Mt. Pinatubo = Lahar? hell no!

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look at that picture.....
new zealand?
no.
batanes?
no. (but that's in my wishlist)
that's the crater of mt. pinatubo........


it was a long weekend and so we decided to see mt. pinatubo last friday until saturday for another photoshoot............... so equipped w/ our camera gears, tent and some food, off we went for our long weekend lakwatsa con photoshoot..........

it's a 3-hour trek but if you want a shorter trek you need to hire a 4x4 to take you to the shorter route and will cut your trek from 3 hours to an hour......... it was very tiring........ we have to crisscross the river, balance on some rocks........... i'm not into mountain climbing really, but someone told me that the trek is not so difficult compared to sagada and that the trail is not steep so i joined.................... didn't know i would have my lungs working extra because i was huffing and puffing the whole time...................

anyway....................

but the view to the crater is amazing................. my mouth literally fell open because of the beauty of the lahar formation, it looks like the alps of switzerland from afar............................ the very wide river that is now lahar-filled is overwhelming..........................

the mt. pinatubo eruption was really devastating.................. but when you look into the remains of what happend, the lahar cutting thru mountains.......... the river turned solid because of the lahar........... the alps-like mountains because of the lahar that previously flowed from the top, you can't help but think that somehow that catastrophe turned my country even more beautiful..............

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Photos

mt. pinatubo
the view is simply mesmerizing...

sunnier mordor
you'll see a lot of these lahar-capped mountains on your way to the crater....

Comments

[jillcutie]

What a Place
Whew! what a very wonderful place. It's really amazing how this catastrophic place turned into a nature's haven. I should add this to my travel wishlist. :)

[www.livejournal.com/users/atendencytorun]

LOR
Indeed we had enya playing on the ipod on the way there

[shula]

very nice place
we live in the town Capas near mt pinatubo but i never knew it was a nice place to go until when ride a chopper for a tour in angeles and nearby town, then we saw this huge crater with blue-green water, then we decided to go there but we rented a 4x4 to take us there. and it is very beautiful... we arrived there during sunrise and the crater was covered by fog. ohhh its like heaven!

[Pingleton]

I Was There
I was actually with a Marine unit stationed at Subic when Pinatubo blew its top. I remember the earthquakes and all the craziness. The OV-10 unit VMO-2 was my unit and we assisted the volcanologist who were studying the volcano. I did notice how the people of Olongapo pulled together and did not let the ash and debris get them down, they were actually using it by adding water sand and making cement porches and roads etc. I miss being there and I loved your pictures.

[T J Shea]

Mesmerizing? More than that!!!!!
These 75 year old legs went from Santa Julianna up the river in jeeps for 90 minutes then hiked 12 kilometers to the crater rim in about 3 hours. Then down into the lake. Mesmerizing does not sufficiently describe the beauty revealed. This took place on 9/24/06. I'm back in Alturas, CA now and my knees still remember the 40 degree average incline from the jeeps to the rim. Do it again? You bet.