Mt. Cristobal | A Dayhike of the So-Called 'Devil's Mountain'

Months after our last climb, many of our group members were begging for a hike.

The 3-month hiatus on climbing was taking its toll and summer was now giving way to the rains of June.

Fortunately, Agnes planned a climb atop the famous 'Devil's Mountain', Mt. Cristobal

For sure many of us ask why Cristobal was christened with that eerie name. Even our friend Tyron was a bit hesitant on suggesting this mountain. So, we moved on to find out.

On a brisk pace, one can summit the mountain on a day's hike. 

With good experience on climbing and great physical stamina, a 4-hour climb is enough to touch its highest point.

We started the climb at 8 AM and reached the summit by 12 noon.

We did the assault at a brisk pace so all of us were exhausted. Because of a 3-month hiatus from hiking, the 4-hour plan to reach the summit proved to be rather tough with almost all of the climbers already way out of their comfort zone.

Nonetheless, aside from establishing my thoughts about the so-called ‘Devil’s mountain’, it was a very nurturing experience as well.

As for me, giving it such a label is absurd but it is a good way of deterring most climbers who do not conform to the 'leave no trace' principles.

Seeing the grandeur of the place wasn’t enough to make me not notice the cleanliness of the trails. It was a welcoming sight after expecting some trash caused by the familiarity of the mountain.

Comparing it to the other popular mountains near NCR, this was different. Pico de Loro, Batulao and Maculot were far from being clean but this particular mountain was an exception.

The ‘Devil’s mountain’ mantra may sound creepy and a bit intimidating, but climbing this mountain gave our group a fresh new start after months of relaxation and rest. I came here kind of scared but now, experiencing the mountain itself, I can truly say that there's no 'Devil' associated with it. Someone may get lost because of the thick vegetation but I think it's not caused by the spirits. Or maybe, just maybe, It is their way of reminding trash-climbers to throw garbage where it should be thrown.  

That's it. We may have not seen majestic views up the summit but it is inspiring to know that our group is back and ready for more mountains to climb on.

Group Itinerary

day 1

03:00 - meet up at Jac liner Buendia
04:00 - departure from Manila to  Quezon
07:00 - arrival at Quezon, arrange transportation to jump-off at Dolores
08:00 - arrival at jump-off point
09:00 - arrival at Montelibano house
11:30 - arrival at crater campsite
12:00 - arrival at summit, lunch, rest
13:00 - descend to jump-off
15:00 - back at Montelibano house, rest, rehydrate
16:00 - back at jump-off point, tidy up, arrange transportation back to city
19:00 - departure from Quezon to Manila
23:00 - arrival at Manila

How to get to Mt. Cristobal

Ride a Lucena Bound bus at Kamias or Cubao or Buendia Bus Stations to San Pablo City. From there, you can contact Sir Lito 09152409138 to arrange a tricycle / jeep to take you to the jump off point (Brgy. Kinabuhayan).

For JAC Liner Lucena Bound Buses, you can check their schedules and terminals here: http://www.jacliner.com/


*we would like to thank Agnes Navales for organizing the trip and for the photos used in this blog