Mt. Maculot and The Rule of Thirds

Mt. Maculot

Cuenca, Batangas

"She has been feeling it for a while now-- that sense of awakening. There is a gentle rage simmering inside her, and it is getting stronger by the day. She will hold it close to her-- she will nurture it and let it grow. She won't let anyone take it away from her. It is her rocket fuel and finally, she is going places. She can feel it down to her very core-- this is her time. She will not only climb mountains-- she will move them too." - Lang Leav

The Rockies.

It's 4:30 in the morning - a group of five girls stood in a circle in front of a store in a small Batangas town. Their guide, the only guy in that day's hiking journey, posed three questions.

1. What is your name?

2. What is your dream destination?

3. What made you smile today?

My turn came to answer.

1. Hi everybody! I am Mau. I am a geologist and I work in a gold mine.

2. My dream destination is to finally have my first international hike this year. I'm targeting the geological formations in the US.  

3. This trip, being able to hike a mountain and given that opportunity, made me smile, and grateful.

After the little chit-chat and climb briefing, Jae, our TrailAd guide, handed us our Mt. Maculot ID tags.

We started our hike in the dark. It was chilly with the breeze coming mostly from Taal Lake. We passed a small number of river crossings and in the dark, I was able to identify volcanic flows. Most probably andesite volcanics and related with the eruption of nearby Taal Volcano.

We had quick stops in all of Mt. Maculot's 14 rest stations. Yes, 14!!! When we descended, all these stops magically transformed into sari-sari stores selling buko juice fresh from the shell.

Taal Lake.

Past 6 in the morning, we arrived at The Rockies. At that time, Taal Lake was completely bathed in that perfect sunrise glow. It was breath-taking! I got high with the view that can only be reached by hiking.

I wanted to have those buwis-buhay shots standing atop a rock formation, with the magnificent Taal Lake as back drop. It was windy, Jae wouldn't allow the shot, but I pleaded and begged, promised him nothing's gonna happen and convinced him my core balance is on-point. Finally, that deep-dimpled guy with copper colored hair, succumbed to my pleadings. 

Not afraid of heights.

Ate Grace, my almost Ate, and will always be my dearest Ate no matter what, took great photos of me applying the "Rule of Thirds" which she lectured on Jae after discovering the guy lacks photography skills. Hahaha. Well, the guy might lack photography skills, but, that's perfectly okay. He recently graduated Master of Science in Applied Physics major in Medical Physics, University of Sto. Tomas. (Grabeng benta, we should be best friends after this! I want to learn more about Quantum Mechanics and its applicability to medical science and discuss Astrophysics. Maybe in Kota later this year?) 

So, what is the "Rule of Thirds" all about? Ever wonder why there is an option in our cell phones to display screen grids during photography or video shoots? These grids are usually divided into three - both vertical and horizontal. The Rule of Thirds is a sort of a guideline to structure your composition in a balanced way using the golden proportion. According to the rule, the most powerful points in the composition are the areas where the lines intersect. They are the most pleasing to the visual eye. Well, Jae (and I) got instantly lectured by the very smart Ate Grace. It's always fun learning new stuff. It broadened my knowledge on composition photography. And I felt honored to learn it straight from a bar passer, certified lawyer - Atty. Grace.

Ate Grace in action, applying the Rule of Thirds,

Ed Sheeran, errr, Jae, the only guy in this girl group.

Sharing the BOKEH effect to Ate Grace.

After our photo-ops, we started our descend. Jae opted out of the Grotto summit traverse. Well, might just come back in the future for the higher summit.

Back in our jump-off/exit point, we changed into fresh clothes, and had our initiation of Batangas lomi for breakfast. It was all our first time, no idea on the proper way of eating it. We started devouring our lomis the usual way - in a bowl with the vegetables, 'sahog' and noodles swimming in a thick egg broth. Then the lady at the store approached us and demonstrated the right way of eating Lomi Batangas. First we need to transfer the contents, little by little,  and eat it - in a plate!!! Add a mix of soy sauce, chili and calamansi into the super thick sauce and voila, we had a crash course on the art of eating loming Batangas. Well, it was delicious and filling, worthy of being called Batangas' golden dish.

Batangas Lomi.

After breakfast, we headed home. Another mountain visited, new friends gained. Proved that sisterhood is not only by blood, but also by heart.

Dab ala Millenials este Feelenials.

Climb Date: February 3, 2018

Summit Elevation: 706masl (Rockies), 930masl (Grotto Peak)

Difficulty Rating: 3/9

Jump-off Point: Mountaineer's Store, Brgy. Siete,Cuenca

Exit Point: same (back trail)

Days Required/Hours to Summit: 1 day/2 hours

Features: Views of Taal Lake, coconut trees

Geology: Volcanic flows

Guide: Jae of TrailAdventours