the lost world

I'm taking the opposite approach to Socs on this entry. Just one pic and a whole bunch of words for me...

Around two weeks after the La Mesa Dam Wathershed trip and almost a month after my second JEST experience, I was off to another adventure. It was to experience Mt. Pinatubo after its latest eruption way back in 1991.

Socs, myself, and 4 other officemates set off from the bus terminal to Brgy. Patling in Capas, Tarlac early Saturday morning and met with our rented 4x4 jeep that would take us to our jump-off point for the trek to the crater. After a quick stop at the office in Sta. Juliana for registration and to pick up our guide, we forged ahead and found ourselves in the middle of nowhere.

An adventure in itself, the ride through Crow Valley was wonderful. The 4x4 jeep carving its own path across the lahar field/airforce bombing range. It was a mix of rocks, ash, cliffs, streams and Mother Nature reclaiming the desolate landscape. Then it was time for the walk.

We walked two hours through the ash and rock and the occassional stream, surrounded by cliffs of lahar and rock. It was picturesque to say the least. It was a long walk, and we were all tired from the trek and heat (we're not hardcore climbers nor extremely fit people, just your ordinary office folk). Finally we were there.

We set up camp, took some pictures and rested our weary feet. Then the rain came. Luckily we didn't have to stay the entire afternoon huddled in our tents, so we had a bit more time for photo-ops before taking care of our dinner... 4 cans of trioxane-cooked sisig (finally put that trioxane to good use).

After a relatively sleepless night (it rained pretty hard and Socs and I had to abandon our tent), we woke up to the warmth of the sun and the cool morning breeze. There were signs of possible rain coming down later in the morning but we enjoyed what was to be our last moments atop Pinatubo. A quick breakfast of trioxane-cooked hotdogs (I just love that stuff) and we were off.

The trek back was different. Although you remember the area and the significant 'landmarks' the trail itself has been changed by the rain from the previous night. We where also pressed for time since a dark cloud was looming behind us, threatening to raise the water we frequently cross.

Luckily the rain didn't fall during the trek and we made it safely to the 4x4 pick-up point, albeit an hour late. Crossing Crow Valley we came across a groups of foreigners, also riding their own 4x4 jeeps off on their own adventure.

Back in 'civilization', we had a rejuvinating volcanic ash treatment (I fell asleep as soon as I laid down) and bath (more than 24 hours had passed since our last bath). By the time we were finished, it was way past lunch time so we headed to a local canteen and had our fill.

It was time to head home and after some time waiting for a bus, we finally left the Mt. Pinatubo adventure behind. Maybe we'll go back there sometime... or maybe we'll just set off for another type of journey, who knows...