Hello, Hive!
“What goes up must come down” — this 200-year-old saying by Sir Isaac Newton remains true to this day in the literal and metaphorical sense. Anything suspended in the air gets eventually pulled by gravity. After fame comes fall from grace. Where there’s a beginning, there’s an end. Life. Death.
However, going down is not always a bad thing. Most often, it comes with growth, improvement, and a sense of fulfillment. Take our trip for example. It’s the finale of our 3D2N climb but there were no sad faces on the trails. Just fun and excitement instead.
Down the muddy trail to Lake Venado
Many hikers, if not all, are not fans of the trail going down to Lake Venado. It’s steep and muddy and slippery — evidently spoiled by time and people. Because of this, safety concerns have been raised to the proper officials which eventually led to the recent changes in the areas of the Mandarangan trail. In an initiative unanimously approved by the Mt. Apo Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) and the City Development Council, concrete rectangular pathways will be constructed within the trail leading to the lake. This drew both commendations and uproar from different parties that raised noteworthy points. You can read more about it here.
Anyway, there we were, descending 740 meters from the summit of Mt. Apo to reach the iconic Lake Venado where we would encamp for the night. A short distance for many, but a challenging one nonetheless. And I think my messy butt can attest to that.
For someone who prefers downhill over uphill terrain like me, it was honestly a little fun. Had we not been carrying our backpacks, we would surely enjoy running — even sliding — on the mire like kids. But nobody dared to take photos during those two hours of balancing our feet. Our minds and eyes were focused holding on to branches/roots/grass to avoid tumbling down.
It was 4 PM when Shiela, Karl, James, Ate Sherlyn, Shandy and I finally reached the lake. The rest of our group went ahead and had already set up camp. For us, we took a quick breather and stared at our feat. We survived the Lake Venado trail!
Even with the gloomy late afternoon, Lake Venado remained magnificent. At 2194 MASL, the weather up here was better than the summit. The water, however, was numbingly cold. While most campers did not dare to take the shower, James, Karl and I did. And boy, we’d tell you. Lake Venado is not the only thing here that could take your breath away. Take. That. Shower.
We cap the night with a fun socials recalling our experiences from Day 1 to Day 2 over a long neck bottle. As usual, alcohol got the better of me and I ended up with forgotten memories. HAHA.
Picture perfect morning by the lakeside
Morning came and our eyes feasted to the beauty of Lake Venado. Reflected on its calm water is the peak of Mt. Apo creating a dreamy scene. The sun’s golden glow and the clear blue skies played its part in making it even more mesmerizing. It was definitely one of the most unforgettable views I’ve ever seen.
At 8 AM, we started breaking our camp and preparing to hike the Century Tree trail. But before we did, we took one last group photo to commemorate our trip.
The 13-kilometer hike through the Century Trail
Our guides told us that the hike would last up to seven hours. It was 13 kilometers of easy trek through alternating uphill and downhill terrain. Thankfully, it was not as steep as the trail going up the Boulder Face or the trail going down Lake Venado.
After four hours, we reached the century-old Almaciga Tree. Mt. Apo is home to many towering trees but this one stood out with its long trunk breaking through the canopy of the smaller trees around it. There were other hikers exiting through this trail so we had to wait for our turn to get up-close the tree.
We then continued the hike, looking forward to finally calling it a day. Soon, the long hours of walking took its toll. The weight of our backpacks became noticeable and the last descent became too exhausting. We saw the community from above but knew we were still far away. I personally did not want to walk any longer since my auntie-knees started to hurt, but I had to. Holding onto my trekking poles, I hobbled forward.
Finally, we were able to catch up with the lead group at Dissander. Another hour of hike and we were back to Sitio Colan where we received our climb certificates.
It was past 5 PM and the weather went from fair to bad. Rain poured hard with punctuating thunder and lightning. Gladly, we didn’t have to carry our bags to our van pick-up area. We chartered motorcycles to take it instead. Two hours later, we headed to our rented apartment at Davao City. Comfortable sofa and bed, at last.
…and this concludes our 3D2N Mt. Apo climb. The two years of waiting was worth it. Would I come back? YES! I would love to see the sun rise on top of the country’s highest point. Or witness a sea of clouds if destiny permits it. Perhaps I’d be with different people by then, sharing different sets of stories along the trail. The possibilities in the mountains are endless. All we have to do is embrace it and hike. See you!
Check out Parts 1 and 2 of our Mt. Apo series here:
Our two-years-in-the-making climb to the Philippines’ highest mountain
An Exciting Journey to the Summit of Apo Sandawa
Maria is a hopeless romantic who travels in pages and places. She is an INFP who loves sunrises and moonlight nights and reading books in between. On weekdays, she works for a self-publishing company as a copywriter. On weekends, she lives for life as a poet or hiker. She hopes to share her love for words and the world with you here on HIVE.
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Wow grabe Yung adventure ninyo. I miss hiking pero di ko na ata kaya hehehe.. Mt. Matutum pa lang Ang highest na naakyat ko hehehe. That's when I was still young hehehe
Ooh i haven't tried Mt. Matutum pa. You're amazing din. 👏
Nandito sa south Cotabato Ang Mt. matutum sis. Hopefully Maka visit din kayo sa highest peak namin Dito.
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Wow. Thanks for the feature 😁
Pangandoy gyud nako maka-experience ug long trail especially anang mga famous mountain sa Philippines. Daghan kaayog mga diwata diara ba hahahah. Ang gikahadlukan nako anang hiking kay basin malamat like magbalik² sa dalan bitaw, something like that.
So far wala paman nuon ko ka experience ana. Mas better jud if naay kauban para magkinaunsa safe ta 😁
Korek gyud na siya. Hadlok kaayo mag hiking nga ikaw ra isa. Nakadumdom na hinuon ko sa mga salida nga horror.
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I really love your adventures and the views of the place are indeed spectacular. Keep safe on your journeys ahead! 🤗
really happy to find your blog 💚
such an energetic n lovely group of fren🔥
attractive n great hiking
!LUV
well explained 👍⚡
@mariasalve, @kam5iz(1/1) sent LUV. | connect | community | HiveWiki | NFT | <>< daily
! help(no space) to get help on Hive. InfoThat was one fantastic adventure @mariasalve , 😄 loved it! It seems I was there as well following your trails and seeing those picture perfect sceneries.. absolutely beautiful ❤️ one day, perhaps I'll find myself on that same mountain ☺️
I am always looking forward reading about your adventures and the placed you have set your eyes on. Be safe on your next adventure!😊
I can understand it because I also have such kind of experience and I think safety comes first and we are not allowed to do any silly act in that kind of place because one single mistake is enough to cost a life.
I can feel how you guys enjoyed the moment very much.