What do you usually do for Holy Week? While people in Manila are off to provinces for the whole week of R&R, people (and even tourists) in Los Baños, Laguna usually go up in Mt. Makiling for their Holy Week penitensya.
What exactly is Holy Week? Wikipedia defined it as:
Holy Week (Latin: Hebdomas Sancta or Hebdomas Maior, "Greater Week"; Greek: Ἁγία καὶ Μεγάλη Ἑβδομάς, Hagia kai Megale Hebdomas) in Christianity is the last week of Lent and the week before Easter. It includes the religious holidays of Palm Sunday,Maundy Thursday (Holy Thursday) and Good Friday, and lasts from Palm Sunday (or in the Eastern, Lazarus Saturday) until, but not including, Easter Sunday, as Easter Sunday is the first day of the new season of The Great Fifty Days. It commemorates the last week of the earthly life of Jesus Christ as recorded in the Canonical gospels.I have been to Mudsprings and Peak 2 ( highest peak of Mt. Makiling hiking trail) during my grade school years. We used to camp in Makiling Rainforest Park together with our family friends. For a change, this year ( or what seemed to be my first holy week after not observing it for six straight years) my high school friends and I decided to "hike" Mudspring for Maundy Thursday.
What exactly is "Mudspring"? Laguna Travel Guide defines it as:
The Mud Springs has been popularly but erroneously known as the crater of Mt Makiling. The Mud Springs site is actually one of the mud pots left in the mountain. "A mud pot is a type of hot spring that is formed when due to volcanic heat, sulfuric acid breaks down surrounding rocks into clay. The clay mixes with water to form mud that is very hot (80 C), sulfurous (50mg/L), very acidic (2ph) and varying in consistency and color."
We're supposed to meet at 6am in UP Main Library where we can park the cars properly and reach Mud Spring before lunch, but since some of our friends are running early morning errands and coming straight from Manila, we were able to leave at 7:30am.
By the time that we arrived, we have to listen to an orientation, assign a team leader, get the orientation stubs and trail map.
There is an entrance fee of Php5.00 each visitor that must be paid, they check your bags as well for any life-threatening apparatus.
Rules:
1. Follow entry requirements.
2. Observe access hours.
3. Use established hiking trails.
4. Camp in designated campsites.
5. Obey garbage in, garbage out rule.
6. Leave what you find.
7. Beware of obnoxious plants and animals.
8. Respect wildlife.
9. Prevent forest fire.
10. Stop vandalism.
11. Be considerate of the other visitors, and
12. Familiarize the guide map.
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| Hikers |
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| After orientation you get a stub |
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| Trail |
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| What you will be walking on most of the time |
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| Trail |
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| Trail |
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| More trail |
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| Wear comfy footwear |
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| Sign that you're getting there! There are sari-sari stores there that sells: buko juice, fruits, goto, soda, souvenirs, and the likes. :) |
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| Deadma na sa hair! |
And by 9:30 approximately, we have arrived...
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| The Famous Mudspring |
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| Photo Op |
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| Camping |
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| Souvenirs for sale |
Tips:
- Prepare to sweat!
- Best to go there with friends. Especially those who's been there.
- Bring at least the basics: towel, extra shirt, sunblock, food, drinks, or for first timers - first aid kit.
- I recommend that you bring an iPod with upbeat music for distraction (or as my good friend, Ellis, puts it: Mind over Matter). I'm not really outdoorsy but my iPod made me survive the day ( after having years of no exercise!)
- Prepare to experience muscular pain afterwards (especially if you are not a pro.)
- You can bring a 4x4 pick up/heavy duty jeep at the base camp and just walk from there.
- Mountain bikes are not allowed - I don't know why!
- Motorcycles are allowed, I think. Because I've seen many of those while walking along the trail.
Enjoy!
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