Mt. Yangbew: The Silent Hill for the Peace Finders

     by: Maria Jeona Collado    

   After our short hike and long rest at Mt. Kalugong, we headed to Mt. Yangbew. But before I show you this, let me tell you how we got to Mt. Yangbew from Mt. Kalugong. Going up Mt. Kalugong was easy, and we know we had to take the same route to make it to Mt. Yangbew. But, here comes one of their staffs saying we can reach that hill by taking a shortcut. 

He directed us to the way, passing by their Nipa Huts. He said that we just have to find the BARANGAY HALL and inquire. We got excited not knowing what adventure we will face. 

 

We followed the trail until houses were out of sight. As we went along, there was no sign of the “barangay hall.” We didn’t complain though, and just thought of it as part of our adventure. 

       

 

 Then, we passed by a CEMETERY. Creepy! Are we lost? Do we have to go back and take the road?

We were resting at a shed while still in the middle of a long walk;
 what you can see at the background is Mt. Kalugong.

Gladly, we found some residents, who nicely pointed the way to the Barangay Hall. We kept remembering the guy who lead us there. That long walk was definitely not THE SHORTCUT! We realized that we just took the long trail going to Mt. Kalugong. Anyway, enough for the drama, and let’s just head to Mt. Yangbew.  

The hill across Mt. Kalugong is Mt. Yangbew. You won’t see trees, but grasslands will welcome you at the summit. 

We rode Tawang Jeepney going to Lubas. You can ask the driver to drop you off at the entrance going to Yangbew. It takes three to five minutes to get there by jeepney.

And again a steep road is waiting; sadly, much of our energy was consumed from the long trail we took previously. 

But, we didn’t give up and made way to the summit. 

There's zigzag everywhere. 

We took a rest from time to time. When will we see the summit?

 Finally, we reached the top of the hill. The grasslands and the clouds surrounding the hill truly paid off the exhausting hike.

We thought we can sit here, but the grasses are ticklish.

The clouds under the deep blue sky seemed so near.
You can chase the shadows of the clouds and  hide under this natural shed.

There are more rock formations around, where you can rest and have some snack s.  

        We had bananas and oranges for lunch. It sufficed our hunger and exhaustion.  

Here’s what you can do here:

Go camping, have Retreats, Workshops, Jog, view the sunrise and sunset, anything you want. 

           But, remember to take home your trash and respect the silent hill. 

Mt. Yangbew GIVES you the PEACE that you expect; pay it off by    leaving TRANQUILITY and CLEANLINESS as you descend from the mountain. 

Kids serving as the guide of the other visitors.

Actually, days after this travel, we found out there was a main trail that leads to Mt. Yangbew. You might want to check that out. It was funny thinking that we were lost a couple of times. Indeed, getting lost is more thrilling especially when you are getting closer to the right path.