I was a dormant mountaineer for eight long months. My latest communions
with the mountains were through trail running. It was only on November 19-20
where I retrieved my backpacking stuff and joined the Visit Davao Fun Sale
(VDFS) group in Mt. Hamiguitan for an assessment climb. Over the weekend I
rediscovered the mountain which I considered the most unique among all the
mountains I climbed throughout my mountaineering years.
We are a team of veteran mountaineers headed by Sir Benjie Lizada, the
Team Leader who happens to be the Executive Committee Chairperson of VDFS. I
have been joining this group since February last year and with them I found a
new company that resembles with my passion and ardour of the outdoors. Sir
Benjie has also been looking at Davao Oriental as another destination to be
included in next year’s version of VDFS for selling guided tours over the
eastern parts of region XI.
We took the less-visited Osmeña trail in Governor Generoso, the one
they fondly called “ligas-paka” trail because of the presence of some cliff
portions and face-the-wall assault. For the inexperienced trekkers the trail
could be very dangerous. From the trailhead we trekked approximately 12
kilometers starting from Purok 7 up to the Twin Falls, chasing the pristine
Dumago-ok River where a lot of rock trails were traversed. Local tourism staff
in GovGen even joked to me that their route is the “boulder face” of Mt.
Hamiguitan.
Campsite 3 in the bonsai field is the convergence campsites for all
trekkers be it from San Isidro or Governor Generoso. Some 2 hours hike from
Purok 7 is the campsite 2, a usual overnight stopovers for GovGen trekkers. In
our case we directly proceeded to camp 3 in day 1, but given with the
difficulty of the trail our sweeper arrived in camp 3 around 11:30 in the
evening. There were even two members of the team who were left in between camp
2 and Dumago-ok waterfalls which was accompanied by Tourism Officer Joey Gamao.
They continued the hike the following day while we were already on our way
down.
The two waterfalls along the trail which were vertically laid out into
the rock walls of the mountain were incredible. The first one was part of the
Dumago-ok river system and the other one, the more popular Twin Falls, have maintained its radiance when
I first saw it in 2008. The verdant setting of the environment has truly
complemented with these water bodies that become Mt. Hamiguitan’s key
attractions.
In a short span I also spotted several interesting flora and fauna in
Mt. Hamiguitan. This mountain is considered to be a habitat of many life forms,
some even endemic only in the area. Most
notable of which are the tropical pitcher plants and Lepidoptera.
I was the first to arrive in the bonsai field and although it was my
second time in the mountain I was still amazed by its breath-taking scenery. As
I observed, the bonsais were filled with life, not just ordinary life but life
that dictates enchantment. I heard them whispering enthusiasm, conversing to me
of gentle persuasions that they would continue living there for the rest of
eternity as long as they would be protected and loved. Each and every bonsai
that I saw had satisfied my urge to nature and everything else in the
outdoors.
As a UNESCO World Heritage site, Mt. Hamiguitan deserves to be given
full attention and respect. No other places in the country that has the same
attributes like this mountain and just like any other wonderful natural
heritage sites Mt. Hamiguitan should be preserved.
At this point I would like to thank VDFS through
Sir Benjie for inviting me to that climb. Gratitude is also due to the Local
Government of San Isidro for assisting us, especially to Tourism Officer Joey
and staff Clinton. The porters in Osmeña are good enough in accommodating
guests and they have been praying for the reopening of the GovGen trail sooner
than later as it would be an income booster for the community.