DULANG-DULANG CLIMB 2011: A Revelation

Like any usual mountain climbing, our climb to Mt. Dulang-Dulang last January 28-29, 2011 has offered a quite satisfactory experience. Our first major climb of the year was relished with excitement amidst fun and hardship. There were 3 of us from LOGSAC (Papong and Irvhin were my companion, as usual). Gabo of TEAK also joined the climb along with the MOTHER THERESA OF MOUNTAINEERING.

At 2,938 masl (Official Measurement courteasy of Wikipedia), Mt. Dulang-Dulang (also known as D2) is the second highest mountain in the Philippines located within the Kitanglad range of Bukidnon province. It boosts of its rich biodiversity as it is considered home to several flora and fauna, including the famous Monkey-eating-Eagle. It has a wide vicinity of forest environment with extraordinary moss formations in all its boughs carpeting the entire forest landscape, very magnificent forest atmosphere.

D2’s temperature is also very cold we could already feel it even if we’re just right at the jump off area in Bul-ogan, a small village predominantly occupied by the Tala-andig tribe folks (here we were greeted by tribal leader Datu Malumay, although we weren’t able to witness the ritual because we were running out of time). The lowest temperature recorded at the summit of D2 during our climb was 9 degrees Celsius, a trace comparable to that of Mt. Apo and Mt. Pulag.

There was rain on the first day of our trekking. D2’s trail, although considered by some as a technical mountain, is very established. We never had hard time striding our feet. The terrain, however, was quite steep especially from the river point going to Manny’s Garden where we spent the rest of the night. Water source is also not a problem at D2. Right from Bul-ogan, all stopovers have potable water source except the summit area.

If there was one thing notable during our climb, it was the affirmation that D2 is really the second highest in the Philippines. Based on Gabo’s GPS measurement (the same instrument used during the Mt. Pulag climb), D2 is far higher than Pulag by more than 13 meters (I unintentionally forget his Pulag record as of this writing). However, this contention has to be conferred first with the proper authorities so that in the future all the confusions will be aptly taken for the benefit of the Philippine mountaineering community.

All in all, our climb to D2 was very successful.