MOUNT MATUON CLIMB: THE FOURTH OF MALIGCONG PENTACLIMB SERIES

Location:  Bontoc, Mountain Province, Philippines
Jump-off Point:  Sitio Fang-orao, Brgy. Maligcong, Bontoc, Mountain Province
Alternate Jump-off Point: Sitio Favuyan, Brgy. Maligcong, Bontoc, Mountain Province
Exit point: Sitio Fang-orao, Brgy. Maligcong, Bontoc, Mountain Province (Backtrail)
Alternate exit point:  Sitio Favuyan, Brgy. Maligcong, Bontoc, Mountain Province (Hexaclimb Traverse)
Elevation: Approximately 1,650 MASL (5,413 feet)
Days required / Hours to summit: 1 day/ 2 hours (from Sitio Fang-orao)
Specs: Minor Climb, 3/9, Trail Class 1

Features:  From its jump-off point of Sitio Fang-orao, the trail is consist of rice terraces of Maligcong, passing thru the main Maligcong village at the middle of the rice terraces and struts along the Fib-iling rice terraces. From its foot from Sitio Fib-iling, it has few rice granary houses.  From its midpoint to the summit its trail has pine trees.  It is overlooking the other side of Maligcong rice terraces between the windows of pine trees on its summit.

Reaching the summit of Mount Matuon

This is the second day of my Maligcong Pentaclimb series and the fourth mountain that I climbed.  Unable to traverse from Mount Amfungotngor the other day with a jump-off point from Sitio Favuyan, this climb had a jump-off point from Sitio Fang-orao.  The other two mountains I climbed yesterday were Mount Chumanegcheg and Mount Kupapey.

Trekking to Sitio Favarey through Maligcong Rice Terraces

David Rome, my guide and I, left Chen's Homestay accommodation at around 7:20 A.M. boarding a motorcycle up to Sitio Fang-orao, an uphill drive and where the road network ends and this serves as the jump-off point to Maligcong Rice Terraces.

Descending from Sitio Favarey and strutting these terraces

After passing Sitio Favarey, we descended again to trek over Maligcong Rice Terraces.  Sitio Faverey is notably smaller compared to Sitio Fang-orao.   Like Sitio Fang-orao, Sitio Favarey has a mix of traditional wooden structures and modern houses, though I can still see a couple of wooden houses with cogon grass as roofs.   The community stays quiet and rustic, acting as a home base for local farmers.  From the looks of it, I have seen that some families practice burying their dead right within the yards of immediate vicinity of their houses.

The ups and downs of rice terraces trail

The trail from Sitio Favarey to the jump-off point of Mount Matuon or it is also spelled it as Mount Matu-on, was not at all easy for it there was a combination of descent and ascent connected by bridges since there was irrigation channels in most of the rice terraces

Ascending trail of Mount Matuon

The trail at the start was well-established.  It was wide since according to my guide, farmers regularly use the trail for their farming needs.

The trail halfway to the summit

As we trek halfway to the summit, the trail became narrow and thickly grown with bushes and wild ferns that sometimes, we can no longer the trail for it was covered already.

The less dense pine trees approaching the shoulder of the mountain

From the shoulder of the mountain, the lowlands which is mostly the Sitio Favarey and Maligcong Rice Terraces can be viewed in great splendor, though it was unfortunate this day that mists were thick.

No established view deck at the summit

I have not seen any developed structures at the summit and in fact, there was no platform or view deck where the majestic lowlands can be viewed.   In some other mountains like those of Santa Cruz of Davao del Sur, mountains are being developed by the ethnic locals Bagobos into a tourism site installed with beautiful and colorful gardens, huts for refuge of the tired climbers and stores where basic necessities can be bought.  You may read the blog posts of my climbs there like in Bamboo Peak, Mount Loay and Mount Dinor.

The magnified scenery in between the branches of pine trees

Actually, Mount Matuon is just an easy climb, though what keeps it longer trek was the rice terraces from Sitio Fang-orao to Sitio Favarey and to its jump-off point.  However, from its jump-off point to the summit is barely an hour where in my relaxed pacing, it was only 48 minutes. Don't be confused since I mentioned two jump-off point, but the main jump-off point is from Sitio Fang-orao, then the second jump-off point is from the base of the mountain.

Last shot at the summit

David Rome and I had an ample time at the summit having a conversation about the review of what we did on the first day of our Maligcong Pentaclimb where we finished three mountains, but were not able to traverse to Mount Lakipan.  It should have been a save of time if we did it, but definitely it would take us until the evening to trek since we have to traverse from Mount Lakipan, Mount Matuon, then the rice terraces along Sitio Favarey and Sitio Fang-orao.

The trail heading to Mount Lakipan

You can read the next blog post of the continuation of my Maligcong Pentaclimb series, as I trekked to Mount Lakipan and exited down to Maligcong Rice Terraces back to the jump-off point of Sitio Fang-orao.  But it was not backtrail.  It was a different route.

ACCOMMODATION,  MEAL RATES AND ENVIRONMENTAL FEE

The accommodation at Chen's Homestay is P500 or US$8.11 per person for a day, while kids is charged at half or P250 or US$4.05 per person.  Meal per order is P250 or US$4.05.  However, the guests can cooked their food and they charge P500 per day using all the cooking, dining wares and all cutlery items.  Coffee is free.  There is an environmental fee of P60 or US$0.97 per head.

GUIDING FEE 

The guide fee is charged per destination or mountain for P500 or US$8.11 for a ratio of 1 guide to 5 persons.  So, a penta climb costs P2,500 or US$40.54, regardless if it was held only for one day or more.  David Rome Chumacog is a highly recommended guide who can be contacted at his mobile number at 09066243602.

HOW TO GO TO BONTOC AND CHEN'S HOMESTAY (PUBLIC TRANSPORT)

1. Take a Coda Bus Liner from Cubao (Quezon City of Metro Manila) to Bontoc of Mountain Province for a fare which varies from P900 or US$14.69 to P1,200 or US$19.59 one way with a travel duration of 10-11 hours.  The final destination of this bus is to Sagada, but you need to alight in Bontoc town proper.
2. From Bontoc Commercial Center, usually parked along Capital Road behind the public market or in front of Pines Kitchenette and Inn, take a jeepney to Maligcong where your drop-off point is Favuyan (the lower/main area near most homestays) for P50 or US$0.81.  The travel time is roughly 30 to 45 minutes along scenic, uphill road.   Jeepneys leave when full, with standard intervals typically scheduled around 8:00 AM, 12:00 NN, 2:30 PM, and 4:30 PM.

THANKS FOR READING!