May 6, 20195 min read

A night in Mt. Megatong and a day in Kipaliku river

Updated: Jul 1, 2019

First of all, it will make sense if you know why you hike or go to any kind of travel. We all must start with “why” so whatever we face along the way, we only see the end goal. Hiking is not easy and whatever you see in someone’s post at the top of the mountain will always mean that they took some time challenging themselves.

Mount Megatong is the pride mountain of Sto. Tomas, Davao del Norte. It is a minor hike that will definitely test your endurance. Minor hike means the trail or the way you are taking is not tricky or difficult, it is usually a flat surface or a clear way unlike with major hike where you really have to take some difficult way like climbing on a tricky rock formation most of the time. Although Mt. Megatong is just a minor hike, you will definitely feel the hassle when the sun touched your skin. It is definitely hot which adds up for a challenge and it is advisable to bring an umbrella, yes seriously. The trail is an open way which means that the heat of the sun will cover most of the place, you can see some small trees but expect the heat for the entire time.

Ascend

Before the hike, you have to take a Skylab, a revolutionized motorcycle with wooden wings where there are more people can sit which is made by their locals. Check the travel time below for your reference. A Barangay Kagawad will brief you at the jump off area about the facts of Mt. Megatong, the rules like no smoking and no liquors.

Fortunately, there are some locals selling right before you reach the peak, they are selling Yakult, Gatorade, water, coconut (buko), that will definitely help you more energized.

Taking pictures will definitely kill some time but it is requisite for any travels of course. But it always depends on your purpose, if you are hiking because you just want to have cardio activities then taking pictures is not a problem especially if it is not your first time in the mountain but for the first timers, you may consider taking some photos especially at the peak of the mountain.

The peak of the mountain is magical especially if the weather is great and the sea of clouds visits your view. There are some flat surfaces at the peak where you can set your tents and cook your foods. Cooking foods are allowed but not all hikers prefer this one, they rather bring their own ready-to-eat foods to save from hassle and materials to bring. I’m not sure if you can do bonfire but I think it is definitely not allowed. Also, expect about the rain, we encountered rain at the peak, thankfully enough because it is much harder if the rain caught us up when we are still in the trail. Stars are great if you happen to have very right timing weather.

Best things to kill the time is having a social talk with your fellow hikers, listening to music, listening to podcast, etc. There is a signal up there but it is not stable, depending on where you situated your tent. There is an upper part of the peak and a lower part. Maybe there is a much stronger connection in the upper but seriously, social media must be turned off while you are in the mountain. Give yourself permission to feel the nature and forget everything from the digital cloud.

I lost a project opportunity that night because I can’t able to accept the offer since the deadline is the same night but I gain so much more energy and inspiration that I can use for the next projects to come. The money will always be there but your time is always running. I have done social media detox before even for months because I want to focus more on my job, I even deprived myself to go out and just save and save. I never regret those moments because I know it is part of the process. I am still handling my money wisely but without sacrificing my chance to go out on an adventure. All of us can do that, it depends on our priority and purpose.

Take a good night sleep, recharge and don’t waste the time.

Descend

Our trail is a traverse trail to Kipaliku river. Traverse trail means your way of ascending and descending are different which is the opposite of back trail where you have to take the same way both ascending and descending or going up and down the mountain.

Bring sandals or aqua shoes because it is definitely useful in the descending phase. You really have to cross the river I think 15 times with at least upper knee level for some and the cold of it helps you feel more relaxed. You will also be passing so many stones along with the river and it adds up the challenge.

Kipaliku river is always there, waiting for you to feel the worthy cold and relaxing running water. Imagine the heat during the day descending and you happen to swim in the very cold river, the feeling is just very relaxing. You can eat your breakfast at the river if you want to stay there a little longer, of course, you will want to. There are small waterfalls at the back side in the area that you also might want to visit. Water is clean and fresh since it is a running water, which means you can use soap and shampoo.

The trail going back is not hard except for the last one after the river where you have to climb again, other than that, the way is easy but you only have to deal with the sun.

Just a few tips, don’t take rest often, it will waste your body’s energy. 3 minutes to 5 is enough and just continue to walk. The best thing to note as well is to be with a friend who is really a hiker, by that, you will force to push yourself more.

Take note that mountain hike is not for everyone, there are still people out there who don’t understand why people like us want to do this kind of adventure. Again, it depends on your reason why. We were given a nice world, why not explore it. Time? we always have time, it is your move to have it. I’m handling 7 full-time clients, I work 16 hours or more for a day but still, I manage to go out and explore. Money? You have it, you just need to be wise on your expenses, stop the short meetups often, it is okay to skip friends gathering, they are still your friends even after a while. Do it for yourself, not for social media. I’ve been hiking and traveling for the past few years but I haven’t posted them all. You are not required to. I’m already happy to write here in my blog even only a few can read it. You will see that little by little, you will gonna know yourself and that is the best feeling in the world.