Continue hiking #863: Departing from Leslie's campsite – surrounded by fireflies and owls cooing at night – we woke up early and after a cup of coffee we excitedly started our attempt to reach the top of Dos Cuernos at 0430H.
In less than an hour we were back on Mount Gueda, where we paused to contemplate the rest of the journey while taking in the majesty of the still distant Doscuenos.
Fortunately, the trail was mostly intact on the ridgeline that led to what we called “The Junction,” where one must turn onto another ridgeline that connects to Mount Doscuenos (is this what old hikers call “Mountain Hamut”? Even our guide wasn't sure, but it might be). There are signs of recent human activity—from smallpox wrapping paper to more silo. Slowly but surely we climbed each “bump” – small peaks at 50-150m, but cumulatively still very challenging; our altitude ranged from 1350 to over 1500 MASL. Meanwhile the sun rose and cast a brilliant ray on the Doscuenos mountain, which was now fully visible.
Just before the last peak of the Jeddah Ridge we saw another hunter’s tent similar to Leslie’s Campground. From the junction the trail becomes a bit confusing. We tried to get as close to the ridgeline as possible, but even the old trails disappeared: a fact not surprising since the last known climb – with SMOC and Archbishop Sergio Utleg – was in 2012. Fortunately, by 0800H, we still entered the mossy quicksand, which the old guide Randy mentioned was one of the hallmarks of this trail. From here, it took us another two hours to cross several small peaks to reach the base of Dos Cuernos, about 1350 meters above sea level.
There were no trails and we had to climb all the way to the top. This arduous and tricky process took several hours, and by the time we reached Cuerno Norte, or Roy's Peak, it was already 1345. A few minutes later we were perched on a fragile tower of trees, moss and pitcher plants that marked the summit! Although there are no traces of human presence, it is clearly the highest point.
From North Curno we have the option of heading to South Curno or to Changfeng (the higher of the two corners), which looms large in front of us. Randy said that in the past, the connection between the two peaks only took a few hours. However, this means more time looking for trails and searching through denser foliage. With time running out and no guarantee of water we decided to start the long descent at 1500m.
It took several hours of hiking to get back to the high camp, and we had to turn back several times with great difficulty. But the mistakes we made on our way up the mountain led us onto an old but overgrown path that we missed, and we managed to avoid crossing quicksand. Nonetheless, it was well past 2200 when we arrived at Leslie's campsite. On the third day we hiked for a total of 18 hours!
Day four was easier; freed from the stress of climbing Dos Cuernos, we focused more on the wildlife; I saw a Philippine eagle eagle, while Daryl spotted a gorgeous green snake. A lunch of river snails was Shamag's welcome treat, plus a final dip in the river, as was dinner when we returned to the town hall.
Overall, it was a great experience! Once again we are very grateful to the local government authorities, especially Ms. Maria Ellena Baui and Sir Guy Tiongson of DOT. Thanks also to our guides, especially Leslie, who accompanied us all the way to the top and back! Hopefully our hike will pave the way for sustainable and responsible ecotourism in San Pablo and other areas of Isabela.
