Arriving in Angeles City Friday night we checked into our hotel, arranged for us by Dreamtreks. It was late and we needed to get enough rest for the next day’s adventure.
At 4:45 am I met a smiling Michael, Dreamtreks.com’s managing director, at the lobby. He mentioned something about breakfast, to which I believe I groggily nodded.
We arrived at Sta. Juliana, Capas, Tarlac at exactly 6:25 am and signed in at the Tourist Reception Center, where Michael paid the P25/guest fee. Then we were off in our Philippine-made 4X4 jeepney, with a rumbling Dodge Power Ram as back-up vehicle.
We reached the Crow Valley Range, once the electronic warfare range of the United States Air Force. "F-16 and F-15s used to fly around here and drop bombs or do target runs during the Cape Thunder exercises," Michael explained. Today, the Crow Valley Range belongs to and is managed by the Philippine Air Force. Under the paf’s 1st Tactical Operations Wing they plan to improve the site with livelihood projects that would benefit not only the Aeta communities but others as well. This includes the improvement of and continued seeding of Lake Tambo at the foot of Mount Pinatubo, fast becoming a popular fishing site. Lake Tambo, a 2.3-kilometer wide fresh water lake formed after the eruption, has maya-maya (big head carp), tilapia (Saint Peter’s fish), dalag (mudfish), tulya (clams) and even shrimps.
After the 30-minute ride–which seemed a lot longer to us–Michael pointed to a spot a kilometer away and announced, "That’s our campsite up ahead."
It was a beautiful site to us city slickers. The campsite was surrounded by greenery, with a swift flowing, knee-deep mountain spring flowing beside it. We walked to a bamboo and banana-leaf hut converted into a store by Michael and his partner Ken. "We decided to set up a cooperative for the Aeta community to help them get started," Ken explained.
"Marami na silang natulong sa amin dito," volunteered Subalit, one of the Aeta elders.
Michael then briefed us about the trek ahead, warning us to stay away from the steam vents as the sand over them is soft and quicksand litters the area. He stressed that we should follow our guides and not stray too close to the canyon walls as they may collapse. That done, our DreamTreks guide John and his assistants led us into the what was to be a tough, tiring, long (it took us three-hours to get to the crater) yet awe-inspiring adventure.
At the halfway point called Dapili, the pass narrowed and the water rushed by, threatening to knock us off our feet. Grabbing hold of little rock outcroppings for support, we managed to make it past this first obstacle. Other than getting wet up to our knees we were okay–so far.
The sun seemed awfully hot for nine in the morning and after an hour of trekking our limbs were beginning to ache. John, a veteran of many climbs to Mt. Pinatubo, said it would get hotter still as it sometimes reaches 35 degrees in midday in the canyons. The trek routine for us was 30-minute hikes and five-minute stops. I remember Michael and Ken telling us that the longer you rested the harder it was to get moving. John urged us on with stories of what it was like for his family during the 1991 eruption: how they agonized over 36 hours of no sunlight and weeks of no electricity and water while the earth trembled and ash rained down, covering every surface of your skin.
The ash canyons around us were massive. It was hard to believe that all this came out of one mountain. Pinatubo once stood a majestic 4,247 feet but the eruption blew away almost half of its top. As you get closer to the crater, rocks turn into boulders the size of cars.
Despite the devastation a carpet of green now covers the landscape a distance away from the crater. Ipil-ipil trees have begun to grow and take over the hillsides. We even saw a couple of eagles nesting near the crater.
The final ascent to the crater seemed like an impossible task for bone-tired and hot trekkers. The climb sloped to 45 degrees and we groaned with every step as we tried to get a foothold on the slippery rim. Just when we thought we could not take another step we cleared the top of the crater rim. Amidst a cluster of shrubs and bushes we caught a glint of something shimmering.
"There she is!" I shouted in triumph. "It’s beautiful!"
"Look at the color..." gushed another.
We approached to just a few meters away from the edge and stood there, staring at the turquoise-colored body of water atop this 2,477-foot high volcano called Pinatubo.
It was 11 am and we were starving. John handed us our pre-packed lunch of adobong chicken, vegetables and boiled rice. We ate in silence and rested beneath small clumps of bushes, the welcome breeze kissing our cheeks as we dreamed of ice-cold beer.
The trek down was, of course, not as exciting as the ascent. We reached the campsite at Pambungao and found our tents already set up and the smell of food in the air. It was 5:30 pm but already dark. Michael had a group of Aetas gather wood for the campfire while Ken busied himself in the makeshift kitchen preparing what looked like rice being cooked in bamboo. The evening meal consisted of nilagang pork with cabbage and potatoes, rice, grilled tilapia, bananas for dessert and the highlight of the evening–ice-cold beer!
We sang campfire songs with Paul, one of the guides, playing his guitar. This was followed by the strangest and funniest campfire stories we had ever heard while the stars, something we take for granted, twinkled overhead.
"I’ve never seen so many stars," I realized.
"A shooting star!" screamed Emily, pointing towards the horizon.
I woke up at six the next morning to the smell of coffee and fried eggs. I headed for the fresh water spring nearby to wash up."It’s cold!" I yelled, shivering.
Michael, Ken and the rest of the camp were up and organized. After a hearty breakfast of eggs, corned beef, bread and coffee Ken gathered everyone around and began to call out the names of every trek participant while Michael handed out the "Certificates of Conquest" to those who made it up and back. John had his camera ready and took pictures of everyone flashing their certificates so they could include it in their website. Then, grudgingly, we piled onto the Big Ram and headed back to the city.
Mt. Pinatubo is certainly a site we will eagerly visit again. Although not for the fainthearted, it is a wonderful place to visit during the trek season of October to April. The trek tour we had with Dreamtreks.com was certainly worth the P3,000 per person cost, considering all the food, bottled water, expert guides, tent and the 4X4 thrill rides you get for it. Check out their website at www.dreamtreks.com.