It was a busy week of training. I felt tired. I felt drained. I felt weak if I stayed home. That night, I packed my things up, woke up early, and took a jeep to Tanay, Rizal. I believe one effective way to cure this kind of feeling is to hike a mountain. There, you’d forget everything except that feeling of happiness inside. I’ve been to several hikes before, but this was my first time doing it solo. Scary as it is, but 100% doable. There are lots of good people on earth; carefully pick those whom you can trust if you need help along the way. Feel the positive vibrations and follow your instinct. Let's go!
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Start Early
I started my day as early as 4am. Quickly washed up and found myself on the highway waving a jeepney going to Tanay, Rizal, an hour of travel from SM East Ortigas (Ortigas Extension, Pasig). I couldn’t control my excitement even if I was still in the jeepney. My eyes were focused on the mountain on the roadside. I was so fascinated with its beauty and very excited to get to the summit. I alighted at Jollibee and walked to the public market in Tanay. There, you can find the terminal of Jeepneys going to Sampaloc. You can take these jeepneys and alight in Sampaloc for a Php 28 fare, but you may need to wait to fill up the entire jeepney with passengers, around 45 minutes of travel.
Take a Tricycle Ride
From Sampaloc, you can then hire a tricycle to go to Daraitan Brgy Hall for Php 150 (solo fare). This marks the jump-off area of your trek where you need to register and secure a guide. There are standby guides, so no need to worry. The waiting time for the jeepney to fill up may eat up a lot of your time. Another option is to hire a tricycle in Tanay Public Market to go directly to Daraitan Brgy Hall for Php 500, good for 5 pax, and Php 300 for a solo rider. But make sure you have negotiated well with your driver that you're up to Daraitan’s Brgy Hall because another driver will just drop you off at Daraitan crossing and let you ride another tricycle towards the jump-off area. That will double your cost.
Rough Roads Ahead
Also, please take note that the way to Daraitan is a rough road, it requires more robust motors to take you up there upon arriving at the Brgy. Hall, head directly to the registration area and pay for the guide (Php 500/group, max of 5 hikers) plus an environmental fee (Php 100/head).
Hike to the Summit
Around 7:30 am, I started my hike to the summit with my friendly guide. The perks of traveling solo are that you can have all the time you want. You can walk so fast or you can walk so slow; nobody will care about your pace. A usual hike to the summit and back to the jump-off point will take 6-8 hours.
Bring Food
Some hikers will bring food and have their lunch up there. Since I was unprepared, I grabbed some snacks before starting my hike. The trail was not so difficult or easy, either, with a rating of 4/10. The trail was rocky, which makes it difficult when wet, as it becomes slippery. It is advisable to wear rubber shoes when you hike. Others don’t wear proper footwear, but it's easier if you do. Upon reaching the summit to enjoy the view, I was very lucky that time because the rainbow came out just in time when I arrived and was gone when I had finished taking pictures. Amazing, wasn’t it? Maybe it’s a way of saying that more rainbows are waiting for me at the top of other mountains. What I need to do is to conquer those mountains.
Descend Down
After the summit, we started to descend towards the Tinipak River, and if you like, you can swim down there. Tinipak River is a camping ground for those who would like to stay overnight. The view there is also amazing, with the view of all the rock formations and the mountains in its background. It is a good way of cooling yourself from the heat of the sun. I finished my hike around 12 noon, just in time to have lunch.
Traveling solo is risky and requires enough bravery to face whatever is on your way. It is always necessary to be vigilant and sensitive to your surroundings. But the feeling of fulfilment, once you’re done with it, is addictive - that the next day you’ll find yourself searching for another place to explore. There’s nothing wrong with it as long as you know your limits.
Here’s the breakdown of my budget: (From Ortigas Extension)
- Php 47 – Jeepney fare to Tanay, Rizal (Starting point of these jeepneys is Starmall EDSA)
- Php 300 – Tricycle fare from Tanay Public Market to Daraitan Brgy. Hall
- Php 100 – Environmental Fee
- Php 500 – Guide fee
- Php 20 – Tinipak River entrance
- Php 40 – Snacks
- Php 20 – Shower fee
- Php 150 – Motorcycle from Daraitan Brgy Hall to Sampaloc
- Php 28 – Jeepney fare from Sampaloc to Tanay
- Php 47 – Jeepney fare from Tanay to SM East Ortigas
- Php 100 – Lunch
- Php 1352 – Total budget for solo hikers
- (Php 700 – for a group of 5 pax)
Cheers!
Have fun and be safe ^__^
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