Pedo’s Journey: Trek to Mount Buntis

We trekked Mount Buntis here in San Mateo last April 2, 2010 (It is part of the Sierra Mountain Range). My kids and I first climbed the mountain in 2004, when Ruth was only six years old. We hiked again in year 2007, together with Lily and Pete.

This time, I was with my dear Tatay, my three kids and the three kids of my Ate. It was such a great bonding and memorable time for all of us. The kids each had a stick that they got along the trail, with the assistance of their Lolo. They were like Panday Kids.

I have already brought some friends here before – my barkada in highschool, the Gotcha Guys; my two dear friends in high school; my three dear buddies in college ; my churchmates from CC Manila ; my wife’s bestfriend in highschool ; and a young brother in the Lord. I have a lot of memories from that mountain.

A lot of people go there during holy week. They spend the night there. When we hiked that day, a throng of them were already trekking down. But we still saw some groups relaxing and taking a nap at the mountain top.

We met there bestfriends Daniel and EJ, kids whose homes lie at the foot of the mountain. The mountains serve as their park and playground.

My Tatay, who’s always friendly with people, chanced upon Victor and his father, Mang Victorino. They were supposed to hike in Montalban but they got lost. Going home, we invited them to our house and we served them refreshments and snacks.

We learned that this particular spot is called “Huling Paalam”, probably because this is where people usually stop by before going home. The view from here of the San Mateo town, and of Quezon City, is quite beautiful.

There were a few houses along the trail. We rested on some them, greeting the owners and their dogs. They live a very simple life there, tilling the soil and raising animals.

Some portions of the mountain were really dry, with obvious traces of grass fire. We even saw a dry brook. We also saw some chipped-off portions of the mountain, brought by the quarrying operation there.

Herds of goats can be seen grazing in grasses and bushes. My kids even tried to feed the goats with the snacks we have brought.

We were able to reach the top after more than an hour of trekking and sweating under the heat of the sun (we made several rests in between). I constantly encouraged the kids to get on whenever they feel like giving up. But once we got there, it was all worth it. Yipee!

We used to wonder what the towers on top of the mountains would look like in close proximity. We were able to see it when we finally reached the peak. But I still don’t know what those towers are for.

Horses can also be found at the top of the mountain, near the towers. We did not dare to go near them. We just watched them from a distance.

The mountain range is being developed. Subdivisions and the so-called mountain suburban homes can be seen. Construction of concrete roads leading to other towns of Rizal province is underway.

My kids and their cousins climbed the mango trees abundant in the mountain tops. Very seldom do kids get to climb trees nowadays. So I allowed them to experience it.

There were two mountain bikers we met at the top. They would climb up the mountain through a steep semi-concrete road from another barangay and they would go down through the craggy terrain, braving the downhill pull and the stony cliffs. When I asked them, “How many rounds do you plan to have?”, they replied, “Five.”

Going down, we saw a group of men with their motorcycles. They were having a hard time climbing up the hill. I wonder if they were able to reach the top.

The view of the mountains around and the landscape of the town below were really majestic! I can’t help but keep on clicking the camera to capture the images.