Sunday morning rain is falling ♫♪♫

After I swore that I wouldn't climb again (because it's just not for a lazy kid like me), I found myself agreeing to my friends on joining this overnight hike event on Facebook.

The event was pretty exciting since one of the highlights is viewing the milky way. We didn't really get to see this because of the bad
bedweather. We were also thrilled by the thought of meeting new people.

So, there we were to Batangas with people we didn't know.

Mt. Batulao

Jump-off point: Evercrest Golf Course, Nasugbu, Batangas
LLA: 14.0408 N 120.8011 E 811 MASL
Days required / Hours to summit: 1 day / 2-4 hours
Specs: Minor climb, Difficulty 4/9, Trail class 3 with 60-70 degrees assault

At 1am on July 30, we met with the other attendees of the event in Cubao. There were around 30 of us that had to fit (with our big hiking bags) in 2 vans.

Our trek started at around 5am. It was still a little dark and cold. By the time the sun started showing, we could see (somehow) the surroundings enveloped in fog. The trail was also too muddy.



Since we weren't on a hurry to reach the summit, we climbed at our own pace, which made us less exhausted.



We took the old trail going up. I made the mistake of saying that it was easier than our Batolusong climb when we were on the easier parts of the trail. Once we reached the assault, I felt like regretting my life decisions.

[caption id="attachment_269" align="alignnone" width="960"] Photo taken by Tin during the rope segment.[/caption]

The summit assault was no joke, especially after the rope segment.  I already imagined how my mom would react if ever got injured (or worse) during the climb. Thank God, I got home safe and whole.

[caption id="attachment_260" align="alignnone" width="3264"] At the summit.[/caption]

We arrived at the summit at around 9am, as far as I remember. We didn't stay long though. It was kind of crowded and too hot for my liking. I also wasn't a fan of bugs that kept flying around. I'm really maarte.



Anyway, the view from the summit was definitely wonderful, if only it wasn't so foggy.



After the summit, we traversed through other peaks to reach our campsite.

[caption id="attachment_274" align="alignnone" width="3264"] Doggo <3[/caption]

We took our lunch after we set up our tents. I was really happy that I got to bring one, not knowing that I wouldn't be able to use it anyway.



Right after our socials, some of us chose to stay up til the wee hours. Those of us who were supposed to sleep on my tent were lucky (or not really) that we didn't sleep earlier, else, we would have woken up drenched from the strong rain.

We were (and still are) totally grateful to our new found friends who were kind enough to let us sleep in their tent.

One thing I learned from this hike is the importance of waterproofing. I got too reliant on my bag's rain cover that I forgot how much of a fail it is.

It was raining as we trekked down on the new trail. Since I love the rain and hate (bringing) umbrellas, I didn't bother covering myself from the rain. I was going to take a shower once we get down anyway.

What I didn't know was how soaked my bag was. The rain cover didn't save any of my things from getting wet.  Thank God, again, I brought a summer dress. I didn't know why I did though. It was the only clothing I had that could dry easily.

Lesson learned: Waterproof your pack. ALWAYS.

[caption id="attachment_296" align="alignnone" width="1920"] BatuLOVE on July 30-31, 2016[/caption]

Although there were some things I did regret, like waterproofing my things (yes, i'll repeat this over and over again, JK), I was glad that we decided to join this event.  We never got to see the milky way but we did experience a lot of things, like a stormy weather on your way down a mountain and almost doing a mudslide (literally). It was also nice to travel with people you barely know and then become friends with them.

[caption id="attachment_276" align="alignnone" width="3264"] Another adventure together![/caption]

July 30-31. The weekend right after my prelim exams, when I totally didn't do my homework for my Econ class, just so I could enjoy this hike. I didn't regret almost failing my midterms.
Kind of.

[caption id="attachment_297" align="alignnone" width="1920"] So, here I am, trying to model for the lampa queen, who wasn't able to use her camera because milky way didn't show up.[/caption]