We were locked up on summiting
Mount Daraitan on this beautiful sunny day. However, while fueling up with a
hot bowl of lomi at Brgy. Daraitan, a guide from the tourism office suggested
Mt. Mamara. “The hike is easier but the view is equally spectacular as in
Daraitan” he told us in Tagalog. While I was silently considering his advice, I
waited for my friends Christine and Ferdz’ decision if we would take a vote on
what mountain to day-hike. There was silence—except for the sound of our slurping—for a few
seconds before Christine made a final decision for our group, “Mt. Mamara it is
then”.
 |
| On top of the 1,200 feet plus Mt. Mamaru |
Ferdz agreed instantly. I said
yes immediately. I guess, we are all up for an easier day-hike that day.
Chill Hike atop Mt. Mamara
I have never been to Mt.
Daraitan—the slightly taller brother of Mamara—and would have welcomed the
chance to scale it that day. But the option to enjoy a more relaxed hike
presented itself and we grabbed it as we all just want a dose of the great
outdoors. Plus, what I’m looking forward the most, is the after-hike dip at
Tinipak River.
According to our guide, they
plotted the trail to Mamara and opened it to visitors as an alternative hiking
destination whenever Daraitan reaches its daily carrying capacity of 300 hikers
per day.
Which is a good thing if you
ask me. Having more than one option will thinly spread out climbers and lessen
the footprint on the hiking trails.
We started on a brisk pace
under the glow of the 9AM sun along a rocky dry river bed leading to a couple
of stream crossings. After half an hour, we finally reached the foot of the
mountain and started our assault on the steep trail. While it was an exhausting
path, our guide assured us it won't take a couple of hours to get to the top
and that we should proceed on a more relaxed manner.
Decreasing our speed, we found
more time to regale at the beautiful nature enveloping Mamara. The assorted
foliage reveals a variety of flowers, plants, trees and insects. This came as
no surprise as the peaks here including Daraitan and Mamara signals the start
of the Sierra Madre mountain range—where some of the country's best flora and
fauna can be found.
A Mountain Sitting on Three Provinces
Our guide also pointed out a fascinating
fact to us. Mt. Mamara sits between three provinces. "Where we started is
in Daraitan, Tanay, Rizal, while where we are now is in Siniloan, Laguna while
the river you will cross later is already General Nakar, Quezon"
So if my phone’s GPS can talk,
it would voice out confusion as to where we are that moment. After more hurried
and big steps going up, we finally reached the peak of Mt. Mamara—in just under
two hours.
Drenched in sweat, I
immediately felt the cool winds almost lulling me to sleep. Our guide once
again told us another cool trivia. “We called it Mamara as a shortened term for
Mara-mara, which in local term means ‘windy’” he told us in Tagalog.
True indeed, feeling the breeze
as I drink my water became a wonderful feeling. “This is why I’ve to wake up at
4am earlier” I told myself. As we rested and stared at the magnificent view of
the Tinipak River threading a patch of greens towards the Sierra Madre mountain
range, the three of us congratulated each other for finally pushing through
with this day-hike plan—although we are missing a fourth member: Celine.
 |
| With Christine and Ferdz |
There was a protruding slab of
edgy rock formations by the edge of the peak, where our guide pointed to us as
the best spot to take a photograph. After taking some pictures, we stayed at
the peak for about an hour before deciding to go down.
Taking a Dip at Tinipak River
It took us a faster time going
down as we opted to traverse to the other section of Mamara to exit the side of
Tinipak River. After only an hour, we were already hopping from one giant
boulder to the next, with the blue-green waters of the River streaming below
our feet.
 |
| River sweet Tinipak River |
We settled on the river bed
fronting the shallow part of Tinipak. Staying away a couple of hundred meters
from a prenuptial pictorial happening along the banks. The cool waters of
Tinipak River was just what the Nature doctors ordered, as my cramping legs
found relaxation under it.
An hour of just dipping my body
soothed my ageing muscles and body joints. By the time we packed up and left the
river, I feel re-energized as only the great outdoors can do to my body. As we walk away enjoying the nature scenery, I told myself to find time for more day-hikes such as this in the future.
 |
| Finally, a refreshing dip without Nestea Iced Tea |
