 4×4s that got stuck in the road that had to be pulled by another 4×4 vehicle. This is because the road was a lot wet and there were parts where it seems like we are crossing shallow rivers. The 4×4s make their own paths. It’s all up to the gut feeling of the driver. It’s like-Uhmmm….where should I go? Let’s try it here. haha! Actually, the 4×4 drivers are familiar with the terrain already so we can call them experts on this.
These are like giant toblerones. Well, it is a green toblerone. haha! I think it looks more like a chocolate toblerone during summer. It is grassy since it is the rainy season.
We stopped here for photo opportunities. Everybody was all smiles. And that did not last.
Norbert’s problem: His rubber shoes…will it survive this trek?
That is all sand behind me.
See that girl jumping with glee? That is her last jump. :)
I feel so small in this world of huge sand formations.
Start of trek.
The Spanish trekkers who got ahead of us were prepared. They were boot type trekking shoes.
Norbert’s shoes are now drenched.
We were quite ahead of our group. Actually, 5 were ahead of us. So, we’re really in the middle.
There were parts where the water is rushing hard. The water is shallow but don’t undermine it’s strength. We had to hold hands a couple of times so as not to be washed away by the water. haha! No, kidding only. You’ll not be washed away…but you’ll definitely lose your balance and fall.
My choice of footwear was also bad. This is for the beach only! I should have worn my mojos. The small stones that are sharp kept on going inside, pokingthe soles of my feet. I had to wear socks to protect my feet from those rocks! And even when I wore socks, it still was painful. The sand went inside the socks.
I was not yet tires here, that is why I’m still smiling.
See the rocks? It was like playing patintero, crossing these paths.
That wooden stick was a big help.
Time for a break. Actually, I was not yet tired here but my companion is. haha! The weather was not hot. The sky was cloudy. There were no shade provided by any tree but the sun was hiding behind clouds.
A nice sand formation.
Literally a wall of sand. Trekkers are advised not to walk near the sides as these sand walls easily falls. We actually saw a small part of a sand wall go down.
Spotted a mini-waterfalls. :)
The water suddenly gushes here. It is deceiving.
The path is narrow here. There are already plants and the rocks are big.
When you see this stairway going up, it means that you are near. But this is like the hardest part…after 2 hours of walking, it feels like you don’t have to energy to climb these steps. The trek is really a test of endurance.
This is what we wanted to see. Yes, finally… Pinatubo.
I can finally say that I was here! I have crossed-out Pinatubo in my list of places to go. Will I go here again? Uhmm…maybe when the skyway (short cut) is passable again. :)
Norbert was happy. :)
I was happy!
Oops…the agaony doesn’t stop when you finally see the crater lake. To be able to dip in the water and really see it up close, you must go down huge slabs of rocks made into stairs.
The pimples on our face were not cured by the sulfuric water. Only because we did not swim! Yes, we did not. Though I dipped my feet in the water. :) It was not warm as they say. Maybe because it was the rainy season. The water is also not a shade of blue. It was more of green.
See that cloud behind us? Yes, that cloud fell down as rain. Cold!
No pictures going back to the waiting 4×4 vehicles.
The mindset was – let’s get over this. I want this to be finally over!
And I smiled sitting on top of our ride. Finally, it was over!
I was so tired that I fell asleep during the bumpy ride back to the town. I was a few times awakened when my head bumps on the sides of our ride.