The truth is I was nowhere near prepared for the Mt. Cinco Picos to Silanguin Cove traverse. I thought I have read enough articles to prepare myself but nothing really prepares you for the actual pain of this climb. We were supposed to meet up at 3 am but I actually overslept and I was there 45 minutes late. But I was not the last one to arrive and we left Olongapo before 5 am and arrived at Cawag before 6 am. We were hoping for little rain and cloudy skies can also be a good thing but our wish was not granted and our traverse has been hellishly hot to say the least. And as a heads up to those who plan to take this traverse, here are the essentials that you need to do and bring.
I tried not to think too much about how many hours we still needed to walk to get to Mt. Cinco Picos. The first few hours was an easy enough traverse but once we got to those uphill areas, I was swearing like crazy.
Do:
Exercise before this traverse. It is a must if you don’t want to be too much in pain afterwards.
Make sure you have every part of your body covered with SPF of is not too expose to the sun. (I actually have a sunburned backhand right now due to my carelessness)
Have at least 2 liters of water (1 liter for the climb up and 1 liter for the climb down). Although there are Water Sources along the way, it is best that you still have enough water in case the water sources have dried up.
Make sure that you have comfy shoes and that your bag is not too heavy that within an hour of hiking, your back is hurting bad.
Bring:
Plastics (to waterproof anything that might get wet)
Extra Clothes
Mosquito Repellant
Sunscreen
Water (2 liters)
Flashlight
Medicine (preferably Ibuprofen and Paracetamol)
Snacks (you will get hungry during the traverse)
Extra Cash (for the boat ride to Cawag)
Food
Tent
Slippers
Personal hygiene stuff (there are no convenience stores in Silanguin Cove)
There were 20 of us on the group and we had to register before doing the traverse at Cawag. We hired 3 guides to help us through the climb and we started at approximately 6 am, which is pretty late by the way.
We had to cross a couple of rivers on the way. And during the first hour, we could only see grasslands and stony dried up rivers.
I tried not to think too much about how many hours we still needed to walk to get to Mt. Cinco Picos. The first few hours was an easy enough traverse but once we got to those uphill areas, I was swearing like crazy.
There are moments when I just drop myself into any available shade when I become really tired. And the resting part was actually one of the best parts and you just look at the landscape and you eventually feel your heartbeat return to its normal pace and feel that the climb really is worth it even just for the view.
After 6 hours of fighting gravity, we were eventually able to reach the campsite in Mt. Cinco Picos. And here you can finally see the beautiful Silanguin Cove, which is our final destination.
PART 2: The Descent to Silanguin Cove
