A few weeks ago, I spontaneously joined an organized group climb to Mt. Manalmon (196+ masl) and Mt. Gola (192+ masl) in Bulacan. Originally, I didn't have anything planned for that weekend and I didn't feel like staying at home so I posted in a Facebook group, asking people there for ideas on where to go. That post got a lot of comments from tour organizers offering various trips from beach day trips to day hikes to overnight camping trips. In the end, I opted for this trip because one: I haven't climbed these mountains before, two: it was the cheapest option, and three: it was a day hike and it looked promising that I would be able to go home early to get lots of rest. So I paid the reservation fee, prepped my hiking essentials (which were basically nothing, really, because I'm very minimalist), and come Saturday, went to the meetup place for the hike.

We arrived at Sitio Madlum, where the jump off was, around 4am. It was still very dark and I was still very sleepy then. We registered, prepared the stuff that we would need for the actual climb, and then had a quick briefing from the tour guides before starting the hike. 

First on our itinerary was Mt. Manalmon. From the jump off, we had an uphill start. Eventually we found ourselves going through a cave, over a shallow river crossing, and then back on the trails again. There were some assaults but they were all very mild and beginner friendly. We has a quick stop because some of the people in our group wanted to rest. To be honest, I was a bit bored with our pace (naaaks, yabaaang), but of course, it was a group climb so we had to wait for everyone. After about ten more minutes of hiking, we reached the view deck, where we got a spectacular view of the Sierra Madre mountain range.

From the view deck, it was about fifteen to twenty minutes more of hiking (or maybe even less) to get to the summit. At the summit, one can see Mt. Gola with the Sierra Madre mountain range in the background. On the other side, there's Mt. Arayat from a distance.
 at the summit of Mt. Manalmon, with Mt. Gola in sight
a stunning view of Mt. Arayat

After a few minutes of picture-taking on the summit, we then trekked down on our way to Mt. Gola, which was on the opposite side of the river. Upon descending the slopes of Mt. Manalmon, there was a sari-sari store with some tables and benches. We stayed for about twenty minutes there to rest and hydrate. Just a couple of minutes down from the store, is a "dry" part of the river with rock formations, where you get a full view of the two mountains from the ground.
Mt. Manalmon on the right and Mt. Gola on the left

The trail going to Mt. Gola was the same as the trail we took going to the first summit. It was quite easy, not too technical, and great for beginners. Plus the views were breathtaking everywhere you look. I know I've said this about every mountain I've climb but it's all true. There's no mountain that I've climb that didn't leave me feeling in awe. The view from the top has always always been stunning, whatever mountain it is.

From the summit of Mt. Gola, one would get a view of Mt. Mabio, which is off-limits to mountaineers due to some illegal mining activity. There's also the usual view of the Sierra Madre mountain ranges. You can basically see it from every mountain in Bulacan and Rizal and you'd never get tired of it. 
Mt. Mabio

For our descent from the summit of Mt. Gola, we took the same trail as we did during the ascent. It was basically an out-and-back trail. We then went back to the sari-sari store again for about twenty more minutes of rest and hydration. Then we just followed the river to get back to the jump-off. 

It was still dark when we started our climb so I didn't get a view of the river. But on our way back, I found that it had beautiful rock formations made out of limestone. They were very reminiscent to that of Tinipak River's rock formations.

Of course, the trip would not have been complete without experiencing the monkey bridge. It is a rope bridge across Madlum River, about 30ft above the water. It was an optional activity, but it looked hella fun so I had to try it. I thought it would be difficult and scary, but it was actually very easy. My only complaint was that the bridge was too long, so eventually my hands got sore after holding on to the rope for a while.
monkeying around on the monkey bridge

Overall, it was a fun adventure. The hike was very easy. We started past before 5am and made our way back at before 10am, so five hours for a twin hike wasn't bad. Again, the views were so beautiful that they were worth the climb. The monkey bridge part was fun. 

Travel Notes:

How to get there:
  • Via private transportation: From NLEX, take the Sta. Rita exit, then follow the road to Cagayan Valley, passing by Plaridel,Pulilan, Baliuag, San Rafael and San Ildefonso. At San Miguel, ask directions for Brgy. Madlum. 
  • Via public transportation: Take any bus bound to Cabanatuan from Cubao or Pasay. Tell the conductor to drop you off at Brgy. Sibul, San Miguel, Bulacan. The fare is around P130. From Brgy. Kamias, you can take a tricycle to the jump-off at Sitio Madlum. The tricycle costs Php200 for a maximum of four persons.
Expenses:
  • Registration fee - Php40
  • Guide (required) - Php300
  • Monkey bridge - Php25
What to bring:
  • At least 500ml water, max of 1L (you don't need to bring a lot because there's a store along the way)
  • Trail food
  • Salt (for cramps)
  • Extra clothes to change into after the climb (which you can leave at the registration area)
  • A small and very light hydration bag (it's a quick day hike, for goodness' sake, you don't need  to be on full battle gear)

Now that surf season's almost over and the oceans are becoming flat, perhaps it's time to go back to the mountains temporarily. :)