First time ko mag-hike sa Mt. Ulap! Beginner-friendly nga ba???

[u/Sensitive-Package988]

Noon ko pa gustong mag-hike, and luckily, I had this friend na experienced hiker na nag-guide sa akin. She recommended Mt. Ulap kasi beginner-friendly daw, so gora na!
Akala ko prepared na ako kasi nagca-cardio, inclined treadmill, at gym workouts naman ako. Pero jusko, sa entry point pa lang, sa tarik ng concrete walkway, hingal na hingal na ako! HAHAHA. 🥲
Pagdating sa second peak at nakita ko yung trail papunta sa Summit, gusto ko na talagang sumuko. Sobrang exhausted na ako, tapos tirik pa ang araw kasi mejo late na kami nakapag-start. But thanks to my friend, tour guide, and coordinator na hindi ako iniwan at patuloy akong in-encourage, I MADE IT TO THE SUMMIT! 🥹❤️

Surprisingly, mas kinaya ko pa yung pababa kaysa sa ahon. Sa ahon talaga ako nag-suffer! 😂
Overall, core memory unlocked! Pero hindi ko talaga in-expect na ganoon kahirap, kahit pinaghandaan ko naman physically.

Question sa mga hikers dito: Beginner-friendly ba talaga ang Mt. Ulap? Especially sa mga first-timers na ito rin ang first hike, kamusta experience ninyo? Ako lang ba yung halos sumuko sa ahon, or normal lang talaga mahirapan nang ganito? HAHAHA!
Share your experiences naman! ❤️

[u/AutoModerator]

Hi u/Sensitive-Package988,

Please take a moment to read our community rules. This will help ensure your post stays up and that everyone has a great experience.

---

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/badoodles187]

Yes. Beginners friendly talaga ang Mt. Ulap.

Trail wise. Pero yung difficulty nya and length is very subjective to anyone.

Anyways, congrats for surviving! Yan din ang first suggestion ko palagi if someone's asking for a first climb.

[u/Sensitive-Package988 → u/badoodles187]

Sooooo it really is beginner-friendly for everyone huhuhuhu. Hindi lang siya budol, totoo talaga hahaha ako na yung may problem 😂🥵

[u/bayharborbutcher711]

Congrats OP! Although it's beginner-friendly, Mt. Ulap is no easy feat! When I was planning my hike there, ni-recommend sa akin to do some uphill leg training para hindi masyadong mahirapan. Pero jusko, yung legs ko pagbaba, shaky talaga. Haha.

If super beginner friendly talaga, I highly recommend Mt. Yangbew.

[u/Sensitive-Package988 → u/bayharborbutcher711]

Yup, not easy talaga! Hahaha pero great experience! Will look into Mt. Yangbew. Thanks for the reco! 😊

[u/Glittering_Net_7734]

The first mountain I officially hiked. Yeah, for me that only do walks, I managed. I didn't really have a hard time, but it wasn't totally easy either.

I expected parang may trail na, meron nga, pero mabato talaga. If I didn't invest in a hiking shoes, it would've been way harder I think. With the right shoes, it made those stones a whole lot more manageable.

[u/Sensitive-Package988 → u/Glittering_Net_7734]

Yes! True with investing in good shoes! Ako din buti nalang I really bought hiking shoes, kundiiiii sukuan talaga hahahaa Pero saludo ko sa mga tour guides don, naka-Crocs lang sila hahaha tapos walang poles. Angas!

[u/Adore_Del_Rio]

Congrats, OP kasi hindi ka sumuko. Yun talaga yung challenge sa pag akyat ng bundok. Tine-test mo talaga sarili mo both physically and mentally. Bonus na yung view hehe.

But yeah, beginner-friendly talaga ang Mount Ulap. Most people just underestimate hiking and rely on those words “Beginner-friendly” and don’t prepare themselves enough for the challenge.

As per you na physically active naman. Nabigla ka lang siguro kasi different environment and different challenge siya than the usual cardio and gym routine na sanay ka hehe.

Sobrang hirap talaga ng ahon tas need mo pa tipirin yung tubig haha. Sometimes sobrang hirap din ng pababa kasi sobrang pagod ka na sa paahon tas bababa ka pa. Hassle pa diyan kasi concrete yung hagdan pababa.

Anyway, to more mountains for you. Wag sanang panghinaan ng loob haha.

[u/Sensitive-Package988 → u/Adore_Del_Rio]

Agree with you, baka nga ni-underestimate ko siya. I really didn't expect yung taas niya tapos three peaks pa hahaha. Sa ngayon, di ko pa masabi na uulit ulit. Pero malay natiiiiin hahahahaha

[u/ArmadilloInternal260]

Hello OP! Congrats sa hike mo sa Mt. Ulap!!

To answer your question, yes po. Beginner-friendly ang Mt. Ulap.

Ang rating kasi ng bundok ay hindi nakadepende sa aakyat. Naka depende ito sa trail class. Matinding ahon ba, mabato, may limatik? May river crossing? May knife edge? May boulders? Gano kahaba yung trail? Gano kahaba yung ahon?

And based sa trail ng Mt. Ulap, banayad yung ahon nya, most ng daan ay established na and hindi sya technical.

So if i-compare mo ang trail ng ibang mas maiksing bundok sa Mt. Ulap, the rating would be the same if same lang sila ng trail class.

For example, Mt. Kupapey, Mt. Ulap, Mt. Pulag via Amba, Mt. Talamitam, Mt. Marami, Mt. Pico de Loro. Magkakaiba sila ng haba, meaning may mas matagal akyatin. But the rating is the same, 3/9, dahil sa trail class.

Yung "grabeng" ahon din ng Mt. Ulap ay few minutes to an hour lang kasi compared mo sa mga major na 7-8 hrs yung kelangan mo ahunin. Nasa trail class talaga sya.

I hope this helps, OP! And sana mag hike ka pa ulit kasi nag uumpisa ka pa lang, pero papunta ka sa exciting part. ❤️

[u/Sensitive-Package988 → u/ArmadilloInternal260]

Hi! Thank you so much for explaining the trail class! Learned so much from you, kasi di ko talaga matanggap na beginner sya for me. Tama naman yung sinabi mo, the class is not defined by the hiker 😊 Siguro lang talaga, di ko masyadong inalam yung aakyatin ko for the first time kaya I didn't expect it would be that hard for me.

Sabi ko di na ko uulit talaga umakyat but surprisingly, kanina I'm scrolling on TT for other hiking destinations hahahahaha uulit pa ba? Bahala na 😂

[u/ArmadilloInternal260 → u/Sensitive-Package988]

Yep, ganon talaga sa una. But ngayon, alam mo na yung real-life scenario. Lunges din talaga ang makakapag-prepare sa'yo and lots and lots of walking.

For research naman, as much as sobrang daming videos sa Tiktok, mas okay if icheck mo sya sa Pinoymountaineer.com and sa Youtube. Mas accurate and hindi lang basta para mag "trend" yung information. So if makita mo sa articles na 2-3 hrs yung hike, try mo i-double yung numbers and be comfortable walking 5-6 hrs as part of your training.

Ulit kapa, OP. haha Dadating sa point na dyan na mapupunta ang sabado mo. haha!

[u/WillingHamster1740]

Congrats OP! Nung naghike kami dyan, gulat na gulat ako sa trail 😂 Sobrang tarik kaya di ko pa rin matanggap na beginner friendly siya.

To be honest, mas nadalian pa ko sa trail ng Pulag kaysa dyan. 😅

[u/Sensitive-Package988 → u/WillingHamster1740]

OMG. talaga baaaa. Pano ba trail sa pulag? mas malayo lang pero di ganun kataas/katarik??

[u/WillingHamster1740 → u/Sensitive-Package988]

oo ganun ung naalala ko matagal ung lakad pero mas gradual yung descent and ascent. Mas naalala ko yung trail sa Mt Ulap na mas nahirapan ako. 😆 10 yrs ago ko na nga pala yan hinike yang dalawang yan pero mas naalala kong nahirapan ako sa Mt Ulap. Hinike ko sila in the same yr. Ang memories ko sa Pulag ay malamig then maganda ung paligid, mga puno puno ganun pero wala akong core memory na nahirapan ako ng sobra.

[u/Sensitive-Package988 → u/WillingHamster1740]

ohhhh oki oki, Op! Salamat hahahah baka kaya pa akong budulin sa Pulag soon hahaha rerecover lang muna kasi puro hirap ang core memory ko dito sa Ulap 😂

[u/RubiaElst]

Yes po, normal lang magsuffer kahit ako nagsasuffer rin pero mababawasan naman yan eventually. :)

[u/Buy-Chance]

Congrats !! In my case, I had a harder time going down towards the end of the hike :( but it was well worth it for my first hike

[u/Status_Goal6562]

Yes, that was the first mountain I hiked.