Mt. Halcon (2,582 +)

MT. HALCON
Baco, Oriental Mindoro
Major jumpoff: Brgy. Lantuyan, Baco, Oriental Mindoro
LLA: 13° 15.749N 120° 59.703E, 2582 MASL
Days required / Hours to summit: 3.5-4 days / 15-18 hours
Specs: Major climb, Difficulty 9/9, Trail class 2-5
Features: River crossing, mossy forest, rocky ridges

Mt. Halcon is presently a closed mountain. PinoyMountaineer has a general policy of not creating itineraries for closed trails or mountains, but we are nonetheless finally posting a Halcon page to collate information on its status and in preparation for its eventual reopening.

BACKGROUND
Mt. Halcon is highly regarded as one of the toughest climbs in the Philippines, and together with Mt. Guiting-Guiting in Romblon and Mt. Mantalingajan in Palawan comprises the "Knife Edge Trilogy" - three Difficulty 9/9 climbs that are truly world-class tropical mountaineering challenges. Halcon's biological profile is equally prestigious, being home to a lot of endemic flora and fauna.

The blogger himself has not climbed Halcon. In 2006, the local officials and the DENR closed Halcon, allegedly to give the mountain time to recover from trash left by climbers. Many believe this is just an excuse to cover-up for illegal logging that is going on, among other explanations. Regardless, there are rumors than Halcon will open soon, by March 2010 at the latest.

To give a glimpse of Halcon, we would like to invoke an old agreement with Long Henson, the father of itineraries, whose portrayal of Halcon was excellent. In his honor we are preserving his writeup and itinerary for this respected high and formidable mountain:

During the rainy season, climbing may have to be aborted when flash floods sets-in making the trail crossing the rivers unpassable. Another factor that adds up to the difficulty of climbing is the presence of the Philippine limatik on almost 90 percent of the trail. These small leeches silently clings to your boots and makes their way to any exposed skin where they begins to suck the blood of their host. The bite however is painless but after sucking the blood, the blood then flows continuously from the victim for about 30 minutes due to an anti-clotting substance it injects when it bits you. It’s more of a messy uncomfortable feeling than pain.Last 1994, Halcon was in the headlines of the national newspapers due to the death of one of its climbers. It was caused by hypothermia due to the cold winds of typhoon Katring and inexperience in the part of the novice climber. Because of this incident, locals began monitoring and requiring permits to the climbers of Halcon.

It also proves that Halcon is not your ordinary "hike-in-the-park". Climbing Halcon really demands months of preparation and proper planning to make the ascent not only a successful climb but more importantly a safe one. Though years of experience have shown that it’s not only preparation and planning that counts but it seems like the mountain chooses who will be able to set foot on its sought after summit.

Nature will always be a factor in the success of this climb. So it is best advised to climb it during the summer months of March to May to make the chances of success of the expedition the better. The hardship in conquering Halcon has a lot of rewards other than the feeling of conquering the Philippines hardest and setting foot on its sacred summit. The entire hike has a lot of wonderful sights and sounds to offer. It has unique and exotic flora and fauna, countless rivers and waterfalls, spectacular views, particular from the summit wherein you can see the entire island of Mindoro and the surrounding islands. In a clear day, you can see Banahaw, Maculot and even Mayon from the summit. Different terrain from rain forest to mighty rivers, mossy forest, bonsai forest and a wide variety of highland floras are some of the unique encounters. The contact with the natives will also give you a new perspective in life that is why it is advisable to take them as your guide.

Definitely, climbing Mt. Halcon is one of the ultimate in Philippine mountaineering. There you will come face to face with the question of why do you climb. And maybe come into conclusion that "mountaineering is the art of suffering!"

ITINERARY IN 2005
Courtesy of Long Henson

Day 1
0600 Assembly at Buendia corner Taft
0630 ETD Manila to Batangas City
0930 ETA Batangas Pier, take ferry to Calapan
1015 ETA Calapan Pier, Hire tricycle to Calapan Market Place (15 Php)
1030 ETA Calapan Market Place, Ride jeepney bound for Baco
1130 ETA Baco Municipal Hall, Arrange for permit
1200 Lunch Break
1230 ETD Baco Municipal Hall to Brgy. Lantuyan
1300 ETA Lantuyan, Arrange for Mangyan Guide
1330 Free Time, Setup Camp, Make Final Preparation

Day 2
0600 Wake-up Call, Breakfast
0730 Start Trek
0830 Last Major Mangyan Settlement
1200 Lunch Along River
1300 Resume Trek
1500 Cross Major River
1800 ETA Aplaya Camp, Setup Camp, Prepare Dinner
1830 Dinner
2000 Light's Out

Day 3
0600 Wake-up Call, Breakfast, Breakcamp
0700 Start Trek
0900 At Dulangan River
1200 Lunch Preferrably Along the River
1300 Resume Trek
1500 Last River, Last Reliable Watersource, Snacks
1730 Knife Edge Ridge
1830 ETA Summit Camp, Set Camp, Prepare Dinner
1900 Dinner
2000 Light's Out

Day 4
0630 Wake-up Call, Breakfast
0700 Summit Assault
0800 Back to Base Camp, Break Camp
0900 Start Decent
1200 Lunch Along Waterline
1300 Resume Trek
1600 ETA Aplaya Campsite, Prepare Dinner
1700 Dinner
1800 Light's Out (Believe Me it's Not Too Early)

Day 5
0600 Wake-up Call, Breakfast, Break Camp
0800 Start Trek, HEavy Snacks Along the Trail
1300 End of trek, Take Lunch at Lantuyan
1400 ETD for Calapan
1500 ETA Calapan, Arrange for Speedboat Trip to Manila
1530 ETD Calapan
1615 ETA Batangas City Pier, ETD for Manila
1730 ETD Batangas City
2000 ETA Manila

SPECIAL CONCERNS
Currently the status of Halcon is 'closed', although we are monitoring the situation which can change anytime. We will give updates as soon as we have them. Given the mixed signals and lack of reliable information in Halcon, we are not advising climbers to attempt a Halcon climb before an official mechanism is in place and the trail has been confirmed as established. There are some articles in PinoyMountaineer that discuss Halcon's status: Halcon reopening update and Mt. Halcon to reopen soon?.

Two hiking fatalities have been recorded in Halcon, as well as incidents of hypothermia in severe rain and wind conditions. Proper training and extra precaution are advised when attempting a Halcon climb.

Cultural sensitivity. Many in the Mangyan tribes do not allow to be photographed, so please respect their beliefs, or try to convince them nicely.

TRIVIA
Due to its closed status, Mt. Halcon is the last major mountaineering destination to be inscribed in the PinoyMountaineer registry of mountains.