Day Hike: Mt. Balagbag in Rodriguez, Rizal

One day I might just change my blog name to Kikay Hiker. But for now, I'll share with you the third mountain I've climbed, which is Mt. Balagbag located in Rodriguez, Rizal.

For our trip, we rented a private van for our group of 11. Travel time from Quezon City to Rizal was 2 hours.

Mt. Balagbag is part of the Sierra Madre mountain range, and its elevation gives us an overview of Ortigas and parts of Metro Manila. Helipad, known as the highest point of Mt. Balagbag, is 777+ Meters Above Sea Level (MASL) and has a difficulty of 2/9. Perfect for beginners and those that want an easy hike! No guide is required if you're not going to the parts where the waterfalls are.

We were dropped off at the end of the Licao-Licao junction. From there, we can either have a 30-minute uphill trek to Sitio Balagbag where we register our names for the hike or take a 20-minute bumpy tricycle ride for P30/person. We chose to ride the tricycle. :D

The trail, from the jump-off point until the summit, were paved with little rocks that made our hike relatively easy. It's my first time to hike without having to touch rocks, walls, roots, and tree branches. (Hooray clean hands!) The view was beautiful and peaceful all throughout the trail. (Mukhang harvest season.)

The trail was just basically a long walkathon, but the ground gets slippery whenever it rains so you have to be extra careful.

I just had to include this perfect picture of a chicken we saw during the hike. Hello, future dinner!

The weather kept changing throughout our hike. Sunny-rainy-sunny again in just a matter of minutes. But my favorite moment of the trip was when I saw this rainbow. In Genesis 9:13, God said: "I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth." The rainbow is God's promise to us that never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.

The trail is easy and wide, and along the way we saw a couple of mountain bikers. The only difficulty here is probably the sun exposure during summer, since there are barely any trees to shade you from the heat of the sun (especially during summer).

Here's our group shot at the Helipad! It was named as such because it covers a wide area and has a flat surface that actually resembles a helipad. On this part of the summit, you can relax, eat your packed lunch, and even pitch quite a number of tents for camping. The view behind wasn't so visible because it was raining for quite a long time! (Note to self: Next time bring a raincoat.) I had fun hiking with Cindy (it was my sister's first time to hike!), Niko, Spence, Tope, Gen, Angela, Desi, Gerry, Linx, and Mimi! Until our next trip! :D

And when the rain stopped and the clouds disappeared, the view from the summit was beautiful and so majestic. I feel really happy when I go on nature trips since I get to bask in the glory of God's creation. I won't take back what I said before. I'd rather go hiking than buy a new dress! :D

This trip was brought to you by #TopeTravelandTours.

Love,

Helen

Photo Credits: Christopher Chan, Genevieve Go, and Fang Mi Shen.
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