The habagat season was on its tail end on the day we scaled Mt. Mariglem in Cabangan, Zambales. So when rain started to pour during our hike, I was secretly overjoyed.

What’s not to like about hiking in the rain? The muddy trail is more difficult to tackle, true, but the soft squishy sound it makes under my feet reminds me of playtime in the mud during my childhood days.

Rainfall tapping on my raincoat is like a gentle massage on the head, and the sound it makes is relaxing.

The cold breeze and the spray of mist washing over my face is refreshing.

I’ve hiked in the rain before. Heck, I’ve even hiked during a typhoon. I would hike under any weather condition, but I find hiking in the rain much easier and bearable than hiking under the scorching heat of the sun. It gives me more endurance, and the entire experience almost feels like a meditation of sorts. Sure, there would be little to no chance of clearing at the summit, but not all hikers are after the view. For me, it’s the immeasurable joy I get from tackling the trail, bathing in forest sounds, taking in breathtaking views, despite all the breathlessness and muscle fatigue. Hikers – we’re weird like that.

Mt. Mariglem, the “dark”?

According to our guide, “mariglem” in local dialect means “dark”. I found it odd that they would call this mountain as such, because it’s anything but dark for me. In fact, the first time I went up there, it was all bright and green under the sun. Perhaps the name was derived from how it looks just before dawn, or maybe even during the sunset, when the mountain would cast a beautiful silhouette? I don’t know.

Yup, it took me two attempts to reach the summit of Mt. Mariglem. Not that it’s a difficult climb at 573 masl, but I had stomach issues during my first attempt – and there was no way I would do my business in the open grassland. Haha.

Mt. Mariglem, for me, is “junior Mt. Daraitan”. While Mt. Daraitan is about 90% assault, Mt. Mariglem would be about 80%. The huge difference is the trail class. The trail of Mt. Mariglem is mostly open grassland with a bit of rocky terrain and forested parts on the traverse, while Mt. Daraitan has boulders and huge tree roots throughout, with thicker forested parts. 

It didn’t rain the entire time during our recent climb up Mt. Mariglem. We were blessed with a beautiful clearing on the first peak. Rainclouds started enveloping us on our way to the second peak. There would be clearing every now and then, until rain started to fall from the second peak up to the summit. You can imagine how many times we would put on and take off our raincoats during the hike. Although it rained, we still sweat it out. I don’t know about my fellow hikers, but I started to enjoy the hike even more from that point on.

At the summit, there was absolutely no clearing. We still took the “obligatory” photos and videos, of course. It’s every hiker’s badge of accomplishment, white background or not.

About a couple of meters from the summit on our descent, clouds slowly dissipated. The surrounding mountains of Mt. Mariglem flexed their beauty, and we all went crazy! I’ll let the photos speak for themselves.

Dark, they say? No, Mt. Mariglem is anything but dark for me. Like every mountain here in the Philippines, it has its own character and splendor that shines brighter than sunshine.

Special shoutout to my fellow hikers on that day: RA of RA Travel and Tours (our organizer), RM (pleasant surprise seeing you again after a year!), Daryl, Gaylyn, Noren, Lee, Balloty, Geraldlevi, Bums, Carlo, Charmie, Eliz, Noel (our pilot), Makoy (the funniest tour guide in the planet), and the rest who I unfortunately didn’t get the chance to interact with. You guys are the most fun group I’ve ever been with as a joiner. Clingy even, I might say hahahaha. Thank you for the hearty applause when I stepped into the summit! I hope to see you again, coincidentally or not, in another journey.