THE MARVELOUS MONOLITH | Mt. Pico De Loro (664+)

One weekend, I was looking for a thrill and so I decided to climb Pico. At first, I assumed I can do it solo, but perhaps being inexperienced made me have second thoughts. So I grabbed one of my personnel at work. Thanks, Louie! 

The usual routine, read about the mountain. It is important that you know more about the adventure you are going to take. In my case, I spent weeks reading these blogs over and over again, just to make sure I will be doing the right thing.

PINOYMOUNTAINEER.COM | Pico De Loro (664+)

MR. BRATPACKER | Pico De Loro (Traverse)

MAY 30, 2015 -- Louie and I left for Coastal Mall at 4:30 AM. We road a bus to Maragondon, Cavite. Just tell the bus driver to drop you off at the tricycle terminal which will then take you to the jump-off. The tricycle ride took around 30-40 minutes. At the Ternate jump-off (DENR Station), you can find a local carenderia which serves good food. They can also prepare your packed lunch. However, you'd have to expect higher prices. It even made me wish I just had bought a Jollibee meal instead while we were still in Manila. Anyway, no choice. 

We started the climb around 8:45 AM. We took the New Trail since the old one was no longer available. The trail goes through a vast forest. An indication that you are nearing the summit is the presence of bamboo trees everywhere. This is where the camp site is located. From there, you can see a great view of the famous Parrot's Beak and the Monolith. 

We arrived at the summit around noon. It was a panorama of the province of Cavite and the lovely coves of Ternate. Just as we settled at the summit, I witnessed a wedding proposal. Congrats to this lovely couple!

We spent an hour at the summit. It took a while before I decided to climb the monolith. And just as I decided to line up, the rain poured really hard. There were too many lining up to climb the famous rock formation. Finally, I decided not to climb the monolith. The slippery rock was too scary for me. Some other time, I guess. The view itself was enough.

At the summit, there were teenagers who offered as trail guides for the traverse trail to Nasugbu. Thing is, I ran out of cash. According to them, if I go back to Ternate, I can't find an ATM machine there. So he suggested to take the traverse and head for Nasugbu. We figured that maybe he was right, so I took him as a guide and made the descent through the traverse trail. It took us another two hours under the rain. Finally, we arrived at the base and a trike took us to Nasugbu for P500. From there, we took a bus back to Manila.

To summarize our itinerary and expenditures (good for two):

4:30 AM - Left for Coastal Mall | taxi | P150
5:30 AM - Bus left for Maragondon | P160
7:00 AM - Arrived at Maragondon | Tricycle to Ternate Jump-Off | P300
7:45 AM - Breakfast near DENR Station | Bought lunch also | P600
8:45 AM - Registered at DENR Station | Started trek to summit | P40
11:00 AM - Arrived at campsite | Picture taking
11:40 AM - Arrived at the summit
1:30 AM - Started descent via Traverse to Nasugbu | P500 for guide
3:00 PM - Arrived at DENR Station | Logged out | Tricycle to Nasugbu | P500
3:45 PM - Arrived at Nasugbu
4:30 PM - Left for Manila | P200
8:00 PM - Arrived at Manila

All of these will be made cheaper if you go with a group of at least four.

Here are some of the pictures I took at Mt. Pico De Loro.