The Pointlessness of Bakun Trio and Luzon 3-2-1

the elusive Mt Timbak sea of clouds

Many climbers strive to cover heights and distances in a short period of time. But what’s the point? You don’t have to go to Benguet and be absent from work to do this! You can do this at PBCom Tower or do an MRT-LRT1 loop. You miss a lot of magic in your haste. If you were going for an FKT, I would understand. But if it’s your first time in Tenglawan, Tabayoc and Timbak, it’s pointless to hurry. If you want to call Luzon 3-2-1 a feat, ask yourself whether a jeepney ride from KM 55 to Ballay is a feat! Mt Timbak can no longer be considered a good climb these days. The road is already paved all the way down to the other side. If you wanna have a taste of Timbak, spend the night there. And you might just get lucky to see its full splendor.

This photo has not been replicated because people who climb Mt Timbak are always in a hurry

With the introduction of skyrunning in the country, the age of glorious mountain conquests is long gone. It is the time to enjoy the views. Almost all knife edges and killer trails have been killed! It’s time to kill time!

You can't hope to get this image if you go there at the wrong time

the campsite was built not for hurrying travelers

The first Luzon 3-2-1 was definitely worth the while. These days, it's nothing more than a long 'jeepney' ride.

Update on Climbing Mt Halcon

This information can help you avoid unauthorized climbs by organizers along with the risk of getting apprehended by authorities and getting overcharged by the organizers. My friend Kat Ocol recently visited the Baco tourism office and they have just released a new set of rules and regulations.

1. Mt Halcon is open for climbing from FEBRUARY 1 to MAY 31 of each year ONLY.

I hope the wide space accentuated rule #1.

2. Registration fee/permit is 375 php per head
3. Ratio of mountaineers to guides is 7:1. You may get additional guides if needed
4. Cost of guide/porter is 500 per head per day
5. A limit of 15 kg of will be carried by both mountaineer and guides/porters (tourism will weigh everyone's bags before you hike)
6. In relation to #4 logging in at the police station AND the tourism office is MANDATORY.

quoting Kat
"The tourism office is well aware of the backdoor climbs that have been happening for the past years and they already have the names of the organizers who have been bypassing the laws and charging their clients very high rates just to get to the dive board, ergo, i am pretty much sure this is bad news for some. for more info, please read the attached scanned copies of the laws in the topic."

PS: if you have concerns or if you want to book your climb scheds, message Baco Tourism. they will be posting the climb rates and the new laws (hopefully) soon. for now, please share.