I should be in Baler riding 4-6ft waves that day but because of my good friend’s invitation for a day hike to Pico de Loro I found myself on board a car going to Maragondon, Cavite to hike not only with THE Pinoy Mountaineer but also with the stars of GMA 7- Sheena Halili, Gwen Zamora and Luis Alandy not to mention of course the hardcore mountaineers Koi and Daryl.
Very rarely that I choose hiking over surfing and it was really surprising that I got stoked while on the trails and even heading back home so instead of sharing three photos like the past quickies, allow me to share six photos from our climb yesterday- September 25, 2013.
Known as the Monolith or Torre, Pico de Loro’s icon should always be on everyone’s SD card before one gets down the mountain. I chose this almost blurry photo to highlight the changing conditions of the mountains. I always see this rock section on a clear day with Batangas on the background but yesterday it was all clouds. You see hiking like life it is not all sunny day and you have to enjoy what life offers you even if it is all gloom and rain.
The hike group at the summit of Pico de Loro, thankfully my 8th peak. Double stoked because I hiked with the stars- (L to R up- Daryl, Koi the great, Luis Alandy and Japs; L to R down- the beautiful Gwen Zamora, THE Pinoy Mountaineer himself, Gideon and the bubbly Sheena Halili)
So how’s the hike? It was a cool and chill hike even Mama Mary can summit the peak and the beak. LOL. I like details and one would definitely notice this statue of the Virgin Mary at the Monolith with various bracelets, amulets, even candy and coins. I don’t know but mountains for most Filipinos have a spiritual importance. Represented here are some religions- Buddhism, Rastafarianism, Catholicism and Materialism.
Now the ff three are with the stars we climbed with. Mad props to Luis Alandy, Sheena Halili and especially to Gwen Zamora who climbed her first legit mountain.
Daryl, Koi and Luis at the Monolith’s top. Daryl and Koi just followed after we already hiked an hour. Koi biked form BGC then ran to meet us at Camp Site 1, Daryl followed after 20 minutes running and full of adrenaline. Luis was the one who got to the summit first, very friendly guy. It was nice to share the mountain with you guys!
Gideon was the organizer of this hike and as always, I give my snappy salute to this mountaineer for being prepared and decisive all throughout the hike. Sheena Halili is a strong hiker, she enjoyed the hike even with the weather condition, came prepared. She wanted to go to the Monolith but thought it would be better to stay at the summit. Safety first. Until our next hike guys!
When Gideon invited me to hike with him, I didn’t know that we will hike with the artistas. For someone who has stopped watching TV since 5 years ago (except for news), I was embarrassed that Gwen is an artista. The moment I learned that she’s on BubbleGang, I immediately asked for a photo with her. Hey Gwen, hope you would hike with us again and prepare a joke for us na ha.
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Special thanks to the Pinoy Mountaineer’s Gideon for inviting me on this hike. You can check Pinoy Mountaineer’s guide and itinerary if you want to summit Mt. Pico de Loro at Cavite.
Coordinates: 14°12’33.71″N, 120°38’44.97″E
Date: September 25, 2013
Quickie Section is my shortest blog feature where I just post 3 photos with a short caption or a snippet. Made especially for those who don’t want to read.
Cute naman, James!
Despite Pico de Loro being so close to where I am here in Kawit, I just never thought of hiking it. That’s why I always seem to love posts about it.
Maybe in a year, when my cardio is back up to what it was pre-baby times. hahaha.
yep, practice muna. the trail is kinda easy but long
Wow! It must have been a very great experience climbing this magnificent mountain. I haven’t heard of Mt. Pico de Loro before. Thanks for sharing this adventure. It has been my long time dream to do hiking too.
hope you can climb it too
Wow! The place really looks magnificent. I love mountain climbing too. It’s a great experienc. Being able to climb to the top is very fulfilling.
Hello there! ask ko lang po kung na try nyo pong umakyat sa monolith? is yes, mahirap po ba talaga and need an extra rope as stated sa ibang blogs? thanks!
Hi. Paano po pumunta sa pico de loro from Manila?
Hi Sir James! was too inspired reading your blog. 🙂 i swear. i started my trek with my friends at Pico last April 12, 2014. Well, definitely it was a perfect experience for me. The view from the summit was priceless. But unfortunately, i haven’t tried the monolith. Actually malakas loob ko nung una but when i saw it personally, okay oopss next time na lang siguro! it was my first hike ever (except from my outbound trips at banahaw and makiling) i will try monolith next time. was just curious, gaano nga ba kahirap umakyat sa monolith? kaya naman yata ng girls? haha anyway, thanks for sharing your experiences here. keep it going. 🙂 Would loved to read a lot of stories from you. 🙂
Regards,
MIlet