Mt. Agad- Agad : small but terrible

I was looking for something to do to make use of my free time since there is no work today. I was thinking for a dayhike. Somewhere not far but somehow suits my budget. Then I remember a friend once told me that there is a mountain in Iligan city that offers an overview of the city. I am having second thoughts because of the bad weather. It had rained for hours on the day before but I was eager for my decision to go. I can only hope God will give me a good weather on this day.

Mt. agad-agad is located at Pugaan, Iligan City, Lanao del Norte. It stands at 1600 feet above sea level. The main attraction at the peak is that it has a viewdeck that you can make an overview sight of the city.

To go to Barangay Pugaan, drop by at Pala-o Market there is a Pugaan jeepney terminal there. Tell the driver of the Pugaan jeepney  to drop you off at the hanging bridge to Mt. Agad-Agad. They are familiar to it because it is very well known there . As for me, I rode a jeepney from the terminal and drop somewhere at the city which I don’t have an idea where I was.  I kept on asking for directions for Pala-o market and they say “just straight ahead”. Later did I found out that I was walking from Iligan Central Market to Pala-o wet market. While in Pala-o market, I ask some people there how far is the Pugaan terminal to the drop off point in the hanging bridge and they say it’s still far. When I asked how much is the fare; it’s only minimum. So I was thinking, if the fare is minimum then it would not be far enough. So I decided to just hike up to the drop off point. So that means, I hiked my way  from Iligan central market all the way to the peak of Mt. Agad-Agad.

              

               

the hanging bridge at the drop point in pugaan

        The trail from the base is good. There is dense vegetation. It’s like in a rainforest. I can hear the birds chirping and there is a stream on the side that follows the trail. I passed by a mini waterfall but I think it is not accessible so I didn’t care to stop and go there. I just continued my way through. I also passed by  fishponds  

                                                        
The start of the steep slope trail and I was taking pictures thinking that the steep slope would not last long and there would be no time for me to take pictures, only to find out that it was only the beginning. I quoted this mountain as “small but terrible” because of the long steep slope. I did not expect that it would be this hard. I thought it was just a simple walk. Indeed the line is true ‘never under estimate a mountain’ and it proved to me on this day.

            I kept on looking at the city trying to look at the view so that I’ll know how far I am from the peak  like what I have seen on the photos of the people who have already been here.

           I was going fast because I don’t know how long this will take. This is only a day hike. I  have to go home that same day. That includes the almost 2 hrs of travel by bus.
          I was gasping for air. The slope here is long unlike from the mountains that I have been which is only gradual. Inclinations could reach 70-85 degrees and usually takes 1hr and 30 min for an average hiker to reach the peak.

                   

                         

    I took a rest at one of the steepest slope of the trail desperately gasping for air. This is the "terrible" part. One thing I like about the trail is that the shade is at maximum. Caution though because both sides of the trail are cliffs which might lead to an accident or fall.

          I could almost see the entire view and that indicates I am already near the peak

After taking this picture, I took a long rest because I was so tired and gasping for air. I sat on the side of the trail thinking how long will this trail end. Only to find out that it was only a few steps and it was the peak and I laughed at myself for taking that long rest not knowing that I am very near on the peak to make a good rest.

At the peak i am happy to see that there is a good camping site. The entire camping area is being fenced by a caretaker there trying to avoid intruders especially during night camps. They say the view of the city light at night is spectacular and also the sunrise and sunset. I was thinking for a night camp here maybe at some other time and experience it myself.

 

at the gate of the campsite

 

  some pictures at the campsite:


                                         

 

there are benches to make the climbers relax

 

i could see the whole of Iligan bay area and the city proper

 jump shot

after taking pictures at the campsite i proceeded to the other peaks.

the communications tower at one of the peaks there

while going to the some other peaks i saw some multicolored flowers which my sister use to grow in pots or for landscaping. it is good to see them in the wild looking very healthy.

on my way to the other peaks

The main course here is only in the first peak where it is facing the city's bay area and you can see the entire city proper and as for the some other peaks, there are no such interesting sights or views.

After some short rest I immediately go for descend because the clouds are building up and there is a high possibility to rain so i wasted no time and hurried down.

If the ascend is difficult in gasping air for the steep slopes, the descend is much worse. There is a big chance of getting a slip off on the trail because it is hard to walk on the trail facing the other way around. I almost slip my feet once. I saw some giant gumamela flowers which I didn't notice during the ascent.

 

I took time to go to the City Hall and take a picture at the Anahaw Amphitheater 

 A little rest and i'm on my way home

                                                         

 Getting there:

• If you are riding a bus from Cagayan de Oro, drop by at the bus terminal and ride a jeepney going to pala-o wet market.
• from pal-o wet market ask for the terminal of pugaan jeepney. Tell the driver to drop you off at the hanging bridge going to Mt. Agad- Agad. Upon reaching the Hanging bridge, there are locals there to ask about the directions.

                                       What to Bring: 

• enough water canteen.
• jackets or raincoats
• flashlights
• a good pair of shoes with a good grip for the steep slopes