Cinco Picos-Zambales Mountain Range ALBUM 2
October 13-14, 2007
This is our second day at Mt.Cinco Picos in Zambales October 14, 2007. A beautiful sunrise, and were getting ready to trek down from this beautiful mountain and go home.
BACKGROUND
Mt. Cinco Picos in Subic, Zambales is a hiking destination that is attracting the interest of more and more climbers. Once a training ground for US servicemen stationed in the now-defunct Subic Naval Base, this mountain, like the nearby highlands, is home to the local Aetas who call the mountain "Tatlong Tirad". The Spanish name 'Cinco Picos' represents the five peaks of the mountain. The typical two-day trek in Mt. Cinco Picos starts at an Aeta settlement called Sitio Cawag and will take you past Peaks 1 and 2 to camp at Peak 3 and lets you glimpse at Peaks 4 and 5. Aside from the rolling, grassy slopes that characterize the coastal side of the Zambales mountains, views of Subic Bay, neighboring Mt. Balingkilat, and nearby islands and beaches make climbing Cinco Picos a truly pleasant experience.
Hikers would take the first trip from Manila to Olongapo to arrive there at around 0600H. A jeepney may be arranged to take the group to the Aeta settlement in Sitio Cawag. After securing guides, who ask to be referred to as 'kulots' and a courtesy call to the village chieftain, the rest of the day will be spent trekking. The trails are even, mostly exposed, grassy/rocky, passing by a few streams. There are some steep parts also. The first three peaks become landmarks in the progress of the hike, with the first peak assault occurring less than two hours after start of trek. Huts are in place as rest stations. Ultimately, after six hours, Peak 3 will be reached. Not faraway is the campsite that is nestled between the two peaks beyond. Mt. Balingkilat looms from a distance. Being a coastal mountain, the breezes are truly refreshing.
Zambales Mountains
The Zambales Mountains in the Philippines stretch from the northern part of Zambales Province to the northern edge of Bataan Province. This range comprises nearly the whole province of Zambales. There are eight named mountains in the range. Its highest peak is High Peak (2,037 meters). It also includes Mount Pinatubo, which erupted in 1991.
The mountains are sparsely populated, given their rugged topography, but are home to the Negritos or Aetas, an indigenous people known for their Negroid features. They live primarily by hunting and foraging. It is rich in natural and mineral resources, particularly bauxite deposits. The Zambales Mountains were formed by the shift of tectonic plates, which pushed the land upward during prehistoric times.
