Not because of the death defying experience going up, Nagpatong Rock Formation is a real killer – not the extremely unpleasant thing but a bad-ass, majestic trekking site to behold.
Over the weekend, I flew to Manila with the purpose of clearing my mind from all the stresses of my life (too much workload and more); so, I decided, after consulting with my friends, to go up the renowned mountain in Tanay, Rizal famed by the movie Love You to the Stars and Back.
I have always wanted to have some travels away from my comfort zone because I get to learn new things, meet new people and revisit my disposition in life. 
We went DIY for this trip because sometimes, it is really fun to not really have everything planned out. Disappointment is less. Expectation is beyond limits. You have more time to experience the world without the clip-clops of rules and blah-blah-blah. There is just a need to establish relations and lengthen temper as you get to move mountains and start great conversations with good, old and new-found friends.
One of our friends was just complaining and ranting: a. that he could have just slept and rested, b. that he was not perfectly informed of the difficulty of the trail, c. that we could have just gone to some random beach in Batangas, d. *doing the repeat mode*.
But not until we reached the top.
It was then that he started leading the way: a. “hey guys, take a photo of me here!” (piktyuran mo ‘ko dito oh!), b. *changes outfit for a different photo* (may extra outfit na dala), d. “guys, let’s go to the other side” (mga kaibigan, sige ‘dun naman tayo sa kabila *referring to the “male” Nagpatong Rock*), d. *not cooperating during the group picture* that instead of “election” pose, he stages the supermodel “awra”.
The trail has a lot of some ascending and descending. If you are a beginner, make sure to warm up. We were lucky enough that the weather was perfectly fine so the trail was not muddy.
It was quite easy but don’t get fooled. When you get near the rock, you’ll meet with some spikes that will devastate you knees if it’s your first time or you don’t work out (me on top of the list because of my injured right ankle)
Quick guide of our DIY itinerary:
2:00 am – Assembly at Greenfield *we already had breakfast at 1:20AM para hassle-free
2:30 am – ETD
3:30 am – ETA Brgy. Cuyambay for registration *We paid 750 pesos for the guide (good for 7 pax) and 100 pesos each for the registration
4:30 am – Trek proper
5:30 am – ETA Nagpatong Rock + Sunrise *Choose to stay longer or it depends on the number of guests present.
We did not go the Mt. Masungki (this is a part of the tour) because we’re already exhausted because of the hike which is estimated 4 hours more.
The weather was perfect. We just had laughter bursting. Our tour guide was so timid but I was shocked when I checked my phone – he had a gazillion of selfies. 
Elevation: 660 masl
Difficulty Level: 4/9
Specs: Minor Climb, Trail Class Level 2, Rock Scrambling
From this view is the “female” Nagpatong overlooking the “male” Nagpatong.
That’s me and our crazy friend hiding hid hoodie on the other side.
Para sa susunod na election! hahaha!
So when we went down, we asked our friend, AGAIN (the one that was introduced in the first part of this blog, the one complaining, ranting in the best of his ability lol):
“So are you gonna do it again?” (Oh, uulit ka pa?)
He just said,
“It depends” (Depende!).
So, ‘yun na nga, we saw in his (or HER) eyes that he would definitely love to hike again.
welcome to jaypeeneutron 