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MOUNT GUITING-GUITING
LOCATION: Romblon Province
ELEVATION: 2058 meters above sea level
LEVEL: Major Climb, Level III, Strenuous
JUMP OFF POINTS: Sibuyan Island, Romblon
INFORMATION:
Viewing the mountain from the town proper, one would observe
a jagged or saw-toothed outline, creating an impression of
a vast and challenging terrain. Guiting-Guiting actually means
saw-toothed. This is one of the few, if not the only mountain
in the Philippines, where there are no recorded conquests
of natives or locals prior to the famous first conquest of
mountaineers. During that memorable day, the town of Magdiwang
was on a festive mood, celebrating this magnificent breakthrough.
Ever since the locals became fond of mountaineers that they
are extra-hospitable to mountaineers who sets foot on the
island. The local municipal library keeps scrapbooks of mountaineers
who have successfully scaled the summit. These include the
first conquest of mountaineers. Because of that, most sites
or land marks in Guiting-Guiting where named after the first
explorers like Mayo’s peak and Bulod’s Spring.
The thick forest cover offers sanctuary to mountaineers,
loggers, animals, birds and insects. Stopping and appreciating
the rich bio-diversity of the area is a must. Closely observe
the different variety of trees and bushes as one nears the
peak. Crossing the ridge is one of the highlights of the climb.
You will do a lot of scrambling, balancing, and leaping from
boulder to boulder and a bit of rock climbing. It is called
Knife ridge because of the rocky path, which requires you
to balance while traversing it. There are ravines on both
sides. If you happen to be welcomed by the winds on both sides,
take the opportunity to work on your acrobatic skills. Before
scaling the knife Ridge, one must be able to psyche oneself
and discard any fear that might begin to set in. Some mountains
are challenging for their breadth, Guiting-Guiting is one
mountain that calls your attention to the varied faces of
the earth. It "de-familiarizes" your mind and body
with the usual climbing habits and poses new puzzles to solve
until you realize you are interacting with the mountain as
much as the mountain interacting with you.
Sibuyan Island itself is a unique Philippine environment.
It contains wide variety of endemic species of plants and
animals, which was due to the fact that this island has long
been isolated from other islands because of the deep seas
that surrounds it. Compared to other Philippine Islands which
was a part of a big mass of interconnected island thousands
of years ago.
LEGENDS:
Last 1994, there was a group of mountaineers who have perished
while scaling Mt. Guiting-Guitng. They were trekking along
a riverbed when suddenly, flashfloods came down cascading
from the mountains engulfing the group. Stories now circulate
that there were times when the ghost of those who perished
makes their presence felt to hikers and mountaineers.
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