Mt. Naupa Y El Tequila
Our Mt Naupa climb was one of those events which was absolutely worth remembering and worth doing. As I write this, memories flash back one on top of the other. It was a short-notice hike with my pal, Kim, on a Wednesday afternoon of March. Prior to the climb, Kim made preparations for our food and other stuff such as cooking set, camping stove, tent, etc. I was shocked that she purchased some of the tools within 3 days before the trekk. Whew! Rich kid! Its you already! Hahahah.
The Travel Time
Straight from my Patag trekk, we headed to Naga where Mt. Naupa sits. It was an hour travel due to traffic as expected. We took the habal2 from Sitio Rikio to Cogon Church for nearly half an hour. The sun was about to go down when we reached the trail's starting point.
We asked some locals for directions and their kind enough to tell us where to go.
The Trail
We thought it would be an easy trail. It wasn't. Probably because I have no rest from my Negros travel and Kim just had her bag tried out for the first time. (Excuses!) Lol. Both of us carried a 35L backpack from BrownTrekker with a plastic bag for our food which added to the weight.
The first 10 minutes of the hike was no sweat, however, the rest made our tongues out due to the ascends.
Two of the local kids guided us going up and offered many times to bring our backpacks. We refused of course since they were thin and small. Its a shame for us and defeats the purpose of our climb. Nevertheless, the trekk took almost an hour due to short breaks. We arrive at the camping site at almost darkness. I took advantage of the sun settling down at the west. Beautiful colors of orange and red reflected the sky. Finally, we made it!
We immediately pitched Kim's Coleman tent and paid the kids. We were surprised that they asked for more than what we have given. Well, we just added a few bucks for the guide fee on top of the 20php entrance per pax. I imagined them going home with no lights handy so it was just right to pay them more.
The view and the cooking show
At last we made it to the top, enjoyed the wind streaking back n forth since there are no trees around the campsite. Citylights were visible in the eastern part but not as good as Sirao's. Still it was a great view from the top. The fact that it took us an hour to reach the site was already an accomplishment. Whew!
After a few minutes of rest, we cooked ramyeon and ate boiled eggs for dinner. The camping stove and cooking set were newly bought so we tried it out. Cooking in the mountains is more fun indeed!
El Tequila
Around 9pm the wind became gusty and icy. No other medicine can cure the coldness except Mojitos. Hehe. It was a challenge for me and Kim since we forgot to bring two important things: lemon and salt. Oh no! We were laughing hard when we began our tagay(drinking session). How to drink tequila with no chaser, eh? Such a lesson learned. But we had no choice cos its cold out there and we dont want to sleep that early.
After a couple of shots, its not that bad. We realized after series of conversation that we have drank 3/4 of the bottle. Unbelievable! But ultimately, we gave up since we felt the fiery effect and bitterness in our throats.. Good thing Not in our hearts! Hahahaha! Kidding aside, we decided to have our lights off at 12midnight.
Morning came, Mr. Sunshine didnt show up due to clouds covering the sky. Kim prepared our breakfast and the dogs came over when they smelled the cooked spam.
From afar Naupa peak is visible with its cone-like shape. We decided not to go there since it would take approximately 20 minutes to reach the peak. Due to time limitation, we just took some pictures of it before we went back to the city proper.
Final Say
In a nutshell, Mt Naupa is good for cardio, leg and arm workout. It's pretty much a starter for hikers like us who'd want to climb higher mountains.. in the future. Hehe. Mt Naupa from the word naupaw meaning bald, just describes the area by the name itself. When you look around, you'd see some parts of the hills were excavated. Personally, it's sad that the natural view of the mountain was not preserved. Anyway, they may have their own reasons for permitting the excavation. But I am not in the position to criticize such activity. Overall, Kim and I placed a checkmark for this unforgettable adventure. We are looking forward for more. Next on the list is Mt. Pulag. Lol!
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