Let's Get It On, To a Paradise Called Mt. Manalmon!

Mt. Manalmon (February 26-27, 2011)

Location: San Miguel, Bulacan

Jump-off Point: Sito Madlum, Brgy. Sibul, San Miguel

196 Meters Above Sea Level

Difficulty: Minor Climb, 2/9

Our group decided to participate at the FIMO’s Climbapalooza 2011 with the theme, “Love in High Altitude”. It was on our choice of mountain and so we picked Mt. Manalmon in San Miguel, Bulacan.

We took a bus going to Baliwag Bulacan. We were taken to the jump-off point of Manalmon at Brgy Kamias in San Miguel, Bulacan through a hired jeep. River crossing would be the first thing to face to start the trek with.

For a typical mountaineer, one would say that it’s just a chillax (cool and relaxing) climb as a short semi-assault trail would take you to the campsite, and from there is a just 5-minute up to the summit. And I would also say that it was my most chillax and relaxing climb to date.  What I love also about this mountain climbing getaway, is the place itself, which has a variety of activities to enjoy, not just another climb event . I'm in fact considering it as a great weekend escape for family bonding/vacation and even perfect for any corporate or organization team building.

Rafting/ balsa tour in the river

Monkey bridging

I even tried this thrice.. hehe.. enjoyed passing over the river with such thrill!

A low-priced zipline (php 50 per ride)

Spelunking/Exploring the caves 

We did spelunking at Biak-na Bato.  Exploring the caves was never easy. There are areas there where rope is needed to get inside. For example, upon entering the cave, it is like a very deep hole passage. There were instances too that I had to carefully manage my body in passing into those small holes, pushed myself hard as needed. One could surely have a "dapa moment" <wink>. The guide also told us to take care of the stalactites and stalagmites. These have to be preserved, he said. Once you walked on it, its glittery feature may vanish indicating that it’s already dead.

smooth trek.. from this point, we can already view the summit

 

At the foot of the mountain, before we assaulted we stopped by a beautiful river (photo courtesy of Leween Agriflor)..

At the summit of Mt. Manalmon

We're so grateful for the fine weather. We absolutely took pleasure of the breathtaking sceneries at the top. No one could ever imagine that there is somewhere awesome like this in Bulacan province which is just nearby Metro Manila. Surely, only those few who had been there could justify its wonder.

At the side of the summit , is a boulder which one can courageously try to climb it. Only two of us were courageous enough to get there. As for me, I just attempted but I didn’t push through as I was only wearing a slippery Ipanema flip flops on that morning.

Just before we left for Manila, I told myself, "I will surely plan a comeback on this place."