Even if our group was reduced to three, Tina, Ronnie and I plodded on our first dayhike for Rebruary. Destination: Mt. Tayak (aka Parang) in Laguna. It was a light and breezy day trek but nothing prepared us for the gale-force, relentless, wind at the summit. To illustrate the point, Tina's lunch and ronnie's dessert were flying all over the hut. Even my daypack nearly became a kite. And hard as we tried to take a siesta, we can't because it felt like any moment, the wind will tear the hut from its concrete posts and hurl us across the nearby lowlands. The wind chill factor added to the biting cold. But the view of Laguna and Batangas was worth the chill. The mountains of Cristobal and Banahaw were imposing as if tempting us to give it a try (one of these days, we will).
Details on how to trek Mt. Tayak - Take the jam liner on taft headed for San Pablo City (fare: P111.50; around 2-2.5 hours from manila); ride tricycle to Rizal Elementary School (fare: P13.50/head); hike the Brgy. Sto. Niño trail (around 1.15-1.5 hours); hike from chapel to summit (approx. 20-30 minutes). heard there was a jeep for hire at the end of the paved road but the price is steep (P500). Mt. Tayak seems more like a hill than a mountain so it's easy even for first-timers.
