Mt. Tapulao (2,037MASL) is located in Zambales, Philippines and is classified as major hike by a professional mountaineer. The route is mostly ascending with minimal to none trail recovery so reaching the top is not that easy but believe me, it is all worth it. Disclaimer, I am not a professional mountaineer nor a gym trainer but here are the things that helps me reach the summit safe and fine:
- Condition your lower body weeks before the event, the trail is mostly steep and you will be relying often on your calf and leg. To strengthen my lower body I perform squats, lounge and toe raise every day. I made sure to insert the said exercises in my daily workout routine and it did paid off.
- Strengthening your lower body doesn’t necessarily mean that your trek will be smooth, since the trail is mostly composed of loose rock – be always cautious on your steps. To avoid being tripped lightly press your feet on the rock before giving all the weight on it, this is to make sure that it can hold your load and have stability. It may be time consuming and not recommendable for day hikers but it works.
- Do some cardio exercise prior to the event, the trail to summit of Mt. Tapulao from the jump-off is approximately 18 kilometers (36KM two way). Do not breathe very fast which could lead to hyperventilation, if I am feeling exhausted I do some breathing exercise by which I increase the time of my exhales. For example, if I inhale 5 seconds, I must exhale 10 or more seconds. Try it!
- Bring a lot of perseverance, there are a lot of things you can do to boost your motivation as for me I would love to take pictures so I made sure to take my time capturing landscape and photos during the trail, one thing I do also is listening to music. Find ways to divert the negative feeling into a positive vibes, do not lurk on how hard the trek is because it will makes it even harder for you to move.
- After the trek and you will probably find yourself in a long-queue of hikers waiting to use the washroom. Be resourceful, there are residents within the area that lets adventurers to use their comfort room.
- Guides / porters in the area are aetas from Mt. Pinatubo and were diverted to Zambales during the explosion in 1991, have respect while dealing with them. I suggest to talk to them frequently during the trek and get to know more about their cultures and customs.
- Be prepared– Make sure to have first aid kit but in case of emergency please contact the Tourism officer, Eliza Badar (0909 724 7413) to assist you in the situation. Don’t go blind, use quality headlamp. Especially if you plan to this in a day hike basis, your trek will most likely start as early as 02:00AM. Bring also a good and dependable raincoat, whether you will be hiking during summer or rainy season the fog might sometimes bring mist and believe me trekking while soaking wet will drain you faster.
- Use Compression pants, I have been recently using compression pants and I notice a big difference in comfort and temperature control. After the hike, my legs is less tired and my knees is not that sore and since it serves as my second skin it protects me from outside elements.
- During trekking always take a break or I would say take a nap *laugh, this is not a competition and there is no cash prize when you reach the top first. The only reward you can get is its magnificent view and an awesome memories in it. Never push yourself so hard, it may sometimes lead to injury and that is not a good experience.
- Tapulao and like any other mountains plays a great role in our ecosystem, during the trek be a responsible tourist – make sure that you leave nothing but footprints and take nothing but pictures.
Again, take it with a grain of salt, this works perfect for me in conquering Mt. Tapulao. But one thing is for sure trekking is a sport which needs preparation to avoid injury, know your body well and be fit always. Enjoy the scenery and once you reach the top you will definitely fall IN-tapuLOVE with Mt. Tapulao.
Felling ready? Please click here for the travel guide to Mt. Tapulao.
