Trailblaze. v. 1. to blaze a trail through (a forest, wilderness, or the like) for others to follow. 2. to be a pioneer in (a particular subject, technique, etc.)
Weeks ago, the original destination for our Holy Week “vacation” was the Bakun Trio. A little more than a week before the slated hiking dates, the destination changed: it’s to be Tinglayan, Kalinga. Significantly farther than the original plan, and much more “unpredictable”. My pals and I are already getting used to NOT knowing a whole lot of what to expect prior to a hike or an adventure. This one, dubbed “Trailblazing Tinglayan 2014” is completely new territory. We were totally in the dark as to what to expect this time around.
Trailblazing Tinglayan 2014 is part of the ongoing Unoy Festival, the 51st founding anniversary and arts and crafts festival of the municipality of Tinglayan. Unoy is the native rice produced in the area.
Looking at the cover photo of the Facebook Page for the climb, one line jumped at me.
“For experienced and intrepid mountaineers.”
Oh, bugger, I am not experienced in mountaineering, but I figured I’d make up for that by being reckless. (Oh, wait, intrepid means “fearless”, but I figured, in my case, reckless works, too.)
So, with bags packed, spirits bolstered, excitement on a high, and uncertainties momentarily squashed, we set off.
Ours was quite a small group which, in hindsight, made the whole adventure much more fun and memorable, at least for me. The few mountaineering adventures I joined before had participants numbering from as few as 30 to as much as 80. This time, there were 6 girls, 1 guy, and 2 of the organizers. All were from the Baguio-La Trinidad area, so we hit it off immediately after meeting at the bus terminal.
Wednesday, we took the 6am Rising Sun bus trip to Bontoc, arrived at noon, had a quick lunch then took the jeepney to Tabuk-Tinglayan. It was the only trip so the vehicle was quite packed. All 9 of us rode at the top of the jeepney, and here the intrepid part started sinking in. Imagine sitting on the edge of the top of a vehicle moving through narrow and craggy mountain roads. One look down, and it’s a loooooooong (and undoubtedly painful) fall. The views, however, WERE FANTASTIC.
We arrived at Brgy Poblacion of Tinglayan at a little past 3pm and were welcomed in the home of Sir Andrew, one of the organizers. Here, I had my first taste of Kalinga coffee, a brew that I will be raving about throughout this multi-part post series. You’ve been warned.
We made a quick jaunt to the nearby barangay of Luplupa, which is separated from Poblacion by a river and a bridge.
We dropped by the primary school of Luplupa, where a group of volunteer artists from Baguio are teaching the kids some art (as part of the ongoing Unoy Festival). Poblacion and Luplupa are slightly advanced communities, with power and the basic facilities.
Our main purpose in coming to this village is to check out some of the wild deer they are keeping. And so we did.
We were able to take a walk through the neighborhood, meeting the village folk, weaving our way through pigs, chickens, and dogs on the paths. Stopping by random houses and accepting their offers of coffee. Which we couldn’t and WOULDN’T refuse. It is, after all, GREAT COFFEE, and offered with such great enthusiasm.
Over dinner at Sir Andrew’s, we also met Sir Mario, Barangay Treasurer of Tulgao West, who will be our main guide throughout the hike, and Sir Joseph Olao, the Barangay Captain. We were regaled with stories and folk tales pertaining to the area, as well as some tribal dynamics that are unique to Kalinga. It was an eye-opener, to say the least, as we listened to some historical and also fantastical tidbits about the area.
The next day, Thursday, started quite early for us, as we started packing for the main part of the adventure – to climb Mt. Mosimos of Balay, Kalinga. To get there, we have to go through Tulgao West barangay first.
We rode on a police pick-up truck for the around-an-hour-long mostly up-the-mountain ride up to Tulgao West. It was quite a rough, and continuous uphill, ride. But surrounded by mountains, the “roughness” barely registers.
Concreting of the road leading straight up to the town proper of Tulgao West is going on, so we had to walk the rest of the way. It took around 20-30 minutes, depending on your pace. Not difficult at all, since it’s mostly downhill, and it follows the road.
Tulgao West is a thriving community set amid ricefields. Two of the standout structures are the two church buildings – one for the Catholic Church and another for the Anglican.
We’re supposed to stop for a bit at the house of Sir Joseph, for repacking, and to let Sir Mario round up other guides to take us to the next phase of our adventure.
I’ve got two words for this town. Refreshing and quiet. The first thing that struck me was the wide open spaces, and how that atmosphere remains even while we walked through the houses. And, yes, the townsfolk were very welcoming and friendly, with a smile for this group of strange strangers, even as most of them are wondering why on earth we would like to go up Mt. Mosimos. Oh well.
Next post: our trek up to Balay. See ya then!