Mt. Batulao: My Little Brother's Mother Mountain

For almost 2 years now, mountain climbing had replaced some of my favorite things in life — collecting expensive cutie boxes, buying dresses and make-ups, luxurious trips and travels. Also, for almost 2 years now, I’ve been climbing with strangers a.k.a. new found friends. Hmmm… and for almost 2 years now, I’ve been telling stories how wonderful it is to climb mountains… some would not really understand…

Not until today…

Today, I decided to bring my Little Brother with me. It was his first time to climb, his first time to camp, and his first time to experience Outdoors.

For me, it’s my first time to bring along a family member with me, first time to do ‘sister duties’ on the mountain, and first time to get so nervous like this. A hundred ‘what ifs’ kept running on my mind for the past few weeks, my heartbeat gone faster than the usual when I asked my parents if can bring my Little Brother with me.

Tips on How to Convince Your Parents that Mountaineering is Safe for You & Your Little Bro:
— Have the right gears and equipment
— Buy your little brother/sister the right shoes – do not just let him/her wear some Havaianas or Rubber Shoes
— Groceries
— Show them you would not let your sibling feel neither hunger nor thirst while on the mountain 🙂
— Show them you’re ready with any weather changes and show them a bottle of insect repellant too (Promise, that’s a plus!) :p
— Fully charge your phones – Assure your parents that you will call and send them SMS from time to time.

Owkay! This is it!

Mount Batulao is located at Nasugbu, Batangas and is considered a minor climb with difficulty of 4/9.

How To Get There:

(via Public Transportation)

In Buendia or Baclaran, take a bus going to Batangas. You may look for ‘Nasugbu’ on signboards or ask the conductor if it will pass Nasugbu. Drop-off point is at Evercrest just after the blue welcome rotonda of Nasugbu. At Evercrest, you may ride a tricycle or walk up to the foot of the mountain.

There are 2 options on which trails to take: Old Trail and New Trail. For trail information and intensive review, please visit PinoyMountaineer.com.

Fees:

Registration: Php20.00 (Dayhike), Php30.00 (Overnight)

Oh, Yeah! Hello Mount Batulao!

Just after the Bahay Kubo or 1st stop-over where you can take a quick break; halo-halo, mountain dew, and buko juice are available here. Plus, a hammock too. 🙂

First time in Batulao, I bet this climb will be a fun one.

His first-ever climb. And I think he likes it. 🙂

It took us around 3 hours or so to reach the campsite. Well, surprisingly, the campsite in Batulao is the cleanest campsite I’ve been to.

At Camp 1

After dinner, me and my brother slept immediately since we were all tired from the day’s activity. But to tell you the truth, the reason why I slept early was because of the scary stories the other mountaineers are talking about.

We woke up early the next day to watch the sunrise at the summit. However, when I saw that narrow and steep trail to the summit (where one needed to use a rope to get there), I asked my brother not to push through it. “KJ” as I may sound but this is just the first climb of my brother and I do not want it to be a traumatic one. All I hope is for him to enjoy it.

But definitely, we enjoyed our stay in our own semi-summit… 🙂

Chill-chill din pag may time! =)

Breathtaking Mount Batulao. Whoo! 360 degree view of Batangas.
Thank you God for letting me see this beautiful creation with my little brother.
One of the best climbs ever!