2 Days Kibungan Closed Loop Tramping

Kibungan Circuit (or I preferred calling it “Kibungan Tramping”) by and large is typically being done in 3 days.  First day, to tramp about 5-6 hours while 6-8 hours tramping on the second and third day.  It is being frequently experienced with a timely land travel & arrival arrangement-realization plan that is: Manila-Baguio trip Thursday night, catching Dangwa Tranco 6am Baguio-Kibungan trip on a public transport to arrive Kibungan poblacion on or before 10:00 Friday and finally start tramping by 11:00 am after making arrangements with the authorities and some last minute loading requirements.  Or Manila-Baguio trip Thursday night, a chartered jeepney to take you to Kibungan  two to three hours earlier arrival than using public transport.

The Kibungan Tramping Plan

We were about to do a traditional 3 days Kibungan Circuit on a “haste” hoping to catch the Sunday 11am Dangwa Tranco return trip to Baguio.  With this schedule, we will be arriving Baguio City Sunday afternoon to get to Manila before midnight and be early for work the next morning as if nothing truly special happened during the weekend.

Braving the plan, we proceeded with some trivial reconsideration to end with.

Kibungan Tramping has a “full ascend-full descend” trails feature.  A challenge of determination and a quest to make the designed plan work for its enjoyment.   Day 1 plan was to camp at Tagongtongaw before 5:00 pm passing off Buga campsite around 2:00 pm.   From Tagongtongaw, we can have a full but relaxing Day 2 tramping covering the famous Mt. Tagpaya-Oten-Tagpew Summits and descend at sitio Legleg or if extra fortunate to still have the perseverance, proceed further to Asin and spend the night by a small hut some meters near a hot Spring.  By Day 3, Sunday, we will then ascent back to Kibungan poblacion starting at 6:00 am and expected to arrive by  9:00-10:00 am where we can still have some time to tidy-up ourselves before the return travel to Baguio at 11:00 am.

We were determined with our plan.  However….some changes happened.

“First, it’s not going to be easy! And don’t get disappointed if it didn’t work out. That’s part of the experience, part of the long journey to success.” – Romi G.

Slow-paced Day 1

From Baguio City, we arrived at Kibungan 10:30 am.  No packed lunch yet, we still need to ask a small store owner to cook lunch for us.  Helpful as they usually are, “manang” prepared nilagang baka. By 11:30 am we started our tramping descending to Tanap River and as scheduled, full ascend all the way to Tagongtongaw. Our leg to Abas Chapel is quite easy as we had a comfortable rest stop before we get to the slopes of Kibungan mountain ranges.  Subsequent hours were strange gaining only limited heights as we grasp our breaths realizing we were way below our schedule while looking at my watch as it was getting near our target arrival time.

Approaching Buga Campsite I checked, it’s 15 minutes passed three in the afternoon and fog is slowly settling on the slopes, getting higher every minute covering the area as my team arrives.  It’s over this time.  By 3:35pm we vow not to proceed and just enjoy the surroundings as it gets foggy and cold.  We had an early dinner treat having “tinapa” we bought from Baguio and beef nilaga that “manang” sold to us earlier at poblacion.

Resurrection Day 2

Sluggish start with my team having no plans of eating breakfast, I grabbed my oatmeal and fruit slices to equip myself for the morning tramp.  By 8:00 am we were off heading to the summit of Mt.  Tagpaya passing Tabaw burial cave, the stunning views of Batangan rock formations and the magical sceneries of the Cordillera rice terraces. The sight and thoughts of Mt Oten and Tagpew are just as amazing though we can no longer push to its summits as we decided on Mt. Bulalakaw and Mt. Almase instead  to descend towards Agdanganan.  After our brunch, we braved ourselves to opt for the challenging steeps of Almase passing the spectacular Lengsad waterfalls, some rice terrace paddies down until Tanap where we get to river cross until reaching Asin hot spring by 5:00 pm. We did not have much time but still managed to soak our bodies even for a short while. The soothing hot waters of the spring fostered our bodies to recover from the ordeal of the rolling trails of Buga to Tabaw Cave;  ascend and ridge tramping until Tagontongaw and a full descend trail  from Tagongtongaw to Mt. Almase to Asin which started at 8:00 am. With packs again on our backs, by 5:45 pm we resumed and commenced the last leg of our Day 2 KIbungan tramping: a full ascend going to poblacion area. 

Twelve hours of tramping with one full meal and several rest stops for hydration or quick light snacks, at exactly 8:00 pm of February 8, 2014, we just concluded our 2 days (not 3) Kibungan Closed Loop Tramping. A hefty dinner and restful night sleep in a hut at the municipal compound before heading back to civilization  early next morning and roam to Baguio as a special treat for a tramp candidly done.

Many thanks to Dems Angelo and Mygreatdane for the beautiful pictures