Breakaway 2014: Catching Waterfalls (The Tangadan Falls Exploration)

"The road of life twists and turns and no two directions are ever the same. Yet our lessons come from the journey, not the destination.”

~ Don Williams, Jr.

Project: Live

   Whoever said "It's the journey, not the destination, that counts" must have done some waterfalling, because I took this quote by heart when I did one. Literally.

   I have long wished for some waterfalls exploration. Last Saturday, I finally got to tick this off my bucket list when I was invited for a long hike to Tangadan Falls found deep in the forests of San Gabriel, La Union. I have heard of this majestic body of water from a schoolmate, found some blog entries about it and thought, why not experience it too? It is within La Union anyway!

   We were four, three guys and a girl, who chose to brave the long hike to the falls. None of us have been here and have not hired a guide, however, we learned that we had to choose among two routes based from some researched information - the Duplas route via Bucao, a rocky riverside trail which will take one to two hours of hiking, or the Amontoc route via Sitio Kilat, a longer route but with a concrete-paved road where we can hire jeepneys or motorcycles to take us to the drop-off point and walk some 30 minutes downhill to the falls. The tricycle driver dropped us at Duplas instead (which I secretly preferred) since he cannot drive uphill via the Amontoc route. We started the hike around 9:30 a.m. 

   True enough, we had to pass through rice paddies, an irrigation dam, a narrow log for a makeshift bridge and trails in between rocks and trees, walk on slippery muddy tracks, climb above huge boulders bigger than us, hang on to rocky cliffs sideways, cross ankle-to-knee-deep rivers - even jump from rock to rock to cross them, and the list goes on. I was not able to take a lot of pictures from the hike as I needed both arms to conquer the trek, but the picturesque view of the hills, verdant foliage, robust rocks and gigantic boulders, even colorful dragonflies and bird species I have never seen are still clear in mind.

   

   For a first time hiker like me, I was overwhelmed with the track. I did get my endurance to the test from all the walking sessions I have had the past few days.

   Halfway through the trail, we passed through this shade and took some rest and snacks for a few minutes. 

   We knew we would never be lost as long as we followed the river's flow. Energized from the Kimbap the boys prepared, off we went to another round of rocky hiking.

   The sound of rushing waters and some people's yells and chitchatting grew louder as we hiked some more, signalling that we were closer to our destination. What a big sigh of relief that was!

    

   

   Behind the walls of rocks revealed waters powerfully cascading to a pool. Amazingly, despite the sweltering summer heat, the waterfalls never dries up. 

   We chanced upon local kids jumping on the pool of turbid water. The falls at that time was not as clear and majestic as we expected it to be; maybe because of the rains that have gone from the previous day. Nevertheless, after that long trek, we felt the need to dip our very tired feet in the chilly water and cool ourselves down.

    I found my happy place in between rocks where the waters gushed vigorously. I sat there, feeling the flow on my back and legs as if having a massage while the boys had their world of their own.

   We went behind the cascading waters too with the help of some people. Ah, their gushing sound is always therapeutic. Just sitting under the rocks and feeling the cool breeze and the cold dripping water from above was restorative I could stay there all day.

Photo courtesy of the schoolmate Nhoyskie

   After a few hours, we heard thunder; the gray rain clouds slowly approaching us. We had to leave before the rain poured.

   One group from San Fernando too kindly offered us a ride back to San Gabriel town proper. This time, we had to ascend uphill as we were taking the Amontoc route.

   Darn was that uphill route - that was a giddy climb! My thighs were numb and shaking at every step I took. I was lightheaded halfway through, I could have fainted any time, but bending down and having occasional sips from my water bottle made me feel better.

   The boys rode top-load while I sat inside the other group's rented jeepney. I had a mesmerizing sight overlooking paddy fields atop Sitio Bulala as we drove along cliffs. It could have been a scary ride as we passed through very steep and curvy roads for the boys, but looking at their "selfie" just now, they seemed to be just fine.

   If I were to choose between the Amontoc and the Duplas routes, I would pick the latter. You get the feel of a true jungle explorer on the Duplas route. Or you can have both, like we did. 

   Below is a map I grabbed from www.pagnapagna.com that shows an overview of our Tangadan exploration. You might want to try and brave this too.   

I got this map from www.pagnapagna.com