Quenching My Thirst for Nature: Mt. Capistrano Day Hike

Mt. Capistrano

 

Quenching My Thirst for Nature: Mt. Capistrano Day Hike 

Jump-Off Point

Knowing Bukidnon as home for famous mountains and mountain ranges, I would be depriving myself of what it can offer me if I’ll go back to Cebu without climbing one of them. Who would have thought they were awaiting for me in my own hometown. Since I would only have limited number of days to stay, I will take the challenge one at a time, and Mt. Capistrano is a good start for this year. Lucky enough, I have a friend/schoolmate who’s also into outdoor activities.

With my friend/schoolmate who serve as one of my guides

 

I have learned that rocky Mt. Capistrano is notable among the small mountains in the province, which is visible in the highways of Malaybalay City. It towers an average of 2,000 feet above sea level and humbly crowned with steep and sharp rock formations. It is located in Sitio Binalbagan, Barangay Simaya (our jump-off site), which is approximately 30 minutes from Poblacion, Valencia City via a private vehicle. An alternative transportation to get there includes a 20-minute public utility vehicle ride from Malaybalay City terminal to Aglayan then a 15-minute single motorcycle (habal-habal) ride to the jump-off site.

Stairway up to the mountain

 

Our trek starts with concrete stairs, which was the tiring part of the journey up. Land trail begins after a few meters of hike through the stairs. It’s really steep going up, making the surrounding grass as our handles so we won’t be outbalanced. We do make a number of stopovers as we were catching our breaths, but the spectacular views of wide rice fields and mountain ranges afar serve as my motivation to continue towards the summit.

Not yet on top, but seeing this awesome view of wide rice fields and famous Bukidnon mountains (Mt. Kitangland, Mt. Dulang-Dulang, Mt. Kalatungan and Musuan Peak (Mt. Kalayo)) afar motivates me to continue

 

The pace of our trail becomes faster as we entered the mini forest where huge rocks and trees suddenly peeped out along the way. We pass by cave-like structures and really cool rock formations. There are some interesting flora and fauna in the forest that caught my attention such as the blue ferns, big dragonflies and the mold colonies attached in trees. Honestly, the rocky trail upwards is really beyond my expectations. It took us about an hour and 50 minutes to reach the peak point.

Peeping crevices for interesting things like wild plants and/or insects

cave-like structures within the mini forest

climbing the sharp, huge rocks

pose for a girl power 🙂

 

The magnificent view atop the rocky peak of the mountain truly compensates all the sweat we shed, the scorching heat of the sun we endure and the heavy breathing. While standing on the big rocks on top, we were amazed by a 360 degree-view of rich mountains and bountiful rice fields. I can’t even fathom my boldness in stepping on the high rocks and hanging on the deadly cliffs. We rest for a while, ate something and took some pictures for an hour.

my daredevil move, hanging on deep cliffs

I dare not to look down

confidently courageous 🙂

mesmerizing view from the top

extra-size dragonfly I’ve ever  seen

mountains at the other side of the peak

 

On our way down, my friend and I decided to take the longer trail, while the other one took the backtrail. Though the difficulty in climbing down is likely as climbing up, we already reached the foot of the mountain in less than one hour. Yes, the trail is slippery, steep and rocky; yet we manage to keep our balance as we literally did trail running.

descending the slippery rocks and bushes

at last we reached the trail towards the road

 

I can definitely say that our day hike at Mt. Capistrano wowed me and intensified my enthusiasm to climb and explore more of nature.

success for my first Bukidnon climb… achieved!

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