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TIRAD PASS - SAGADA
LOCATION: Ilocos Sur and Mt. Province
ELEVATION: Approx 1,300 MASL highest elevation
LEVEL: Major Climb, Level III, Strenuous
(Cross Country)
JUMP-OFF POINT: Candon/Gregorio Del Pilar,
Ilocos Sur
INFORMATION:
Tirad Pass is one of the oldest major trails existing in
the Philippines. In fact it was considered as an important
gateway to the Cordilleras during the Spanish Era. Through
the passage of time and as new roads and highways were built,
this trail was relegated to the dustbin of our historical
records. But as hiking becomes popular, "adventure promising"
places like Tirad Pass are being revisited. In climbing Tirad
Pass, the usual destination is Spike's Peak (one of the highest
peak of the mountainous region where Tirad Pass is located)
which is a two day activity. But the trail system has lot
more to offer for it will never be called the Cordilera's
Gateway for nothing. The most promising trail this place has
to offer is the Tirad Pass to Sagada Trail. This trail has
been published in books like "Action Asia Adventure Book"
but most of these hikes originates from Sagada towards Ilocos
Sur and not the other way around and only a handful have done
it so far. In between, there are hundreds of other trails
criss crossing the mountains which is popularly known as the
"Cordillera Way." As history tells us, Emilio Aguinaldo
and his men "trekked" from Ilocos Sur to Cordillera
and further to Isabela where he was captured thus dissecting
the Luzon island horizontally from coast to coast. If the
Sierra Madre is being eyed as the "Philippine Appalachian;"
that will dissect Luzon vertically, then this trail, in its
entirety, in the future may be the perpendicular version.
This itinerary can be used for a Tirad Pass only climb or
a Tirad Pass to Sagada climb or can even be used as a spring
board to other destination within Ilocos, Abra and Mt. Province.
LEGENDS:
According to old stories, long time ago there lived in northern
Luzon a big, brave and handsome man named Andog. Because of
his attributes, he was well loved and respected by the villagers.
But because he was big, he cannot find a suitable woman within
the village to be his wife. As he is well-loved, his friends
from the the village, upon learning from him of his desire
to marry, have volunteered to look for a suitable woman for
him. So they traveled far and wide in search of the perfect
match for Andog.
They were lucky though, since after reaching a valley called
Amianan, they found the suitable woman from one of the caves
in the valley. They found the woman bathing in the stream
inside the cave. Andogs friends told the woman their intention
and the woman, who introduced herself as Ading Luding, and
upon learning that they were representing Andog who is also
well known in the place agreed to their proposition but only
in one condition - for Andog to create for her a hat made
of either a fruit or vegetable of any tree, big enough to
fit her head.
Andog was sad upon learning the strange request for he does
not know of any fruit that big. He consulted the villagers
and an old man named Lupong volunteered to help him. But his
help is with one condition- that Andog should never curse
the sun, rain or wind during his trip to Ading Luding's cave
when he already has the fruit hat. He agreed so they went
to get the fruit early the next morning. They made a hat out
of it which they called catucong. Feeling jubilant, Andog
put on the hat, bade the old man goodbye, and started for
the mountain where Ading Luding lived. From his heavenly abode,
Bathala saw Andog as the latter went on his way to Ading Luding's
place. "I want to test that man's sincerity in keeping
his promise," Bathala said. So he ordered the sun to
send its hot rays on Andog. The sun followed Bathala's order,
and its rays burned Andog's skin. Then the young man cursed
the sun. Next Bathala ordered the wind to blow and the rain
to fall. The wind and the rain followed Bathala's order and
soon there were violent storms and heavy rains. Annoyed and
forgetting his promise, Andog held his catucong over his head
and shouted a curse at the wind and rain. This angered Bathala.
In still another to test out how sincere Andog was in keeping
his promise, he ordered earthquakes to break the mountainside
near the cave where Ading Luding lived. And Andog cursed the
earthquakes. Andog was thinking of a way by which he could
reach the cave when, all of a sudden the earth shook and broke
loose the ground which he stood. At the same moment the mountain
crumbled, covering Andog with a big landslide. Miraculously,
his catucong was not harmed.
It is said that the tip of that hat which was left uncovered
became the narrow pass which connects one end of the mountain
to the other. This cursed mountain trail is now known as Tirad
Pass.
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