Philsaga sa Magdiwata

Mt. Magdiwata

San Francisco, Agusan del Sur

"Mahagsay ha pag-abot iyo tibu. Mahagsay a masulum". Greeted our guide, Arnel, in Banwaun dialect which translates to welcome and good morning. He proceeded and briefed us about our hike beneath the cool shade of palm oil trees at the foot of Mt. Magdiwata.

It was a balmy Sunday morning with clear skies. A perfect day to climb the low but very wide Mt. Magdiwata looming over the town of San Francisco (San Franz), Agusan del Sur. For hundreds of years up to now, the mountain serves as the major source of potable water for San Franz residents. For that reason, it was declared a watershed forest reserve on October 23, 1993 under Presidential Proclamation No. 282.

Access to Mt. Magdiwata is restricted given its protected watershed status. Therefore, I requested Jomark, our company's Community Relations officer, to inquire at San Franz' municipal hall. He got the contact details of Juancho Vicente, Municipal Tourism Officer, who turned out to be the president of San Francisco Mountaineer's Club (SFMC). I contacted Juancho and arranged a hike to Mt. Magdiwata. After weeks of planning and coordinating, my team, mostly colleagues in Philsaga, finally got the chance to climb the mountain on the last Sunday of August.

We assembled in front of the municipal hall of San Francisco and met up with Juancho Vicente. After inviting us to other attractions in Agusan del Sur, he led us into a prayer followed by a quick warm-up stretch. From our location, Mt. Magdiwata, partially obscured by morning fog, appeared to be welcoming and ready to its hikers  that day.

Mt. Magdiwata from San Francisco Municipal Hall.

Picture taking with members of San Francisco Mountaineer's Club (SFMC).

Pre-climb prayer led by SFMC President Juancho Vicente.

We travelled excitedly to our jump-off point in tricycles. Our climb guides, headed by Arnel of SFMC, were already waiting for us. He briefed us on Mt. Magdiwata and discussed the technicalities we would be tackling during the hike. He further revealed that the mountain is home to some endemic flora and fauna and considered sacred to the Manobo tribe. As he was talking, I observed the loud chirping of birds, and it seemed to me that Mt. Magdiwata was also giving us her welcome speech.

Tricycle to jump-off point.

Groufie at the trailhead.

The first part of the trail was paved in crushed limestone being maintained by surrounding palm oil plantations. That was easy and can be compared to a relaxing walk in the park. Afterwards, we started to ascend the mountain via river traverse. Weeks prior the climb, we were notified that it would be a wet hike. And there's no escaping that, after 30 minutes or more in the trail, there goes our sneakers and trek leggings, completely soaked in water. 

Entering Mt. Magdiwata through its river system.

Wet hike indeed.

Our first hurdle was an almost vertical ~4m high waterfall. One of our guides had to set-up a rope and we used it to scale the steep face. In here, we exerted upper body strength to be able to heave ourselves up. In the end, we succeeded our first challenge, as well as the higher and steeper waterfalls we encountered in our way to the peak. All in all, we tackled 7 major waterfalls and 7 smaller ones.

Rapelling our way up in some waterfalls.

Shower curtains. Where we had our lunch.

Aside from waterfalls, we also passed by several cascades and rock pools. In one part where the natural pool was deep enough, three of us swam (Jomark, Dave and I), while the others relaxed on the banks. The water was very cool to the point of chilling, but even so, it soothed my tired limbs.

Cold, natural pool of Mt. Magdiwata.

Mt. Magdiwata is known for its life sustaining natural spring water. Through Sir Arnel, we discovered that the mountain also offers another kind of natural water, in the form of bamboo water. Our guide poked a hole in a bamboo tube and water flowed from it. We had some drops, and to me, the water tasted normal but slightly sweeter than regular drinking water.

Posing for the bamboos.

A few more steep climbs and we started to hear the sound of running motorcycles. Arnel narrated that the summit is called MSU Peak since some Master students from MSU camped in the area for two months studying the animals sheltered by the watershed for their thesis.

One last waterfall til we reach the summit.

Nearly at the peak.

We reached the summit past 1 pm and we were disheartened by the view. There's no good clearing and trees partially block the town of San Francisco from vision. On the positive note, the lush foliage serves as a testament that the watershed is properly preserved. No tree cutting allowed. Nonetheless, we still took group photos and Jomark did a Facebook live while some (Timmy, Synfor, Joana and I) visited the nearby Bagrass tree.

The peak overlooking the town of San Franz.

And now comes the hard part of the hike - the descent. We had a steep descent via ridge traverse and we were led by Jen and fiance. Soon enough, our knees were trembling and legs felt heavy. At about 4 pm, we finally reached our exit point, a flowing, natural pool called DMLP. We had a quick dip and afterwards, went back to San Franz to change into dry clothes.

We did it. Team "Philsaga Mountaineers".

To reward ourselves for a challenge succeeded, we had a bbq dinner in San Franz complimented with cold beers. A perfect socials after the climb. Jomark even named the team Philsaga Mountaineers. So, it would be more apt to call our climb "Philsaga sa Magdiwata".

Post climb socials.

This climb is very memorable to me. It signified the start of an adventure, of discovering inner strength and conquering challenges, and renewed my interest in mountain climbing. And for these reasons, Mt. Magdiwata is indeed magical...and a gift to everyone.

Climb Date: August 27, 2017

Summit Elevation: 633mASL

Difficulty Rating: 5/9

Jump-off Point: HOT FM

Exit Point: DMLP Pool

Days Required/Hours to Summit: 1 day/5 hours

Features: Creek Traverse, Wet Hike, Cascades and Natural Rock Pools

Geology: Intrusive rocks, mostly diorite

Guide: San Francisco Mountaineer's Club

Contact Person: Juancho Vicente, SF Tourism Officer