Cinco is known to be a fairly simple hike, got several invites before to climb this mountain but decided to cancel at the last minute thinking i might not finish it.
From that day, the feeling of being unable to climb and experience it has passed. However, my fascination with this mountain continues to dwell somewhere within my head.
September 26, 2014
It has been several months since my last climb in Zambales, and it seems that each of my climb has deeply impacted me and led me towards a new journey , returning to cawag, i may say i found the true meaning of wonderful opportunity.
Finally i climbed this mountain that has fascinated me for a long time. The scenic view. The beautiful ridge. The friendly people. The South China Sea. The Cawag kids. And the Zambales ranges.
I have plenty of reasons to pay a climb to this mountain, but it was the latter two which brought me to the summit and explore the beauty of Cinco Pincos.
Five coveted mountain peaks compose Cinco Pincos. As of this writing, Summit 1, 2 and 3 remain to be the only peak allowed for hike ( not unless merong hindi recorded).
This particular climb is with my cousin who i climb with twice this year, together with kenneth (my climbing/adventure/kumpare buddy) and some other happy go lucky mountaineers.
The rented jeepney quickly left Olongapo after our very early breakfast. We drove all the way to subic , a quick stop at PNP station before going to Cawag jump-off.Along the way always in view in front of us is the Zambales Ranges, screaming with power and waiting for us. Reaching cawag and the smell of fresh morning air brings nostalgia to me.
Fortunately we had a bright, sunny Saturday morning. From our guides house there we walked along a flat surface where our climb begins. After an hour or so of hiking we made it to the first river, a river where i wanted to stop and take a swim. It’s really hot and humid. I figured I would hike half way up and then turn around and go home.But, im really determine to finish Cinco traverse and be on this journey.
The path goes from easy to steep in no time and before I knew it I was ascending the trail feeling energized, soon the path gets more steeper and iam scrambling up for breath. We crossed the forested part of the mountain that help us with the heat, when we reach the top the scenic views of the 3 peaks of Cinco appears. From here the start of the cogon grass trail going to the first peak is really painful. At this point you can sea the entire Subic bay at the background.
The early morning sun is really hard, and the promised sunny weather continued the whole day with little winds, heavy sun rays and clear skies. It makes it more difficult for me to maintain the pace i wanted. All i did was drink loads of water to avoid heat stroke since we are directly expose to sunlight. The ascend on the ridge was fantastic, however, with high exposure to sunlight everyone is extremely exhausted (di na magawang maglabas ng camera to take pictures), luckily some of them have umbrellas for some needed shades.
I continued up the trail and began seeing more and more of the scenic view of the range. The trail is in good shape, although theres no trees around to provide shades for a quick refuge, several ascends and descends are easily passable and is covered with cogon grass which makes it more difficult to navigate. And, as you get closer to the peak, the slope becomes more difficult to climb.
After crossing the ridge, facing the "estampa" ascending that slope route traverses east side going to the summit campsite is a big relief.
At the last few hundred meters to the summit I only have my eyes on the grand scenery of the Zambales range which unfolds in front of me,seeing the peaks of dayungan, bira-bira and Balingkilat and the other 4 peaks of cinco makes me happier and thankful for iam still alive and climbing. Pictures are a poor simulation of the views i get at the summit, unable to capture the profound experience, but I snapped some photos anyway to record that precious moment.
I took a break there and began climbing on a slower pace to catch up with the group. From there, saddle is waiting and half of the group is there waiting for us to be complete. The view is amazing from this point, i saw the Silanguin cove of the zambales range for the first time. I sit at the very top of the first peak, take in the view and meditate. Satisfied and fulfilled, the lovely sight of Zambales ridge brought bliss to me. I feel very blessed.
I arrived at the summit around 12 pm, relieved, but not relaxed. I still had the descent to negotiate.The three other peaks of Cinco and Dayungan are to be seen from this position.
We spent almost 1 hour and 30 minutes at the summit. I watched the clouds roll in as we ate our lunch behind a small tree that offers some shades from sun rays. The summit will give you the whole length of the trail waiting for us going to silanguin cove. I asked our guide how much time do we need going down, without hesiattion he stated that it would take us 4 more hours. But, if you would look at Silanguin it seemed very close. Feeling tired,weak, and helpless i started the descent in no time.
The flip side to Cinco traverse is you have a more technical descent going down some boulders, crossing raging rivers and knee high streams.
I was having a difficult time when our descend started. I must say iam in complete concentration while maneuvering the rocks. The trail quickly became very steep and slippery. It seems nobody had climbed Cinco in awhile, cogon grass is almost covering us , and with a wrong step you will slide into the cliff. Coming down the mountain and putting all of my weight off my knees is terrible, but with Reynald and kenneth infront it offers me some relief and the emotional support they have on my way down lifted me up too.
It was a beautiful sunny day and though the descent was challenging and steep, it was supported by a great day.
Finally arrived at Silanguin at 3 pm, tired but happy, relieved and satisfied. The camp had awesome views of the summit and the nearby island. I spent a few minutes alone at the beach front, absorbing the experience and thanking god for the successful cinco journey.The beach front is lined with pine trees, it was beautiful and quiet. It reminds me of my first trip to Anawangin wayback 2006, when that cove is is still infamous. Socials followed right after dinner as i enjoyed one of the most peaceful and stunning landscapes of our whole climb, i took a swim at the beach for an hour before slipping into our tents around 11 pm.
The next morning i slowly eased myself out of the tent, walked out to enjoy the most amazing sunny view of the cove and the surrounding peaks. Reynald , kenneth , Eds and May took a short walk to explore silanguin cove with me. We enjoyed swimming at some portion of the river where water flows directly to the sea.
Completing Cinco traverse was the hardest thing I've ever done in the last few months. The long 9 hour slog to Silanguin is very rewarding and fulfilling. Some people told me that i coulndt make it but i proved them wrong. I don't want Cinco to be a once in a lifetime experience, I want it to be the start of many more life changing/challenging experiences to come.
I climb not just to have an adventure. I want to gain perspective and share it with others. Someone once said "you don’t climb a mountain so that the world can see you, You climb a mountain to see the world." Meeting some kids at Silanguin brings a smile in my face, seeing them in their environment and in their element with full of happiness makes me look at my heart and pray for that same kind of happiness to take place inside of me.
I take a last look back on Silanguin and the surrounding mountains, the cradle of my new found families, deep in my head i know I will be back someday. So many possibilities. So beautiful.So wonderful. And the opportunity , amazing.
I’d like to thank everyone who supported me in making this journey. To Rochelle, waki and Theo, Mama , candice and taloloy.
I'd also like to sign off by thanking Reynald and kenneth and the rest of the group for being the perfect companions on this climb.
Happy climbing!
