Just Like Fire – Mt. Hibok-Hibok (1,332+), Camiguin
Join us as we hike to the top of Mt. Hibok-Hibok, an active volcano that we only read on our elementary textbooks!
Mt. Hibok-Hibok
Camiguin Island
Jump-off point: Ardent Hot Spring, Mambajao, Camiguin
LLA: 9°12′2″N; 124°40′5″E; 1332 MASL
Days required / Hours to summit: 1 day / 3-5 hours
Specs: Minor climb, Difficulty 4/9, Trail class 3
Features: Volcanic crater, tropical forest, scenic views of Camiguin
(www.pinoymountaineer.com)
In this hot plate of an island called Camiguin lies no more less than seven volcanoes which is much more than the number of their towns. Their claim to fame, the Hibok-Hibok Volcano or also known as Catarman Volcano.
Mt. Hibok-Hibok is an active stratovolcano that is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire. I have only read this on our textbooks during elementary days, but now we will be scaling it. The volcano has five explosive history since 1827, with the last one in 1950 killing at least 500 people in the island.
Although it shows no signs of activity as of today, there are the hot springs (Ardent Spring, Tangob, Bugong, Tagdo, Naasag, Kiyab) dotting the 10 kilometer base radius.
The Way of the Lanzones
Still tired from the long trip long from Iligan City in Lanao Del Norte, we still woke up early by 04:00 in the morning to prepare for our hike to reach the crater of Mt. Hibok-Hibok.
Hiking along its terrains are highly discouraged and presents risks all the time since it is closely monitored by the PHIVOLCS. There’s one in here called the Quiboro Volcano Observatory, located in Mambajao, 4.7 km North East of Hibok-Hibok.
It was still dark when Kuya Bibot Jael, our guide showed up outside our hotel with a multicab that will take us to the Yumbing jump-off of H2 (Mt. Hibok-Hibok). We only planned to do a Yumbing back trail. Upon hopping into the multicab, it only took us around 10 minutes along the winding barrio roads of Yumbing. By 5:40 am, we started the trek.
In hiking any mountain in the island, a DENR permit should be secured first from their office in Camiguin. It’s 200php per head and in our case, we secured it through our guide, days prior to the hike. Take note also that guides are required with a fixed rate of 1200php per group per day.
The trail was established and very similar to the ones in Rizal and Batangas. What made the trail a little bit different is because of the presence of Lanzones Trees (Lansium Parasiticum) all around. Trees are trickling with bunches of this small and round yellowish fruits. We were tempted to pick and asked Kuya Bibot but the trees were too high for us, so we will just buy lots of it once we go down.
Mossy Hair, Don’t Care
The trail was gradually steep and most of the sections are just straightforward. After an hour, we reached the camp site so we decided to have breakfast. After twenty minutes, we resumed the trek, and several minutes passed, we were welcomed by an interesting forest covered in moss. Tree cover was dense and red bulbous flowers popped out everywhere.
Then some mosses growing out from tree trunks even looked like wigs as our guide silently whispered “Picturan mo ‘ko..” (“Take a picture of me”). That’s when we realized that it actually looks funny on him.
We also gave it a try and also made fun of ourselves as we posed for photos with mosses as our hair, thus, Mossy (Messy) Hair, Don’t Care.
Around 09:00 in the morning, we reached the very crater lake of the volcano they call as the Ilihan. One of the previous eruptions took place in here. It was a wide area with a small lake at the side, which Kuya Bibot claims to be shallow and swimming is also allowed.
Then we resumed after a quick rest to reach the highest view point in Yumbing trail. The ascent was steep, it was a rocky ridge filled with bonsai trees and other wild floras that is unique at certain altitudes like this one.
Rocks (mostly Hornblende andesite and dacite) are present and most of it are sharp that slowed us down so mishaps may be prevented as we scramble our way up. It took us less than an hour to reach the view point, it was surreal from that point.
Ilihan Crater
After more than four hours of ascent, the rewarding view from up there was awesome. The 360 degree view of the whole island is blocked by thick clouds. Only the crater lake was visible. But still, we are at the crater rim of a volcano!
The area is flanked by an even sharper rock that serves as a view deck, Pitcher Plants (Nepenthes Alata) grows around the area that adds creepiness to the dank surrounding.
Everything was still, no sound to be heard, not even the gushing of the wind.
The Ilihan Crater lake as viewed from where we are is formed during the 1950 explosion. The eruption was preceded by a week of intense earthquakes. The explosion produced a large cauliflower shaped eruption plume that triggered devastating pyroclastic flows.
Pyroclastic materials eventually reached the outskirts of the town of Mambajao that devastated homes and took the lives of the locals. Prior to the formation of Ilihan, adjacent crater sites are also formed in 1948 (Kanangkaan Crater) and also in 1949 (Itum Crater).
Adjacent Volcanic Edifices are Mt. Vulcan ( 671m high asl, NW of Hibok-Hibok ), Mt. Mambajao (center of Camiguin), Mt. Ginsiliban (581m high asl, southernmost Camiguin), Mt. Uhay (N of Mount Ginsiliban); Domes and cones: Campana Hill, Minokol Hill, Tres Marias Hill, Mt. Carling, Mt. Tibane, Piyakong Hill. (Source: PHIVOLCS)
By 11:00am, we started to descend down. After two hours and a half, we eventually reached the jump-off point by 01:30pm.
Cheers to our first ever volcano ascent!
On we go to Catarman for the second part of our Camiguin adventure.
Updated December 2016
