The Unplanned Mt. Matutum Climb

(photocredits: Eayore Torres)

Mt. Matutum has always been a mainstayer in my Wanna Climb List.  For several times, I wanted to include it in my Climb schedules, but advisories warning about impending volcanic activities hindered it.

(photocredits to the owner of the photo; sorry i couldnt trace who)

Unexpectedly, an unexpected someone made it happen.  In the last week of February, I got a directive to participate in a GAD forum in Cotabato City so I requested Eayore Torres to check if we could do a quick dayhike to Sanchez Peak; the other alternative, Mt. Parker was  at that time not open for climbs because there would be a Trail Run on March 5-6.

Eayore's fraternity brother Cotabato-based Carl Hofi gladly volunteered to give us complete information regarding Sanchez Peak. Including the info that it would be very very hot there, because Gen San is notoriously known to be the hottest spot (it’s nearest the equator, next to Tawi Tawi).

Few days before the Sanchez Peak Climb, Carl created an event page surprisingly entitled Matutum Climb!!! Wow!!! He decided that instead of Sanchez Peak, why not Matutum?? Perfect decision, we were so happy!  I didn’t expect it at all because there were previous advisories that Matutum was active. (actually, it is.)

To add to the excitement, the initially 4 participants became 10. Then to complete the happiness, my son Kyle and his girlfriend Ellarie (my default Mindanao climb buddies) also decided to join.  So then, there were 12!!!

As if the happiness overload wasn’t enough, Atty. Dukes (our transport magnate during our first Apo climb) also volunteered again to provide us with our much-needed rides from Cotabato to Kablon jump-off.  So what more could we ask for?? It was a climb made in heaven.  (feeling thankful) :D 

Day 1 March 5, 2016

We set off before sunrise.  The trip to Tupi gave us fantastic “blue hour” dawn views of Maguindanao and South Cotabato. 

We dropped by Koranadal (Marbel) City for our carbo-loading breakfast and also our packed lunch at a Balbacua Resto… Nom nom nom!!!  Clang also bought insulators insecure and envious of ours hahaha!!

After picking up Guides Yohan and Jay-Ar from the Tupi Municipal Hall, 

we passed thru a vast dust-foggy pineapple desert-like farm that seemed to cover the entire foot of Mt. Matutum like a giant carpet.  It was sooooooooo dusty. The sight gave me that cowboy feeling; that scene from Zoro who suddenly appears thru a dust cloud out of nowhere. Tonio, Elli, Carl, Yohan and Jay-Ar who sat at the back of the pick-up had an early morning bath of sandy dust.  

When we dropped by the DENR office, we were greeted by a zoomed-in view of Mt. Matutum which looked so tiny and cute from the highway but now looked so huge, like a monster that wanted to swallow us up! I was starting to realize that the 1,300 altitude gain we were about to hurdle wouldn’t be easy…

After logging-in at the DENR office, securing porters from Kablon and saying our empowering prayer, we kicked off at 9:45am.

Yes, it was already intensely hot.  After the Glandang Elementary School, we found ourselves in an open vegetable field.  The scorching heat gave us our opening salvo shock.  Ellarie, whose last climb was Apo, in November of 2014, almost fainted because of the heat. 

maintaining that poise even if she was about to faint

Soon, we reached the foot of the mountain, the site of the only water source. Thankfully, it was the start of the shady area. 

After one hour, we reached the start of Phase 1.  We ate lunch there.

Carl set 12:30n as our resumption.  We had to abide.  I estimated that for our sub-group (the elder ones), we might reach the summit after sunset so I started to inventory our headlamps.

Phase 1 was manageable.  I enjoyed this part of the hike because well, it was a hike, literally.  I still had the energy to enjoy the flora and the huge trees.

So in no time, we reached the open area that marked the start of Phase 2. 

From my researches, I knew Phase 2 would be a continuous cruel 75° - 85° assault.  I was mentally prepared for it.  However, my body was not.  So when my incidental buddy Guide Jay-Ar and I started navigating thru Phase 2, my pace gradually became slower.  Luckily, Jay-Ar was a very jolly companion.  He also had a quick eye for beautiful flowers.  Instantly, he became my spotter for flowers, and sometimes, photographer (because he had to reach for flowers that are in the ravines hehe I couldn’t do that!)  So the supposed difficulty was mitigated.  

most of Phase 2's trails were this steep

from 1900masl up to the summit 2286masl, the forest gradually morphed into a beautiful mossy forest

When we reached that vantage spot where we had a good view of the sunset, I started to worry for Eayore who was about 30 minutes behind us. 

I consoled myself by thinking that Tonio and Yohan were with her and they would take care of her.  I also thought that the first group (Carl, Maz, Elli, Clang and the rest of the hyper gurlz were by that time already at the summit)  Every after 15 minutes, I glanced at my altimeter and it was a painful sight: 1800MASL…. 1820….1880… 1940….1990…. 2020….2070… it was so difficult to reach 2200!!! And it was fast getting dark, and my energy was fast discharging as well!! My excitement to see the mossy forest was prevailed upon by my anxiety and exhaustion.  It got darker… darker… and darkest!! When it was dark, we finally reached the summit!!! It was 6:08pm Yeyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy !!!! Jay-Ar was leading me to the campsite but I said, I wanted to set foot at the “plaza” (that cemented platform I saw in the blogs.) (at the time of this writing, I still didn't have the time to transfer the pictures from my other camera; my cellphone got discharged before we reached the summit; hence no pictures of the "plaza")

When I reached the campsite, I had to spearhead the pitching of our tents with Kyle and Ellarie.  I also had to ask Kyle to do the cooking because my legs wanted to celebrate my success by giving me that classic cramp! Oooouch !!!

Meanwhile, as he promised, Jay-Ar thoughtfully went back for Eayore.  I sent her jackets because I knew that the cold is her number 1 enemy.  Thru their two-way radio, Carl and Elli monitored that Eayore, Tonio and Yohan were still at 2100masl.  At 7:30pm, they arrived.  The warm soup was waiting for them so Eayore immediately recovered.  We cooked and had dinner soonest and were ready to hit the warm tent bed after giving the tent-less porters our emergency blankets and garbage bags.  As usual, I was the anti-social or shall I say under-social because I didn’t have the energy to drink and socialize.  Pardon me please.  Tanders na.  Jay-Ar set our wake-up call time at 5:30am.  We had to do a 15-minute hike to Peak 3, the only place where we could have a 360° view of Southern Mindanao.

The shower that chilled us at past midnight started to dampen our hopes for what we were hoping to be an Instagrammable sunrise and sea of clouds.  But I psyched myself, the most beautiful mountains like Apo, Guiting-Guiting, Banahaw and Pulag have their own weather system that is unique and peculiar only to each of them.  So I just had to trust that Matutum with its own mind, would be generous to us.  I peacefully slept again, clinging on to that faith.

Day 2 March 6, 2016

What sounded like skirmishes outside our tent woke me up at 4am.  When I got up to check what it was, I saw the 3 porters shivering in the dark.  I immediately lit our stove to make coffee for them, for us.  It took several attempts to light it up.  It was frozen.  At 4:30 the 3 porters and I were warming ourselves up and enjoying our coffee.  One by one, the rest of the group emerged out from their tents and by 5:30 we were ready to hit the trails for Peak 3.  Except for my son Kyle and Tonio who preferred to enjoy their luxurious sleep, we set off for Peak 3 thru the thick fog that created a surreal atmosphere thru the mossy forest. 

We reached Peak 3 after 20 minutes.  Its flat surface was only about 7 by 4 meters, so we had to squeeze ourselves in like canned sardines.  It was still foggy tho the sun has already risen … Sigh.... There was no clearing at all!  But because we spent efforts to go there, we all were still on a festive mood.  We celebrated success by taking pictures left and right, up and down, this corner that corner, with the flagpole, with that plant, solo, couple, trio, groupie…………….. each moment was important, and each moment was a celebration.  

Because we were busy taking pictures, we almost didn’t notice the grandeur of what was slowly unfolding behind us from the northeastern side:

the much awaited immaculately-white sea of clouds!!! We all shouted out for joy!!! 

The feeling was beyond words…. And then, after a few seconds, the fast and furious fogs would again cover "the show"…. Then again uncover it, then cover it again…………….. The fogs, and the sea of clouds intermittently played with our emotions… paasa, padismaya, paasa, padismaya….

Among our pictures, there were no exactly identical backgrounds because the fogs were at their most playful disposition ….

The Mt. Matutum Sea of Clouds was one of my best!! Rivaling those of Mt. Pulag and Mt. Ugo.  The thing is, how I wished my eyes had panoramic powers because there was so much to see and adore.  The view was indeed 360°!! And there was a rainbow at the western side!! And there was Mt. Apo saying "hi" at the Northeastern corner! And the Chinese-painting-like layers of the fog-covered peaks at the southwestern portion!! If only my cellphone camera could complain!

We had to force ourselves to go back to the camp even if we so  wanted to just stay there and stop time and just live in that moment.

Carl & Maz, Elli and Jhane dropped by the Crater, while the rest of us went back to the Camp to cook and eat breakfast and then do the task that no one was excited to do: breakcamp.  

Jay-Ar Padura (my jolly Guide and climb buddy)

The sun gave us the much needed warmth, enough to dry our damp tents and other stuff.  We were ready to descend by 9:45am.

We the “elder ones” anticipated a challenging descent because we knew that the rain made the trails slippery.  True enough, we had to muster all the patience and caution we needed as we scrambled thru the slippery Phase 2 trails.  After two and a half hours, we were at the Resting Area before Phase 1, and after another one and a half hour, we were at the water source.  By then, Eayore’s knees already refused to cooperate.  Just kidding, Tonio told the porter to buy ice-cold Coke (Eayore's first aid for pain) and bring a horse.

#AngKawawangCowboyEpisode

While the young ones were already in the jump off area, we the second group were still taking our sweet time relaxing and having our late lunch at the Water Source.  What was intended to be just a joke (to one of the porters) turned out to be a reality because he took it literally and seriously.  He brought 3 bottles of Coke litro (from his store) and guess what else he brought along???

Yes, ......a horse!!! #Cowboymode!!
I requested to be excused and be allowed to go ahead because my knees wouldn’t welcome long rests.  Kyle and Ellarie followed.  We left Eayore, Tonio and Jay-Ar as they seemed to still want to take their time resting.
In the middle of the very hot vegetable gardens, we all thought that we heard a horse crying.  The three of us had one common story in our mind.  The horse was crying because his load was very heavy.
Not long after that, we saw a scene similar to a Wild Wild West movie: Tonio and Eayore were aboard a horse.  Complete with screams (from Eayore calling out to high heavens for her Mamang).  Again, the joke was a reality right before our eyes!!! Yeeyyyy!! It was Eayore’s first time to ride a horse!!!

photocredits: Ellarie Alano

move over Jericho Rosales !!

We won’t forget those porters. Especially the one who provided the horse! They were all so nice, kind, caring and responsible. 

As soon as Atty Duke’s two vehicles arrived at the jump-off area, we headed for Tupi and at the Municipal Hall, we enjoyed the comforts of clean bathrooms and a long clean table where we had our sumptuous dinner.  I heard that the municipal hall people allow mountaineers to sleep there if they have no other place to stay.

We reach Cotabato City by past 9pm.  It was a great climb!! 

We are thankful to everyone who contributed to the success of our climb.  To the One Greatest Force Up There, to our Guides future Marine Engineer Yohan and the funny and jolly Jay-Ar, our kind porters, the municipal government of Tupi, to our work colleague Sarangani Acting PES Atty Duque who provided our rides and to Mt. Matutum who treated us so nicely, and last but not the least, to the horse who endured Tonio & Eayore. lol

Hoping to climb it again by God's grace in due time….

To God be the glory...