back of Pulong Bato trek

here's a long overdue post... we did this trek back in March (2012 that is hehe) but didn't get to blog just because I was too OC to edit all photos first before picking some to post hehe... we were still very active in March so definitely a trek is part of our weekend to-do list... our target: the trail behind Mt. Pulong Bato!

i have tried to trek the back of Pulong Bato back in highschool (i don't have any camera back then so the memory of that trip was just all in my head)... i remember huge ferns, lush trees, very fresh forest that seems to only see people on very very rare instances... i wanted to go back... this time with camera in tow to make sure i get to put the images in my mind for others to see... but those huge ferns, lush trees and untouched forest seem to have disappeared... well probably because we went there when summer heat's starting to burn things around... there are more dried leaves along the trek and a few moss and ferns in some areas that remain moist and cool...the little community at the foot of the mountain that i remember from the long ago trek had become bigger this time...the river is a bit dry, no rains in our place for several days... but that cool-trees-and-mountain feel remains...

photo by Juvee

after a 15min walk from the jeepney stop, we paused for a quick shot of the back of Mt. Pulong Bato. The back looks very much like the side facing the city.

i love how rustic and quiet the whole place feels... dirt road + rockful of semi-dry river + hanging bridge + coconut and acacia trees = looooove!

seeing some kids playing, catching fish and swimming fully naked raised my hope up that normal childhood (plain old playing around the neighborhood minus all the gadgets in the world) is still possible for my little boy... mommy mode na naman!

we started ascend past 9am already... target was to reach the top after an hour.... but it took us 30minutes more because somewhere we have to stop and rest that long for Kathy... that stop provided anecdotes for that trip!

camwhoring in the middle of nowhere... :-)

the last part of the trek... we were actually going through a dirt road... this leads to Brgy Muruk but we were heading the other way, we were heading to the Rojo's place at the top of the mountain!

here's some trivia regarding the Pulong Bato:

Zamboanga City is a coastal place and with a long mountain range for a backdrop... along the long stretch of mountains one would easily spot a perfectly round top of a monolith if your looking from the city... that's Mt. Pulong Bato... it's beside the famous Abong-Abong stations of the cross... it's the only mountain along that range that's made of pure rock... here's some interesting fact from the Wiki:

"Pulong Bato became infamous because when the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) confirmed the mountain is a volcano which is unknown to most people. What is unusual about the mountain is, unlike the other mountains surrounding the city, only Mt. Pulong Bato is made from solid rock. ^[3]

According to PHIVOLCS, the volcano is an Intrusion type of volcano meaning it was formed within earth's crust. Magma was pushed from the beneath the earth surface but did not come out through an eruption like a typical volcano (Extrusion). The magma eventually solidified while it is still enclosed by softer rocks, which was later exposed by erosion or weathering, a process that could take thousands of years." - the Wikipedia

.... and we made it!!!! :-) Mam Jhi, Dra. Rojo, Rae and Mam Nadie was already there waiting for us... we were welcomed with lotsa photo taking and food!!! :-)

the Pulong Bato's other angle... the route of our trek actually allowed us to go around the Pulong Bato... :-)

see that small whitish patch on the left side of the photo, that's the Cruz Mayor at the top of the Abong abong's Station of the Cross... :-)  

Note: the route we took is actually a protected area...Zamboanga's water source. Usually, you can not just go through it without asking permission from DENR...








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Muruk, Zamboanga City
31 March 2012