Mount Pulag
| Mount Pulag | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 2,922 m (9,587 ft)[1][2] |
| Prominence | 2,922 m (9,587 ft)[2] Ranked 106th |
| Listing | |
| Geography | |
.svg)  Mount Pulag Location within the Philippines | |
| Location | Luzon |
| Country | Philippines |
| Regions | |
| Provinces | |
| Municipalities | |
| Parent range | Cordillera Central |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | c2000 BC by the native Ibalois. |
| Easiest route | Ambangeg Trail
|
Mount Pulag (Ilocano: Bantay Pulag) and (Filipino: Bundok Pulag) is the 3rd highest mountain in the Philippines.[3][better source needed] It is Luzon’s highest peak at 2,922 metres (9,587 ft) above sea level.[1] The borders between the provinces of Benguet, Ifugao, and Nueva Vizcaya meet at the mountain's peak.
It is the third highest mountain in the Philippines, next to Mount Apo and Mount Dulang-dulang.
Mount Pulag is famous for its "sea of clouds" and the view of the Milky Way Galaxy at dawn, which has attracted many tourists who wish to see the "other-worldly" scenery.
History
The Ibaloi people of Benguet mummify their dead and house in caverns in the mountain. The Kabayan mummy burial caves, one of the main attraction of the site, is considered as Philippine National cultural treasures under Presidential Decree No. 432.[4]
Mt. Pulag was proclaimed a National Park through Pres. Proclamation No. 75 on February 20, 1987 covering an area of 11,550 hectares (28,500 acres).[5] It is part of the Cordillera Biogeographic Zone and is a National Integrated Protected Areas Programme (NIPAP) site.[6]
The National Park is inhabited by different ethnic groups such as the Ibalois, Kalanguya, Kankana-eys, Karao, Ifugaos and the Ilocanos.
Geography
Mount Pulag stands at 2,922 metres (9,587 ft) high.[1] The peak of the mountain meet the borders of Benguet, Ifugao, and Nueva Vizcaya.
Climate
Because of its high elevation, the climate on Mount Pulag is temperate with rains predominating the whole year. Rainfall on the mountain averages 4,489 millimetres (176.7 in) yearly with August being the wettest month with an average rainfall of 1,135 millimetres (44.7 in). Snow has not fallen on its top in at least the past 100 years however, there have been mild flurries occurred in the mountain especially during December, January and February, also frost is more common in the mountain due to the low temperature during those months. During the amihan season, the temperature in the highest point of the mountain is known to dip into sub-freezing temperatures making the coldest place in the country. The only recorded incidence of snow was in the late 1800s.
Fauna and Flora
Mount Pulag hosts 528 documented plant species. It is the natural habitat of the endemic Dwarf Bamboo, (Yushania niitakayamensis) and the Benguet pine (Pinus insularis) which dominates the areas of Luzon tropical pine forests found on the mountainsides. Among its native wildlife are 33 bird species and several threatened mammals such as the Philippine Deer, Giant Bushy-Tailed Cloud Rat (bowet) and the Long-Haired Fruit Bat.[6] Mount Pulag is the only place that hosts the 4 Cloud Rat species. It has one of the most diverse biodiversity of the Philippines, with the newly found (since 1896) 185 grams Dwarf cloud rat, Carpomys melanurus, a rare breed (endemic to the Cordillera) and the Koch pitta bird among its endangered denizens.
Hiking activity
As the highest mountain in Luzon, Mount Pulag attracts a lot of mountain climbers.[6] Highlights of the climb include the montane forests and the grassland summit with its "sea of clouds" phenomenon. There are four major trails up the summit: the Ambangeg, Akiki, and Tawangan trails from Benguet and the Ambaguio trail from Nueva Vizcaya. These trails are managed by the Mount Pulag National Park, under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
Presidential helicopter crash
On 7 April 2009 a Philippine Air Force (PAF) Bell 412 of the 250th Presidential Airlift Wing crashed at 6,900 feet (2,100 m) above sea level in the Kabayan-Pulag pass between Mount Mangingihi and Mount Pulag in thick low cloud and fog. The aircraft pilots and their passengers, who are presidential appointees, died in the crash.[7]
See also
- List of mountains in the Philippines
- List of national parks of the Philippines
- List of Southeast Asian mountains
References
- ^ a b c d "Inactive Volcanoes; Part 6". Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology. 30 July 2008. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
- ^ a b de Ferranti, Jonathan; Maizlish, Aaron. "Philippine Mountains - 29 Mountain Summits with Prominence of 1,500 meters or greater". Retrieved 31 January 2011.
- ^ http://tagaloglang.com/The-Philippines/Geography/25-highest-mountains-in-the-philippines.html
- ^ Cariño, Delmar (27 April 2009). "Respect mummies, Pulag trekkers told". Inquirer.net. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
- ^ "Proclamation No. 75; Declaring As Mount Pulog National Park Certain Parcels of Land of the Public Domain Embraced and Situated in the Municipalities of Buguias and Kabayan in Benguet, Kiangan in Ifugao and Kayapa in Nueva Viscaya, Island of Luzon". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. Manila, Philippines. 20 February 1987. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
- ^ a b c Leprozo, Jr., Dave (25 December 2009). "Mapping out Mount Pulag". GMA News Online. Archived from the original on 4 October 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
- ^ Yagumyum, Rudy (16 April 2009). "PAF provides more details on presidential chopper crash". ABS-CBNNews.com. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
External links
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