Mt. Batolusong

After two months of rest from trekking came my much awaited... Independence Day! And in this day of celebrating our national freedom, my feet led me to the peak of Mt. Batolusong in Tanay, Rizal.

The jump off to Mt. Batolusong is found within Bgy. San Andres where you can register at the barangay hall. There are plenty of sari sari stores at the barangay but they only sell chips and other junk foods. One, however, sells pancit and we treated ourselves with their special pancit bihon with homemade kikiam before the hike.

And because we did not prepare any lunch, we bought more pancit for take out and 1 box of hopia as our trail food. The single serving of pancit is good for two people and we didn't know that so yeah, madami kaming pancit.

A little before noon that day, we began our trek. My friend, with my favorite hiking buddy and I offered a prayer, thanking God for the pleasant weather and asking for guidance.

On the way, you will pass by rice fields before the trail gets uphill.

For a few months, I wasn't able to exercise regularly because of my injured legs and therefore, the walk made me a little tired. To make things worse, the taste of the pancit remained in my taste buds the whole time.

Along the trail are little surprises in the form of flowers.

The first water source is where we took large sips of water to refresh ourselves. Nothing beats cold water during a hgh noon. 

By lunchtime, we arrived at the Duhatan Ridge. Time for lunch but... NO, the pancit we bought was so much less appealing by this time despite our hunger. We ate our biscuits and hopia instead for lunch. We also had our rest while in the ridge.

We then headed onwards to the Mapatag Plateu, from where the view was beautiful.

The scenic view from Mapatag Plateu. Campers can pitch their tents here at the plateu for their night camp. The plateu and the Duhatan Ridge can both serve as campsites. They say campers can have a magnificent view of a sea of clouds early in the morning.

  

From the plateu, we made our way to Rangyas Peak.

Arriving at Rangyas Peak, we were greeted by this flag.

View from Rangyas Peak.

On our descent, we chose the trail towards the Kay-Ibon Falls.

When we arrived at the falls, there were numerous hikers and we didn't get a chance to enjoy the falls by ourselves. From the falls, the way out will lead you straight to the highway and from there you can ride the jeepney going back to Cogeo. It is recommended to hire a tricycle driver who can wait for you at the highway after the hike to send you back to barangay San Andres. Just a note for dayhikers, jeepneys going to Cogeo is only until 7pm.

The view was worth it and the three of us definitely enjoyed the trek to the mountain after a few months of rest. It was truly a well-spent holiday ;)

  

Hiking is one thing I consider my break from work and I thank the Lord always for all His wonderful creations that I get to see every once in a while and the more I get to do this makes me feel more at peace. 

MT. BATOLUSONG
Tanay, Rizal
Major jumpoff: Brgy. San Andres, Tanay, Rizal*
LLA: 645 MASL / 780 MASL
Days required / Hours to destination: 1 day /1.5h (Mapatag); 3-4 (Susong Dalaga Peak)
Specs: Minor climb, Difficulty 3/9, Trail class 1-3
Features: Grassland slopes, views of Laguna, Rizal, and Quezon