MT. SEMBRANO (745+ MASL) in Pililia, Rizal looks deceivingly easy to climb when viewed from down the highway going to the reclusive town of Jala-jala.  Even before reaching the jump off point, some members of the Delbros AB Normal Club were already declaring it to be a relatively uneventful climb ahead. Ironically, these premature estimations came from the relatively newer members of the club.  The veterans knew a lot better than to underestimate a mountain.  Experience has taught them that there is no such thing as an “easy” mountain.  Every mountain deserves respect.  Its relative height has nothing to do with how difficult it is to climb.  Each mountain offers its climbers a unique set of challenges.

The concern that everybody seemed to agree upon was how not to get burned by the scorching heat of the sun. It was already a few minutes past 10am when the group reached the jump off point at Brgy. Malaya on Feb 28, 2009.  It was a very sunny, hot, and humid day when the members of the Delbros AB Normal Club went ahead to conquer their second mountain for 2009.

It was, in fact a relatively easy climb.  Of course “relatively easy” is not the same as plain “easy.”  After having climbed about a dozen or so mountains, the Delbros AB Normal Club is yet to find an easy one.  Mt. Sembrano is not an exception. The continuously long ascent going to Peak 1 left most of the climbers gasping for air and almost completely spent. But Peak 1 wasn’t the objective because it isn’t the summit. Peak 2 is, and it looked very distant still from Peak 1. Some of the climbers were tempted to just stay in Peak 1, for to proceed to Peak 2 would mean a very long hike down Peak 1 only to climb up again to the summit which is Peak 2.

Nevertheless, at the end of the climb the climbers declared that it was a relatively easier climb compared, for instance, to Mt. Malipunyo (1,005+ MASL) of the Malarayat Mountain Range, or perhaps Mt. Pico De Loro (664+ MASL) in Cavite/Batangas, or Mt. Batulao (811+ MASL) in Batangas.

What sets Mt. Sembrano apart is its very windy summit and its magnificent 360-degree view. Mt. Tagapo (438+ MASL) in Talim Island, which the Delbros AB Normal Club intends to also climb soon, looked so inviting from not so far across Laguna de Bay.  Mt. Makiling was clearly distinguishable south-south-west from Mt. Sembrano’s summit.  Further south are the mysteriously enchanting twin giants — Mt. Cristobal (1,470+ MASL) and the majestic Mt. Banahaw (2,158+ MASL).

By the time the Delbros AB Normal Club started their descent of Mt. Sembrano, plans have already been laid to climb Mt. Cristobal before this year’s climbing season (Jan-May) ends.  Mt. Banahaw is already in the calendar for 2010.

Note:

• Altitudes in MASL were taken from www.pinoymountaineer.com.
• A similar article first appeared in www.awonderfulblog.com.