We went back to the Wawa jump-off point where it all began, freshened-up and had our lunch. There are a lot of eateries in the area, so it would not be difficult to look for a place to dine. As soon as we have satisfied our hunger, Rene accompanied us to Wawa Dam, our substitute location for what would have been a climb to Mt. Binicayan.

From the jump-off point, it was still quite a walk before we got to Wawa Dam. Built from 1904 to 1909, the manmade structure used to supply water to Metro Manila. It was eventually abandoned in 1968 when Angat Dam in Bulacan started supplying the water supply needs of the Metro.

Despite its age and inoperability, the dam still looks robust with the water that it spews out. One could only marvel on how man harnesses the power of nature.

Apart from the dam structure itself, one cannot help but stand in awe in the natural beauty of the rock formations in the area, carved by the water through thousands of years.

We kept on walking until we reached the top part of the dam, the river where the water was coming from. There, Rene talked to a boatman who would bring us to the other side to see the Karugo Falls.

It was a short boat ride, but still quite a hike before we reached the falls. On our way there, we passed through a campsite and waded through the rocky river under a canopy of trees.

The falls isn’t a tall one, but still offers a natural way of beating the heat if sitting or even lying beneath the falls is something you find relaxing.

Taking a bath in the falls is not part of the plan, as we have already freshened-up when we descended Mt. Pamitinan. Instead of staying in the falls, Rene guided us further to walk upstream, beyond the falls.

Dito na magbabago ang plano. While walking along the river on our way back to the falls, Ran slipped and got wet. Totally wet. Kaya noong nakabalik na kami sa falls, pinangatawanan na n’ya at naligo na lang s’ya.

When Ran had a fill of his dip, we headed back to the riverbank where our boatman was still waiting for us. We thought it was going to be a short boat ride again, but the boatman took the liberty of going downstream further instead of just unloading us across the river. Less hike, more scenery.

The Wawa Dam and Karugo Falls experience is a worthwhile substitution to what was supposed to be a climb to Mt. Binicayan. Our trilogy that was not might have failed to see the summit of a third mountain, but it was still a fun and memorable adventure. Besides, we can always go back to take down the mountain sometime in the future.

We freshened-up again one last time, and after changing clothes, thanked our very helpful guide Rene, and bade goodbye.

As it is in any experience, our Wawa adventure was tiring but are for the books: our first renegade juncture for 2023.

There’s no to doubting that it was tiring.