{"id":1529630,"date":"2021-12-19T17:39:40","date_gmt":"2021-12-19T09:39:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsinfo.inquirer.net\/?p=1529630"},"modified":"2021-12-19T17:42:17","modified_gmt":"2021-12-19T09:42:17","slug":"hiking-masungi-as-typhoon-odette-blows-past","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsinfo.inquirer.net\/1529630\/hiking-masungi-as-typhoon-odette-blows-past","title":{"rendered":"Hiking Masungi as Typhoon Odette blows past"},"content":{"rendered":"
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On top of Sapot ni Ric with Odette’s gray skies<\/p><\/div>\n\n

MANILA, Philippines \u2013 A hike to Masungi Georeserve\u2019s Discovery Trail has been in my bucket list even before the pandemic, but I never got to do it because there is always a long waiting list of guests who want to visit the conservation site. So when a friend posted beautiful pictures of his family\u2019s hike recently, I immediately checked Masungi\u2019s website and booked a schedule for my group. To my surprise, it was easy to book a visit, although with stricter safety protocols, and you can now find plenty of available dates from January 2022 onwards. A booking requires a minimum of five people in a group.<\/p>\n

And of all the dates, I happened to choose the day Typhoon Odette made landfall in Palawan after battering parts of Visayas and Mindanao. Although Metro Manila was not in the storm\u2019s direct path, Odette cast dark clouds and blew gusts while we were exploring Masungi\u2019s limestone peaks, making our hike an experience to remember.<\/p>\n

Tucked in the rainforest of Rizal, Masungi Georeserve is a multi-awarded conservation area and geo tourism destination. In the 1990s, Masungi\u2019s limestone rocks and forests were devastated by rampant logging. Through a joint venture project between the DENR and Masungi Georeserve Foundation\u2019s mother company, Blue Star, the sustained protection of the threatened landscape is assured. Masungi derives its name from the word \u201cmasungki\u201d which translates to spiked, an apt description of the sprawling limestone landscape found within the reserve.<\/p>\n

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Climbing Ditse’s rock<\/p><\/div>\n

Driving Along Baras in Darkness<\/h2>\n

I booked a hike that started at 6:00 in the morning but as we were so excited being first time visitors of Masungi, we left Manila at 3:30 in the morning and arrived on the site an hour early. We took Marcos Highway which was the easiest and fastest route to get to Masungi.<\/p>\n

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@miss.evergreen2021<\/a>\ud83c\udf3c Rain or shine, the adventure must go on! #savemasungi<\/a> #discoverytrail #typhoonodette<\/a> #foryou<\/a> #fyp<\/a> #fyp\u30b7<\/a>\u266c Rainy Day – The Dwelling Light<\/a><\/section>\n<\/blockquote>\n