Mt. Binutasan and How Grannies Made Us Eat Dust

When things get too difficult, cry and you’ll get a horse.

I had never thought this to be possible until I went on a hike to Mt. Binutasan in Rizal. I tagged along with fifteen others to see the famous sea of clouds that form below the peak of the mountain from dawn to 8:00 a.m. It was an easy hike, which we started at five in the morning. We had planned to start two hours earlier, so we could climb Mt. Sapari (These two mountains form the Maysawa circuit, so hikers go to Sapari summit, then Binutasan), as well. But we left Cubao too late, so we ditched that or we would have missed the sea of clouds at Mt. Binutasan.

The view was just fine. It might have been better if we weren't too late. At 8:00 a.m., the clouds had almost completely disappeared. I think that the hike itself is much more fun than what I saw at the summit. I did not even take a lot of pictures as I usually do. I was just glad for the walk.

The trail reminded me of Mt. Romelo in Siniloan. Very muddy, with occasional leeches, but not too steep. It is good for people who are not used to hiking. And with a moderate pace, you should be able to start trekking back down before lunch time. So this was a fun climb as what hikers like to call, just enough to keep one’s blood circulating. If not for the mud, it would be comparable to window shopping.

So, when I met a group of happy grandmothers on the trail, I was amazed, but not surprised. They said they had been walking since two in the morning. They had already been to Mt. Sapari when we met them on the trail to Mt. Binutasan. They were slow, but they kept on, not taking breaks longer than they should. They told us to go past them, as they were going to take their time, and they were used to being left behind, anyway. I believe the exact hugot line was, “Sige. Mauna na kayo. Sanay naman kaming maiwan”. This drew laughter from all of us, and also admiration. It’s not often that you see old people climbing mountains these days.

What did surprise me was when one of the younger girls in our group cried in the middle of our trek down from the peak. She could not do it anymore, she said. She must not be used to walking for longer than a meter. And with the way she looked, I doubt she'd still talk to her boyfriend after, who'd asked her to join him in the hike. So, when we got to the river, where we had lunch, we suggested she rode a horse all the way to the highway, where, she could, then, take a habal-habal to the jump off. Horses for hire cost Php 150, and there were several of them there.

Meanwhile, the grandmothers caught up with us. They had a very difficult time on the way down from the peak, and had mud all over their legs, arms, and bums. They also had fun going down the slippery slope as if it were a slide. Their knees could no longer support their weight, so, they would sit and slide down. I overheard one saying, "Is this not going to end?", referring to the steep muddy trail. They just laughed at the question, grabbed a rock or a sturdy grass to support them, then slid down slowly.

The grannies did not get a horse nor did they ask for one. But they also did not cry. They moved on, leaving us behind.

Gallery:

Ice cream vendor at the peak