LEXICAL CROWN: MOUNT 387 AND ALOHA FALLS

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

MOUNT 387 AND ALOHA FALLS

Location: Carranglan, Nueva Ecija , Philippines
Jump-off: Barangay Puncan, Carrangalan, Nueva Ecija (Backtrail)
Elevation: 724 MASL (2,375 feet)
Days required / Hours to summit: 1 day / 2-2 hours
Specs: Minor climb, Difficulty 2/9, Trail class 1-4
Features: It is part of the Caraballo Mountain Range that surrounds Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya, and Quirino provinces and it also covers 387.9 hectares (where it got its name) of the Talavera Watershed Forest Reserve which serves as a major water source to neighboring provinces. It has the famous tree called Lover's Tree. Aloha Falls is the last activity.

The neighboring hills and mountains of Mount 387

The idea of climbing Mount 387 came into my mind when in the midst of my being busy, I want to have short escape of the cityscape and my daily working routing. Thus, when my colleague, Roselyn Napoles, invited me as joiner of this climb, I did not have a second thought of joining it.

As a joiner in the group, we were composed of different small-groups with a number just exact to be accommodated to two chartered vans. With this, aside from Roselyn, I knew no one in the group.

As we arrived at the jump-off point, we had breakfast and some preparations. There was a short orientation of the climb conducted by the people manning the registration.

Climbing the Lovers' Tree at the summit

Mt. 387, also known as Mt. Batong-Amat, is located in Carranglan, Nueva Ecija, part of the Caraballo mountain range. It was named so because it was based on its 387.9 hectares of land that it covers, which belongs to the Talavera Watershed Forest Reserve. As we were near its summit, the rolling slopes and hills unfolded to our amazement which I felt then being reminiscent when I traveled across the hilly country of Rwanda. This was my first time to scale a mountain in Nueva Ecija.

It took us more than 3 hours to reach the summit since we were allowed to spend ample time in every part of the trail where it sent us a feeling that the scenery is really worth capturing. As we reached the summit, we had a group picture. Just below the summit was a hut where climbers can rest and relax most particularly for those who wanted to have an overnight climb. Then, all of us took a picture of the lone tree at the summit famous for being called the "Lovers' Tree:.

With Roselyn at the Aloha Water Falls

Descending from the summit was gradual at first. You can even run or just plainly walk. However, as we further descended, it became so steep that it was so annoying. You need to reach out the branches of the trees to support yourself of being balanced and not slip down continuously to the bottomless descent.

It was however, rewarding the time that Aloha water falls was already at sight because all the exhaustion vanished away by dipping myself to its very inviting cool water.

The long trail towards the highway where a 6 x 6 truck awaited us

From the water falls, we trekked again to the highway where a truck awaited us to be transported to the jump-off point. It was more than an hour trek of thick forest, river crossing and a long flat land where I believed has been continuously quarried. Back to the jump-off point, we had clean up and boarded again to our chartered van back to Manila.