When Ran and I agreed that we will climb our first mountain together after the HITC – Manila, he pointed out that he would want to trek Mt. Batulao in Nasugbu, Batangas. I agreed, as both of us haven’t been there. I then immediately rummaged the internet for a potential guide. Thankfully, I was able to get one. I immediately contacted the guide named Alex, and he told us that he will meet us in the jump off point at 04:00 AM of Sunday.

The final night of the HITC – Manila ended past midnight in the midst of rain. As there were a lot of vehicles leaving the parking lot, I told Ran that I would rather exit last and avoid the deluge of concert goers who are now excited to go home. While waiting in the parking lot, I decided to get a nap. That was around 12:30 AM.

I slept for around an hour before Ran finally decided to wake me up. As soon as I was up and about, I started our three-hour drive to Nasugbu, Batangas.

I would be honest, I was starting to be ambivalent about our trek. Apart from the fact that I was still groggy and would have to drive quite a distance, the rain was almost non-stop for the past couple of days, potentially making the trail more difficult. Alex assured as though that while the trail is muddy, it is manageable.

We arrived at the jump off point a little past 04:00 AM. We had to wait for Alex a little bit more as he told us that he just woke-up. While waiting, we changed to clothes and sandals that are better suited for the hike.

We finally started the hike a little before 05:00 AM. It was still dark and we could barely see anything. When the sky started to brighten up though, we finally got a picture of where we are headed.

I would be honest that the first part of the climb was difficult for me. It was dark, and I had to rely on my cellphone flashlight for me to see exactly where I was going. It was raining, so the ground is muddy and slippery. There are steep areas, so I would need to use both hands, hence would be without light. I could go on and on.

When the trail started to be more pronounced as the light of day becomes brighter, things became a lot easier in terms of navigation. The scenic view likewise became clearer, making the trail an exciting while.

On our way to the top, we took photos of the sceneries and had some on the rock formations along the trail, too.

After around two hours, we finally reached the top. It was cold and foggy as the sun did not show up.

After about 30 minutes at the peak, the clouds started to gather until visibility was reduced. We still managed to take photos as the clouds gather, then decided that it was time to go down.

On our first stop going down, we still managed to take some photos.

The trek going down is not easier. Since the trail was wet and muddy, we need to practice a lot of control, lest we slide down. It actually took us longer to go down than we were climbing up. Kumapal na rin kasi ang putik mula sa ulan kaya naging mas madulas na ang daan noong pababa na kami.

We had two rest points before we finally made it back to where we parked our car. There, we washed up to remove the mud from our feet. We then paid and thanked our guide, Alex. If by any chance you would want to take down Mt. Batulao as well, you may check Alex’s contact details in our Renegade Directory!

While I definitely enjoyed our hike to Mt. Batulao, I must admit that it exhausted me physically. This was already our third day away from home, having spent the other two days in HITC – Manila. A two-day concert capped by a climb to a mountain on a rainy day is not the usual way to go, especially that trekking up a mountain requires strength—something I don’t think I had sufficient of given the lack of sleep. It is, nevertheless, the renegade way of doing it!

I don’t think I have to emphasize further that Ran got tired.

Until the next renegade juncture!