Kalayaan Klaymb

"Kalayaan Klaymb" was the name given to an adventurous trek along the Sierra Madre by the Sosyal Klaymers and the Bomba Boys in Daraitan. Daraitan is one of the 19 barangays in the municipality of Tanay in Rizal province. Tanay is about 57 kms. from Manila, known also as the municipality in the sky due to its elevation. As historical footnote...during World War II, the mountains of Tanay served as base for 'Marking's Guerrillas', an active unit that fought against Japanese Imperial forces during the war. Gen. Marking's son had a farm in Daraitan where he was buried.

Now back to the climb...none of the 16 trekkers have been to Daraitan so everyone was excited to see this place by the Sierra Madres, having all the potential of the many facets that climbers expect - mountains, rock boulders, rivers and caves, scenic to boot. In all the excitement, they forgot to give the exact location where they wanted to go so the guide they hired at the Daraitan took them to the river bank not to the mountains. After hurdling this snag, they finally reached their jump off destination...thus the trek begins.

The Trail

The narrow trail is lined with lush vegetation and alongside is the stream from a river. It was far from a steep climb but up and down the rock boulders and crossing the river is what the trek entailed. Most of this activity took place in Day 2...but day 1 was having fun day - at the camp site, along the river bank where it was sandy and easy to set up tents. It was time for a few drinks, games galore, and food before retiring for the night. This camaraderie is what makes their hikes not only enjoyable but memorable as well. Day 2 - this is the day to explore the area...and off went the Sosyal Klaymers and the Bomba boys - trekking to the cave that meant going through the river...and of all days, there was a strong current that made crossing not only difficult but also "scary". They managed by helping each other. No one had the idea what was in the cave...and could enter only through a small opening, allowing a person at a time. By the looks of it, it could still be longer inside but no one ventured any further, Alex went as far as 3 meters inside but it was too dark to continue further on. But on the way to and from the cave, they saw fantastic rock formation...from the photo below, these rocks are white like limestone. Some are slippery and sharp and quite steep...but they just had to try climbing the rocks as far up as one could venture...they had so much fun!

Rock Formation

They did some swimming by the river and wet themselves by a waterfall along the way...it was photo op time...for lasting memento of the Daraitan experience.