A Yes, Not a No...To Mt. Capistrano

Mt. Capistrano

Malaybalay, Bukidnon

Bukidnon's farm lands featuring Mt. Capistrano in the background.

My first Bukidnon trip was March this year, when my SO2 girlfriend Gracie got wed in Cagayan de Oro. The day after the wedding, Sarge, my roommate in UP Kalayaan Dorm, toured me and fellow SO2's to the different tourist spots in Bukidnon. It was only a day trip, yet, we were able to visit Dahilayan and Malaybalay. We arrived in Malaybalay late afternoon, thus, had limited time to discover the city. I promised myself back then that I'll be back to Bukidnon and spend more time specifically in Malaybalay. Little did I know, that seven months forward, I'll be attending another destination wedding, to be set in the picturesque city of Malaybalay.

For this Bukidnon wedding (#ROBwedsNICE), I allotted more time so that I would be able to squeeze in a few side trips. And that includes an early morning hike to Mt. Capistrano.

Standing at 610masl, Mt. Capistrano has become Malaybalay's favorite day hike for newbies and seasoned hikers alike. The trails are easy and the stunning views of Bukidnon from the peak are very much worth the hike. It is also easily accessible from Malaybalay city proper, and can be seen as the most prominent minor summit visible from Bukidnon highways.

Mt. Capistrano seen from the barangay road that leads into the registration point.

My chance in visiting this mountain was the morning after the wedding. By the way, the wedding was lovely; my high school classmate Rob married his Bukidnon girl Nicy, at the Monastery of Transfiguration. Their prenup video was shot at Bukidnon's famous mountain ridges. The beef served at the reception tasted high quality, maybe that's why it's called high land beef. The best of Bukidnon was felt all throughout the wedding. Even the souvenirs are green succulents (now displayed in my office) sending that Bukidnon vibes whenever I see them. After the wedding reception, Sarge and Doubard joined me and D for a wine tasting lesson given by the French owner of the boutique hotel we stayed at in Malaybalay. We learned a lot that night, how to use the sense of sight, smell and taste in determining whether a wine is high quality or not. But enough of my digression, let's get back to my original topic in this article, Mt. Capistrano, right?

The day after the wedding, D and I drove to the registration area at Sitio Binalbagan. We paid 20 pesos each as registration fee and additional 500 pesos for a guide. It is easy to climb the mountain without a guide given its well established tracks; however, as per new ordinance from the barangay, a guide is required for all trekkers. I have no qualms about this because it's a form of supporting local economy.

So, together with our guide, we started our hike to the mountain. The first part is passing through a papaya plantation leased by DOLE, the big canning company. I believe those papayas are used in DOLE's fruit cocktails, the main ingredient in fruit salads. After the plantation, the next part of the trail is the 292 concrete stairs which also served as warm-up to our knees.

The concrete stairs marking the start of ascent.

Next is an open trail, which is difficult, because of the steep slope. For the first 300 meters, a rope is installed in the middle of the trail to assist hikers. In this part, I put on my gloves to prevent getting blisters from the rope.

A rope is installed in the open trail to assist hikers.

After the open trail, we entered a forested trail. It was raining the night before, so the trail was muddy and slippery. In here, we began to meet descending hikers. I was so shocked to see some in their slippers, shorts and tank tops. It seemed they just got from the beach and not in the summit.

Limestone boulders started to appear, getting larger as we approached the summit. . This is probably the most dangerous part of the hike where climbers hop from one rock to another, sometimes, gripping the sharp limestone edges for added balance. Gloves are really required in this part to avoid abrasions and scrapes.

Rock climbing in the limestone formations. It's sad to see that these limestones were vandalized.

Finally, here comes the karstic summit. Limestone formations adorn the peak, and usually where the climbers stand or sit and just do their buwis-buhay instagram-worthy shots. The view at the top is exhilarating offering a 360 degree view of Bukidnon lowlands dotted with green rice paddies. The Kitanglad range is also visible from the peak. But not everyone is lucky, sometimes the summit is shrouded with fog, no clearing means no good views. I was beyond lucky that day, for I was given clear, blue skies during my Capistano hike.

Mesmerized with the view at the summit.

Rice paddies of Bukidnon were seen from the summit. Kitanglad Range was also partially visible from the peak.

Hindi sa pagmamayabang but these kids asked if they can have a picture with me and that's a #feelingartista moment for me. Hahaha!

After Mt. Capistrano, D and I proceeded to Impasug-ong for Pamihawa ridge, then, drove straight to Dahilayan for a quick visit. We went back to Agusan via CDO-Butuan road, and since we took Tagum-BUDA highway on our way to Bukidnon, we just closed the eastern-central Mindanao road circuit. Yay to Mindanao road trips!

So, did I enjoy this Bukidnon trip? Very! Super! Yes! For it's never a NO...for Mt. Capistrano.

Climb Date: October 22, 2017

Summit Elevation: 610mASL

Difficulty Rating: 3/9

Jump-off Point: Sitio Binalbagan, Brgy. Simaya

Exit Point: same - back trail

Days Required/Hours to Summit: 0.5 day/1.5 hours

Features: Steep rocky trail, limestone summit

Geology: Limestone underlain by feldspar porphyry

Guide: Mandatory guide assigned at the registration area

Contact Person: none, easy to DIY