Mt. Mabilog of San Pablo City

This is a very late post about our Mt. Mabilog traverse last February 2013. It was a not well-planned climb but we enjoyed the adventure.

From Los Banos, we rode a jeepney bound to San Pablo City. And then we transferred to another jeepney going to Santa Catalina where the jump-off point is located.  There are other jump-off points in other barangays but we decided to use this West Trail at Purok 3 (Sandig). We tried looking for a guide but the locals we asked have their own stuffs to do. And we decided to do it ourselves.

Jump-off point. Welcome HIKERS!

Following the most visible trail, and guided by the instructions given by some locals, we started the trek. Most of the time, we got confused with the trail and what we did was to depend on our amateur instincts. At first, the confidence was there but after a while, it seemed that we were following the wrong trail. The time we spent for walking was longer relative to what several mountaineer-bloggers say. We were in the middle of a forest, about lunch time, when the rain poured upon us.

MAISOG Mountaineers' Muse as she faces the muddy trail.

Background: Mt. Kalisungan of Calauan, Laguna.

We were not afraid. We continued trekking. This time, we tried to reach the peak using trails that don’t look like a trail. Our goal was just to reach the peak, no matter what happened, no matter how hard, no matter which trail we use. 

Background: Lake Yambo of San Pablo City.

It was past noon time when we reached the peak of Mt. Mabilog. While having our lunch, a group of mountaineers came. They used the Sto. Angel-Lake Pandin Trail (South Trail), so we asked information about this one. 

Setting-up the tent so we can rest for a while.

MAISOG Mountaineers enjoying lunch.

After lunch, we decided to descend and it's true, the South Trail is way better than the West Trail. It was prominent and does not result to confusion. It took us less than an hour to reach the other base of the mountain.

MAISOG Mountaineers ready to descend.

We ended our journey with a relaxing bath in Lake Pandin, touted as the cleanest of the Seven Lakes of San Pablo.  Tourism is one of the sources of income for the locals so we tried their own version of rafting. They serve foods and drinks so tourists will not have to worry about the food. 

Relaxing bath in Lake Pandin.

Rafting and swimming at its finest.

Time to replenish . Buko juice is the BEST!

The whole day journey tested our skills. Now I know we are prepared for a greater adventure.