This is my 2nd hike of the year as a comeback hiker. Kalisungan is a beginner friendly mountain but for those who are not prepared the continuous assault will be a challenge.
We started at 5AM in the morning, still dark with just our headlamps lighting the paths.
The trail starts off from a cement road then opening up to a banana forest, this is a very slow ascent compared to what I had from Mt Ulap. As soon as you get past the banana forest, The terrain changes from flat ground to loose rocks/soil, turning to a 45degrees climb, the trail is clear as this is a popular mountain around the area. You can hear birds cooing and calling out in the dark, one of the hikers in our group mimic one of the calls and the birds actually called back, and it happened several times. Back to the trail, within 15mins we are at Station 1, the trek from the start to Station 1 is just an introduction on how the assault will be up to the summit.
Continuing the path to Station 2, the forest thickens and you can actually see the city lights and the break of dawn creeping at the horizon. You really need to focus on walking as sometimes loose rocks, leaves or the occasional banana trunk is on the way which can cause slipping. Some areas have small rock boulders where I rested on, we also walked over a tree trunk which was taken down by a previous storm. Going up the trail, the further we go, the steeper it becomes, there's minimal areas of the path that you can just walk, most of it is like going up the stairs. Some parts of the trail also has trees along the way which you can use as handles/support to climb, just be careful not to bump your head. After Station 4, going up to the grasslands will be the last and most challenging section. This is almost a 60degree steep climb on loose soil with minimal ledges you can step on, some uses the cogon grasses as leverage but walking over those in the morning can be dangerous as dew+grass can be slippery. You just have to follow the ledges created by those who went first and as for me having a trekking pole was a huge help. I used my trekking pole to plant myself on every ledge before going up. Making sure that the next step would be secure and looking up to the next hiker so I know which ledges I should not take or if I should reroute myself. After a grueling 15-20mins in that last assault, I was greeted by a huge white cross on top, where people flock and take group pictures.
The summit is a rolling hill with almost all flat areas, with a 360 degree view of Calauan Laguna, I also saw Mt Makiling, Mt Banahaw and Mt Sembrano at the horizon as this was a very clear day. Before 7AM in the summit is just the right time to enjoy the sunrise and cold breeze across the grassy peak. I also saw 3 out of the 7 Lakes of San Pablo south of my position. The sunrays beaming thru the clouds is an added flare to the view. The green grass at the summit also offers rest to the tired hikers.
After 30-45 mins of rest, the impending descent began via back trail, going back to the steepest section means there's a possibility you could roll down. As I have learned, I just have to counter balance my weight by using the trekking pole in front of me. Guiding my fellow hikers to do the same so they wont slip or fall in-front. After the most difficult descent, were back on the ledges and steps, going down is a pain on my knees, I experienced this in Mt Ulap and surprisingly in Kalisungan I didn't feel that much pain, this is probably because of the trekking pole.
Several times, some of the other hikers slipped and actually sat their ass due to loose rocks. This is on a scorching sunny weather, imagine trekking this on rainy seasons, the difficulty will be tripled because of the mud and wet rocks.
After the hike, I can say that this is a good practice hike for only 3.5km of continuous ascent/descent. Same as other mountains, if you came unprepared it will be a challenge, for those who are ready, this will be a piece of cake.
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