Story and photos by Patrick Tulfo
WE don’t always get an invitation to climb a mountain where you have to go through deep canyons, steep and rough terrain like Mount Pulag, which is Luzon’s highest peak at 2,922 meters above sea level.
After all, climbing Mount Pulag has always been on the back of my mind, as I heard stories from friends of how beautiful it is up there. And knowing that we would be driving a very reliable and safe vehicle, I said yes immediately for this rare chance, when this scribe was invited by none other than Isuzu Philippines Corp. (IPC).
Our adventure started in the early morning of February 22, together with selected members of the media, most of whom had already joined this annual event of Isuzu. Meeting place was at the Petron station along North Luzon Expressway (Nlex) for breakfast. The comfy hiking shoes courtesy of Sandugo Philippines were also distributed there.
Driving to Baguio was a breeze aboard a convoy of the latest 3.0 variant of the D-Max mated to a 4JJ1-TC (HI) common-rail direct injection diesel engine with variable geometry system (VGS) that pumps out an impressive 163 horsepower and 380 N-m of maximum torque.
The powerful engine had no problem accelerating to legal speeds along Nlex all the way to the tail end of the relatively newly opened Tarlac, Pangasinan, La-Union Expressway. Things got a little more exciting for me, at least, when we entered Kennon Road, for it has been 15 years since the last time I went to the City of Pines.
But I still remember very well the dizzying stretch of this road like the back of my hand. The famous part of the Kennon Road is a steep ascent that has become somewhat of yardstick to measure the power of an engine.
Back in the 1990s, stories abound that drivers had to turn off their air-con to maximize the power of the engine to get over that particular bend. However, the D-Max didn’t encounter that problem when we reached those particular bends.
We arrived in Baguio a little past lunchtime. I was greeted by the familiar sight, although traffic was light as we came in on a regular day.
After a quick healthy lunch at the popular Café by the Ruins, we then proceeded to Hotel Le Monet inside Camp John Hay and we rested after dinner, which was held at the Baguio Country Club for our journey the following day.
IPC President Hajime Koso took the opportunity to thank the members of the media for joining the event. He also helped in handing out the gloves, as well as rain ponchos and other necessities that we needed during the climb.
Our route took around three-hour drive via Kabayan, Benguet, and Ambangeg/Babadac trail, which was said to be the fastest and easiest way to the summit of Pulag.
After the requisite registration at the Ranger Station, we then clambered aboard three D-Max pickups that were allowed to proceed further up the trail to carry first timers, like us, and supplies, as well. The dirt steep road was yet another way to showcase the 4×4 capabilities of the vehicles.
The trail going to the base camp, where we had set up our tents, was about 4-kilometer hike through different types of foliage that is unique to Pulag. And it’s surprising that it was rated easy by seasoned mountaineers on the Web when we were huffing and puffing all the way to the camp.
The camp itself is a sight to behold blessed with breathtaking views and cooler than expected temperature presented a lot of photo opportunities to budding photographers like me. The evening, however, was when we learned the painful truth that we were ill-prepared for the climb. Temperatures dropped to zero in the early morning, leaving most of us with chattering teeth. It was said that from the camp, it would only take us a mere 30-minute walk to reach the top, but it took us longer. We left the camp at 3 a.m. and reached the summit at 5 a.m. Just before the sun rose past 6 a.m., I have seen a sighting of probably one of the most spectacular views in the planet. It is definitely worth all the hardships that we all went through. The popular sea of clouds was definitely better seen in person than in pictures.
On our way back, me, my fellow writer Randy Peregrino, together with Koso-san as our passenger, got lost. What was thought to be a short route going down became an adventure of sort that tested once again the mettle of the D-Max. Despite getting lost and the long drive, the pickup gave us the utmost safety and comfort ride.