Tent life by a cold, mystical lake
LAKE TABEO—Low-lying clouds brought thick white mist that enveloped our camp in Lake Tabeo, part of the picturesque mountain town of Kabayan in the Philippines’ northern Benguet region.
All of us in the convoy of 10 rigs from the Next-Gen Ranger Philippines were bone-weary from the nearly eight-hour drive from Manila. Mind you, many of the guys I and my banker wife, Ardyne, joined for this trip to the mystical lake are hard-core overlanders whose vehicles can double as a home for extended stays.
We embarked on this trip after a monthslong absence from the camping scene—last year was just jam-packed with news events that basically took over my life. But the opportunity arose this month to join a long Valentine’s Day weekend with fellow grease monkeys and truck enthusiasts.
So I dug out my moldy tent and camp gear that have seen better days and set out to escape the hustle and bustle of the capital, where an impeached vice president is evading allegations of corruption and Filipino officials have been engaged in an increasingly volatile word-war with the Chinese Embassy over a festering territorial dispute in the South China Sea.
I figured a sudden cold snap would clear my head in time for ex-leader Rodrigo Duterte’s date with the International Criminal Court for his drug war that had left thousands dead.
Boon to local farmers
Nestling at an elevation of some 2,200 meters (7,400 feet) above sea level, Lake Tabeo serves as a base camp where climbers can set off for nearby peaks. It is within the Mt. Pulag National Park, and temperatures here can plummet fast.
It is one of four revered lakes around the mountain town of Kabayan, and is the base camp for climbers summiting Mt. Tabayoc, which looks down on the lake. The other lakes are Ambulalakaw, Incoloh and Letep-ngapoh, and can also be reachable by a few hours hike with the help of local guides.
The lake’s popularity has grown over the past few years, and while it is a boon to the small farming community, the crush of tourists can also be daunting, said local park ranger Omar Bugtong.
“The peak season is January and February and (the number of visitors) goes slightly down by May,” in time for the rainy season, he said. Outside his small office, a faded sign admonishes everyone to “leave no trace behind.” But it is getting to be a challenge. Caretakers ask everyone to properly segregate their trash, and locals collect them for disposal.
The long drive up the mountain was through zigzagging roads where the occasional truck crawling up proved a hurdle that could slow a convoy.
Approaching the fringes of Kabayan is technical, and can be a challenge. It is best to switch to low gear on manual mode, lest you burn your brakes. The higher we went, the narrower the roads became. A good lead vehicle, in this case driven by Chet Cena, who runs the Techneca Media overlanding vlog, is a must. He safely navigated the road ahead and dictated the cadence of the convoy.
“It’s my third time to visit Tabeo, but it always makes me nervous when I reach the last 6 kilometers going there as the roads are steep and very narrow,” Cena said. “Good thing that the locals almost always give way to visitors.”
The locals are expert drivers, and they readily found ways of letting us through. Old Toyota Tamaraw FXs are the sturdy beasts here, hauling local produce to the lowlands. I’d often honk as a sign of respect, and they would respond in kind.
The final hurdle was a strip of worn-out road overlooking the lake as we slowly went down. Beneath us was a canvas straight out of a painting. We arrived amid a slight drizzle and were rewarded with a rainbow that framed tents and vehicles in a riot of colors struggling through the mist.
It was an incredible sight. I remember silently mouthing my appreciation to a wondrous beauty in a country ravaged by political turmoil. As first-time visitors here, we were simply in awe of the breathtaking sight.
We quickly found a place in the damp ground to camp, and within minutes, we were done pitching our tent. Except, I forgot some of the supplies. We were lucky though, that the locals sold homegrown produce and bare essentials. I ditched a portable espresso machine I brought for this trip, for a thermos of locally brewed Sagada arabica coffee.
Entrepreneurial spirit
A young girl manned the single bathroom where you can have access to warm water for a hundred pesos. If you were brave enough to withstand the cold, there is a free outhouse on the other side of the lake, near the park ranger’s station, where they require campers to pay for a permit. The entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well, even in a mystical place.
The other crew members had rooftop tents, and huge awnings for easier setup. I can imagine how cozy it must be curled into a ball under the sheets above the bare ground.
We opted for a quick dinner and chose to turn in early on the first day. The first night, however, brought some challenges—it rained, and the temperature dropped to 8 degrees at its coldest at dawn. I suppose we got what we bargained for.
But the morning brought crisp sunshine to warm both body and soul. Coffee in hand, we sat on our weather-beaten chairs just staring at the lake, its glassy surface occasionally rippling in cadence with the morning breeze.
“Wow,” I whispered. “This is why we travel.”
(Jason Gutierrez is a veteran foreign correspondent based in Manila. He is also an avid four-wheeler and a member of the Next-Gen Ranger Philippines, a group of truck enthusiasts that does overlanding and camping trips.)
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