Thank You Bakun Trio..

Since I started mountaineering, it has been my wish to someday climb and complete the Bakun trio. I been hearing a lot of good reviews with Bakun , and looking at some pictures it made me more excited and eager to climb Bakun. The excitement I felt when I actually came to Bakun, Benguet and saw the mountain ranges that compose the Bakun trio was incomparable. The incredibly beautiful scenery dazzled my eyes. I thought, “I want to climb to the top.” And so I did.

The Bakun Trio is compose of three mountains; Mt. Kabunian, Mt. Tenglawan, and Mt. Lobo. The Bakun Municipal Hall serves as our basecamp for three days and two nights, and i was amaze with the people of Poblacion , Bakun, they are very accommodating. One may choose to do day hikes for each mountain and follow several itinerary. Our group did the Lobo-Tenglawan and lastly Kabunian dayhikes per day.

Arriving at the summit of Lobo, tenglawan and Kabunian justifies the hours of climb. The views are incomparable at each summit, and even on a cloudy day at mount Lobo summit where you can actually see little but the neighbouring peaks jutting above the cloud layers, it is still amazing. Gazing into the beauty of each mountain reinforce the sense of accomplishment. I'm proud to say "yes I'm done with Bakun".

Here’s a quick rundown of what I experience with the Bakun trio. Like always, I can only note my opinions based from my experience.

MT. KABUNIAN

Trek time: 6-8 hrs (ascent and descent)

Difficulty : I consider it Easy to moderate. There are some steep climbs and it can take you 3-4 hours to reach the summit and 2 hrs descent back to poblacion.

Trail type: forested area with hanging bridges ( if i remember it correctly you need to cross 4-5 hanging bridges going to the summit), concrete steps with iron railing, it also involve scrambling and exposure to heights, rugged terrain in the form of loose rock and bushy cogon sections of trail. It also features a killer trail which impose amazing boulders.

Water source: There is two available water source. The first one is after crossing the 3rd hanging bridge going up the concrete stairs. The last one is 15 minutes before the summit, just be sure you have enought water before reaching the last one.

Summit : The views that morning from Mt Kabunian were exceptionally amazing and we could clearly see Mt. Tenglawan and the amazing mountain ravine in the distance. Although unlike the other two summit mt. kabunian's summit has no destinctive landmark, but before reaching its summit you will pass through the side of the huge rocky side of kabunian which used to be a burial grounds, hence the presence of box coffins can be seen from the trail.

Notes: I consider Mt.kabunian easy to moderate, but keep in mind, though, Mt. Kabunian is no joke. There will be sweat involved all the way to the summit. a slip on loose rock that was wet could lead to a nasty fall down the slide to the bottom of the ravine. I recommend you start climbing early in the morning to avoid too much exposure to the sun's heat, i also recomment mt. Kabunian as your last mountain to complete the trio.

MT.TENGLAWAN

Trek time: 14-16 hours (ascent and descent)

Difficulty : I consider Tenglawan moderate to Difficult. There are some steep climbs and it can take you 6-8 hours to reach the summit and 6-7 hrs descent back to poblacion.

Trail type: forested area with hanging bridges ( if i remember it correctly you need to cross 2 hanging bridges going to the summit), the open trail which made the hiker expose to the sun, the rocky trail and the farmers trail, ravines with loose rocks, the akiki-like trail (this trail almost made me give up), and lastly the mossy forest before the summit.

Water source: we identified two watersource going to tenglawan, first is from the community and the last one is before you start the akiki-like trail.

Summit : The very distinct landmark at Mt tenglawan is the cross on top of a rock protrusion just beside the peak, the rock formation is similar to the monolith of pico de loro. A nice view of Bayombong, nueva vizcaya can be seen from afar.

Notes: Mt. Tenglawan was said to be the hardest of the 3 mountains of Bakun, i will definitely agree with this. Doing Mt Lobo on our first day prepared us for the long hike to Tenglawan.

MT.LOBO (Dada to Poblacion)

Trek time: 5-7 hours (ascent and descent)

Difficulty : I consider it Easy to moderate. There are some steep climbs and it can take you 2-3 hours to reach the summit and 3-4 hrs descent to poblacion.

Trail type: farmers trail, steep trail,red soil with pine trees,

and rock assault on final leg to summit but manageable since they built an iron railings all the way to the summit. Hanging bridge and forested trail going to poblacion.

Water source: we pass by two water source going to poblacion from the summit.

Summit : Rocky summit. I think mt lobo can offer a very good 360-degree view at the summit, No clearing for us. I was a bit disappointed, but at least we made it to the top.

You really need to be very lucky with the weather.

Notes: The long descent going to poblacion is tiring, going down through loose rock makes for a challenging descend, but the views are worth the effort.

All-in-all the climb is worth it. From the amazing views, the challenging trail, the accommodating people of poblacion and lastly the friendship and camaraderie i have from bakun. Somehow, i would say hikes never seem to end at the summit of the mountain. The truth is that we are always climbing a ‘mountain’ of some kind every day. After giving out that much energy to climb and complete Bakun trio, it seems its fair to say that i can climb every mountain from now on. They are in effect what we choose to dedicate our lives to.

Completing Bakun Trio was such an amazing experience. I have only had a couple of other experiences where I have to pushed my body to its limits and I always feel so alive when I do. The hike is a great opportunity for me to reflect, to be more thankful for iam still alive and climbing. I will forever be grateful to you Bakun. Thank you for this once in a lifetime experience.