Many stories were told about this mountain. Stories about the eerie experiences mountaineers experienced in the past. Stories that i really don't know if true or otherwise.
Mt. Cristobal was long known within the mountaineering community as the "spooky mountain." It was always referred to as Banahaw's alter ego meaning that if Banahaw is the power mountain with lots of positive energy, Cristobal is supposed to be the opposite - a mountain with negative energies.
Lot's of stories that circulate tend to prove this but we are not just sure if they are fabrics of a mountaineer's adventurous imaginations bolstered by a pre-conditioned mind that this place is supposed to be a "horror mountain."
Mt. Cristobal is a level 2 climb with steep continuous single-track trails. Its rooty terrain had eroded the soil to form a step-like feature on the trail. Close to the crater rim, the soil is mixed in with volcanic stones. Vegetation is lush providing covered shade on hot days. On some parts, it was necessary to climb on all 4s.
Cristobal is part of the volcanic Mt. Banahaw but unlike Lukban de Banahaw, which lies on the slope of Banahaw itself, Cristobal seems to be a different mountain on it's own. Along the slopes of Cristobal, a wide flat area can be seen which was actually a test site of a proposed geothermal plant that didn't push through. Another controversial project that was proposed was the creation of a highway that will link Dolores to Nagcarlan passing between Mts. Cristobal and Banahaw. The project didn't materialize since residents and environmentalist opposed the idea.
Being a "Spooky Mountain," Mt. Cristobal has a lot of legends, urban legends that is, since most of them are recent stories created by the city hikers which have circulated back within the city limits. One of the popular myths about the mountain is that a creature that the locals call the "Tumao" roams around it's premises. Tumao is actually similar to the Bigfoot of western legends. The best activity to do while you are camping on its peak is to do some night trekking especially when the fog sets in and test the limits of your bravery. Imagine the swamp, mossy crater and dense jungle. The sun sets early in the campsite since you are inside a crater. Try watching "The Blair Witch Project" movie before hiking Cristobal...
2 comments:
I never actually got there because of those stories. Banahaw locals and fanatics were already weired enough for me, I guess, witnessing another one is too much for a lifetime. hehehe.
seriouely, we didn't climb cristobal because we were always focused on Banahaw. I think we under-rated cristobal too much back then.
actually-that night ng magsitulugan na ay nakakatwa ang nangyari dahil ang mga estudyante kong limang grupo ay nagkasya lamang sa dalwang tents at natulog nang sama sama or kung anu mang posisyun ng mga batang yun na nagkatakutan dahil sa ang evening progrman namin ay natuloy sa sharing ng mga karanasan sa cristobal- those who climbed already told errie stories na makapanindig balahiboa about the mysteries and scary phenomenal events...so, ang nangyari- yung sobra sa dalwang tent ay nagsiksik sa aking tent- at dahil ang tent ko ay good for five naman ay pumayag na akong sa akin matulog ang mga batang ang imahinasyun ay super likot at may nagsasabi pang nakakakita daw sila ng mga nanlilisik na pares ng mga mata sa dilim- which when i tried ay oo nga , meron nga akong nakita-but i took it as parang mga mata ng ibong layas- like owls and other fowls na nakatagdan sa mga sanga ng punong kahoy-....yun lang ang weird na naranasan ko that night-ang gabing walang tulugan...kaya kinaumagahan nagsama sama ang lahat ng mga grupo ng mountaineers na kasabay namin that day at nag Misa ang isang paring kasamahan ng ayala mountaineers--in the end ay lantang lanta ako na nag descend at nag ascend- dahil yung pinuntahan naming camp site ay actually crater pala yun ng cristobal- but in the course of time ay bumabaw na ito at natabunan ng lupa -but mind you, kung lulundag ka sa yung kinatatayuan ay aalog ang lupa na parang may hollow part sa ilalim nito --that's another weird thing about cristobal
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