Climbing an Active Volcano

Sunset from the top of Kanlaon Volcano

The bus from Dumaguete to Bacolod was supposed to be about 5-6 hours. It took ten. There was construction, obstacles of every kind. At one point, every passenger on the bus has their spine popped when we all flew in the air, babies leaving mother's hands, going over a bump too fast. The driver got an earful in Visaya and was more careful afterwards. I tried to arrange for a guide with the Bacolod office by phone but my carrier stopped working mid-call and was down for a few days afterward as well. So my plan to climb the mountain was postponed by one day. I was able to find the very hidden office, get my permit and a guide arranged, pack my things for the climb, and catch the last jeep up the mountain all in one day.

This rooster farm looks like a cemetery no?

I actually had to take a bus to get to the town of La Carlota to catch the last jeep up to Guintubdan by 4pm. I could tell the jeep was going to be very full, so I climbed up top, pack and all and to everyone's surprise, joining others already there. The jeep ride was long and gorgeous. Through sugar cane fields, winding up through changing forests and beautiful trees. At one point a few kids climbed up top with stalks of sugar cane peeling it with their teeth, biting off sections and chewing the cane to get the juice. Then they spit out the piece and throw it away or at each other.

Some of the school getting off the jeep at their desination

About 2/3 the way up, we passed an elementary school class, maybe 35 teachers and students waiting by the side of the road, and then pulled to the side of the road just past them. They ALL came running after the jeep. The adults squeezed inside, there was at least one child on the lap of each passenger, the aisle in the middle already filled in the same way. Then they climbed on top, and when every possible space was full, the larger children hung onto the back of the jeep squeezed shoulder to shoulder and packed three rows deep like shark's teeth. The jeep driver was as careful as he could be but at every gear shift, there were giggles and screams from the back with the kids trying to hang on. I was so grateful to be on top. This kind of thing happens outside of the cities ("in the provinces"), but this particular jeep must have been especially full because every car that passed us was taking pictures and the locals were all pointing, staring, and thrilled by the sight of us. I'm surprised the jeep was strong enough to carry us all! Guitubdan villagers used to clear-cut the forest for timber, but now they are supported by the government for environmental protection, decorative plants, and rooster farming. Parts of it are loud, parts of it are green and serene.

Lagoon in the old crater

Met with a point person I had to find in the very small village of Guintubdan, and made it to the Visitor's Center. Campfires are not allowed on the mountain, so once at the top I set up my tent for the night, prepared three days' worth of vegetables for two people (a little heavy when I finished), and relaxed. There was a pool table where I stayed at the Vistor's Center, and it was slanted ever so slightly towards the gorgeous view of the hills below and the ocean beyond. I met with my guide, James, and his two children. I played a game of 15-ball with his son, and passed him midway through, but he beat me by one ball in the end. That pool table has seen thousands upon thousands of games. The felt was saturated with polka-dots.

James and the pool table (covered)

My guide, James, is as kind-hearted as they come. He's unassuming, a small beer belly, and overall warm and soft around the edges. Not your idea of a hardened mountain climber or jungle guide. He started in the early 1990s as a porter carrying up to 70 lbs of food for groups plus what he needed for the climb. It's an accomplishment to become a guide. You have to be certified, speak good English, know first aid, and understand everything about the animals and plants in the region. He only became a guide two years ago. He also works at the Visitor's Center and as a volunteer for KGB (Kanlaon Grain Bridages), which is the environmental protection group for the mountain. He told me that Guintubdan and other towns at that elevation have never once had a case of Dengue Fever, because dangerous mosquito-born illnesses such as that usually come from waters polluted by humans. He told me he once practically ran the whole climb guiding a group of people up to the top in 3 hours, then down to a lower campsite, and then out to Mambukal Resort by 10am on the second day. Extremely fast. The visitors were Filipinos who needed to get back to Cebu on the second day to teach scuba diving. He's twice tried to do it in one day but failed both times.

October is the end of the rainy season, and just two weeks before there was a typhoon that came through and dumped rain on Negros for 15 days. The landscape was pretty moist. Luckily, we only had rain on us for a total of about 30 minutes while I was on the mountain. But it was still very slippery and muddy. It was a steep climb from 2,821 feet up to the top of the mountain at 7,995 feet, but we arrived maybe 6 hours after we started at an easy pace, with a long lunch in the middle. My muscles were certainly tired by the end. Here's a goofy map I found that helps show the path. We saw many plants, bugs, butterflies, and birds I'd never seen before. We even saw another one of the aggressive venomous snakes from my hike in the Twin Lakes region. We saw scat that apparently comes from the mountains red-colored species of wild cat.

Batteries died at the top, here's a stock photo

At the top, we set up camp and waited for the clouds to clear so we could look down into the crater. We camped at the top of the old crater from before the mountain last blew in 1996, killing one British and two Filipino climbers. Once the potentially ominous thunderclouds were clearing, we walked up to the top to look down into the crater. The views from the top are absolutely gorgeous, and the crater is simply awe-inspiring. How can one's individual problems be anything but trivial in the face of something so huge, powerful, and alive? There's something magical about when clouds swirl in around you until you're engulfed and soaking wet. There was a constant flux as the clouds rounded the crest of the ridge we stood upon and dissipated as they were sucked into the hills and valleys below.

View from the summit

Summit above the saddle

The route down was much harder than the route up. There are sections that one can barely squeeze through, and one swings and crawls like it's a jungle gym, just hoping the back on your back will slide through the holes. After a while, you get a rhythm and you're able to more easily navigate through different kinds of obstacles. There are said to be 164 obstacles on the trail down. I have an old knee injury from playing soccer when I was younger, and it flared up very bad on the way down. We arrived at the campsite leading down very early and it was a terrible spot to sleep, so we continued all the way to the end of the trail with more than 2 hours of daylight left. I had planned on a three day hike, but it became two days. I still paid James for three though. My left knee was absolutely excruciating for the last three hours. An 8/9 on a scale up to 10, and I was extremely relieved to be finished when we arrived.

Sunset at the top of Kanlaon

Living in a cloud

I stayed in a small village at the very poor village that serves as the jump-off point heading the other direction up the mountain the way I had just come down. There, I met Jen and Jon-Jon, brother and sister, who helped me get situated for the night. Then there was Tanduay with the men, and the passing of a guitar that paled in comparison to Josephine, which I left with other extra things at the permit office in Bacolod. My most meaningful conversations were with Jen, and her two-year-old son DJ was fascinated with my beard. She works as army/security for the Masskara Festival, the reason I had wanted to finish the hike in three days. She invited me to stay with her at the police intelligence safe house in downtown Bacolod, and I couldn't resist the offer. Then the healing, relaxation, and fun began with a group of people I came to love dearly as friends.

Traditional kissing rock at the saddle below the summit