Kalipay sa Mayapay

Mt. Mayapay

Butuan City, Agusan del Norte

Ka.li.pay. A Bisaya word which means glee. Does climbing a mountain make someone happy? Can it boost productivity and improve over-all well-being? If I would to answer given my experience of hiking 11 mountains total to date, it would be a big yes. Mountain climbing is an outdoor sport and adventure in one with guaranteed benefits of tanned skin, strong legs and a happier and braver disposition in life.

Bts for this shot is super fun - when you use your friends arm for something to step on.

June 24, 2018

0530H The Vein writers together with other Philsaga staff from HR Department, Mine Engineering and Mine Geology gathered at McDonald’s Urios and met with Butuan’s TAGABUKS Scout Mountaineers who will be the guides on that day. We introduced ourselves and learned that our head guide Marc previously worked for Philsaga under Environment Department. We realized that it’s going to be an exclusive Philsaga hike that day.

0630H We boarded a jeepney going to Buenavista. The commute took 30minutes or more. Timmy pointed to me the famous Halo Halo stop of Butuan – a hole in the wall store called “Snackbreak”. It was closed though because it’s a Sunday. Maybe I need to come back some other time in order to see for myself why it became one of Butuan’s pride. (Dropped by at the store last October and found out that what makes the halo halo so special is its gelatinuous texture.)

0710H We arrived at Buenavista junction. Our guides approached the habal habal drivers at the waiting shed and haggled for reasonable rates to drive us to our drop-off point in Sitio Tapnuige. There would be two passengers per motorcycle and I shared one with Ava. After 40 minutes or more, we reached our trailhead.

0730H After another short briefing from our guides, we started the trek. It was hot and humid - the typical tropical weather. In just a span of five minutes walking, we were all drenched in sweat.

With em Tagabuks and Philsaga mountaineers.

0800H We reached the first military post of 23IB Masigasig Patrol Base. We logged our names in a record book and were introduced to Mr. Sergeant - our military escort who will also be carrying food supplies to their Mayapay summit post. Mr. Sergeant was cool and chill, he was carrying a portable speaker blasting reggae music from it. In between rest stops, I witnessed him flaunt some of his reggae swag moves.

1000H After a continuous assault, the team decided to rest in Starbucks stop. TAGABUKS mountaineers named all their stops after coffee shops because they always have their coffee in one of those stops. There’s also Bo’s Coffee stop located an hour from our current resting place. At Starbucks stop, we ate our McDo burgers and hash browns. Sadly we did not bring coffee. So I might just rename that rest stop as Philsaga’s McDo stop.

Rest stop.

1100H We were gaining higher elevation. Cabadbaran’s Puting Bato is now prominent from our current point. The mountain’s flora is also starting to change into mossy (presence of moss indicate higher altitude and clean air). After the mossy part, we entered a jungle, the tall trees giving us relief from the scorching sun.

1200H After exiting the jungle, we arrived at the summit post of Masigasig Patrol. It’s not our final stop yet. We rested for a bit and the military men assigned there offered us fresh buko juice or locally called “butong”. One of them is Ilokano and we had a quick discourse in 100% pure Ilokano dialect. Our Bisaya companions were fascinated at the same time felt lost in our indecipherable Ilokano speak.

1230H We arrived at Mt. Mayapay’s peak. Here we are, at the highest point of Butuan, the city laid down before our eyes. Butuan’s bridges are prominent and so the river that maybe shaped the city’s cultural and trade industry in the historic past. After all, it was in Butuan where the oldest boat “Balanghai” was discovered – an evidence of a thriving economy founded on water transport.

1300H We had our lunch, this time, it was chicken from McDonald’s. We went back to the view deck and videotaped ourselves dancing to Daddy Yankee’s Dura track. It was the trending dance challenge at the time, and hey, we just have to do our own Philsaga version – shot at Mt. Mayapay’s peak. Jomark proved that he still got the moves.

Just after our Dura challenge.

1430H After resting for a bit in the hammocks that was set-up by our TAGABUKS guides, we started our descend. The sky changed from blue into grey indicating an imminent downpour. This pressured us to adjust into a faster pace. Lucky for us, it did not rain that day.

1600H Back in our jump off point, the first thing we did is look for a sari-sari store selling cold Coca Cola. I wonder why Coke always tastes better after a day’s hike compared to drinking it in a normal day.

1630H Our TAGABUKS guide was able to get us a Skylab ride – a motorcycle with extended boards on both sides resembling the Skylab international space station. In some parts of Mindanao, it is called habal habal and can accommodate up to ten passengers. There were 8 of us and before we scrambled into the boards, our body built were compared first to determine who will ride on each wing - this is to achieve balance during the ride. During the ride, Timmy and I just kept on shouting, scared of the danger as we thread the uneven dirt road. Our driver kept on reprimanding us to stay still for him not to lose balance.

1715H Back at Buenavista junction, it felt so good to finally dismount from the Skylab. My blood was able to circulate again after experiencing leg and pelvic cramps for the entire duration of our Skylab ride. It was a good experience though and quite a taste of a rough adventure.

1900H Fresh from our showers and a change of new clothes, we had our post climb dinner with our TAGABUKS guides somewhere along Capitol Rd, Butuan. We transferred to nearby Calda’s for beers after the dinner and also invited our Red Epic friends. It was a fulfilling day – from sun and sweat, to mountain peak and dangerous skylab ride, to hanging out with old and new friends. Life is really one great adventure – never be afraid in living it fearless and limitless.

Climb Date: June 24, 2018

Summit Elevation: 675mASL

Difficulty Rating: 4/9

Jump-off Point: Sitio Tapnuige, Brgy. Sangay, Buenavista

Exit Point: same – back trail

Days Required/Hours to Summit: 1 day/4 hours

Features: grasslands, Butuan river and downtown views

Geology: sedimentary Pleistocene deposits

Guide: Tao Adunay Gugma Alang hong Butuan Ug Kinaiyahang Senerbisyohan (TAGABUKS) Scout Mountaineers
Contact Person: Marc Ian Dumanon, TAGABUKS Scout Mountaineers


Here's my Mayapay Vlog, our Dura Challenge on second part of the clip.

Our Skylab ride captured in this second clip.