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.

Sosyal Klaymers

These are the Sosyal Klaymers...who are hikers and aim to see the remote areas in this 7,107 islands. I will use most of the photos from Julius, Alex and Mart that are in their photo album. This blog will cover most of the treks they made during this year and may include some of the hiking they did last year when the group started on this expedition.

Let me introduce you to these guys. In the picture, front row are: Ariel, Ed, Beng, and Julius; behind are: Mervin, Jo-an, Kres (a friend from Indonesia), Paolo, Philip; and topmost is Ricky. Not in the photo are: Alex, Mart and Mitch. They are 13 in all who are having fun undertaking such a daring journey. These are 13 adventurous people, finding time to enjoy themselves taking in the sights and sounds of the countryside under extra-ordinary circumstances, not for fame and fortune! The places they like to go to are mostly where mountain trekking is possible, not in anyway a resort area but these places could very well be! They stop for some recreation along the way and eventually find a place to eat and rest for the night. While cruising along, they have met people from the area, willingly helping them along, at the same time joining them in their merry-making for this group are both impish and playful. This is their breathing spell because on weekdays, they each go to their respective workplace to do some serious work.

They did their first climb on 20 September 2009 climbing Mt. Gulugod Baboy in Anilao, Batangas...there were only 6 of them then. The climb was easy taking only about 2 hours to reach the top. The "jump-off" point was Philpan Dive Resort...this brings me back to the days when we would go to Anilao to dive. There were no resorts then so we had to leave early in the morning drive in unpaved road to the dive site that we knew then. Going back to the sosyal klaymers' first climb...the trail was narrow just wide enough for one person to pass between underbush and reeds. Upon reaching the top, they found company with a cow roaming the place but could not be bothered to pay them any attention.

Baler

Baler is the capital town of Aurora...by the Sierra Madre Mountains. The place is scenic with the mountain range running across the province to up north. It is located at northeastern part of the Philippines, has streams and rivers running through the area. In the east is the Pacific Ocean. It has lush greenery by the mountainside, and panoramic beaches ideal for surfing, snorkeling, scuba diving, mountain climbing and trekking. It is ideal for trekkers since there are very few that venture outside of the town proper to the mountains that can be reached by winding dirt road.

Among the tourist attractions of Baler are: Sabang Beach and Cemento Beach, and, the coastal islands of Dimamalangat, Aniao, and Lukso-Lukso that are rich in coral reefs.

Baler is known to most Filipinos, as the hometown of President Quezon that he frequently visited even when he was President. His wife, Dona Aurora, is also from Baler and was ambushed on one of her trips to Baler in the 1950's. Notably, the Baler Catholic Church is where the Spanish resistance fighters held off the onslaught of American troops until they finally surrendered on July 2, 1899. On the left wall of the church is a marker of Lt. Commander James Gilmore Marcher who and his regimen were held captive here.

Dicasalarin Cove, Baler

The above picture from the Sosyal Klaymers gave me the idea of this blog...this is Dicasalarin Cove, location of one of their hikes during the holy week this year. They took the bus to Baler...at Sabang Beach they started their hike to Dicasalarin Cove at the foot of the Sierra Madre at the side of the mighty Pacific Ocean. It sits on a white sand beach with the Sierra Madre mountain range with lush greenery as background...just takes your breath away. To quote Ayie's description of the place "there are no resorts, no facilities on this fine stretch of sand. A freshwater river, flowing from the mountains beyond, trickles out to the sea. Dicasalarin Cove's stunning beauty and relative isolation certainly make it one of Baler's best-kept secrets."

Though it is possible to take a short boat ride along Aurora's rough coastal waters but hiking to Dicasalarin is the way to go. The adventure will entail passing through most of Baler's barangays, climbing up to Pag-asa Hill where "the vistas are breathtaking, tramping through lush forests, scrambling across rocky shores and finally to the desolate beach where the beauty is as rough as the crashing waves of the Pacific." It took them less than an hour of uphill climb to reach an abandoned Pag-asa weather station where from its water tower is a bird's eye view of the Pacific meeting the Sierra Madre.

Reef side, Dicasalarin Beach

From this point, about 20 minute hike on a downhill trail is the reef side of Dicasalarin beach, in contrast to the cove, they came across black rocks and dead corals swept to the shore all the way to a "rock wall jutting out of the mountainside." To get to this rock wall, is either to trek a trail that traverses the white sand beach or to walk along the shore but in any case, the path is "unestablished and is dangerously sharp and rocky...a bit of rock climbing" make for an exciting hike to the "pristine white sands of Dicasalarin Cove." And there are nearby beaches to explore and other hills to climb for a more adventurous hike.

This is another white sand beach dotting the Islands...virtually unknown and discovered only by those who journey off the beaten track.