Tirad Pass, Ilocos Sur

Spectacular view on our descent to Quirino. Tirad Peak is in the distant background.

Descent to Quirino

I had so many dreams in my sleep that I couldn't remember a single one. It rained a bit in the early morning, which made me think what a drag it would be to wake up at 4 AM, have breakfast and break camp while it's pouring. Thankfully, the rain stopped and we had a glorious sunrise.

Was it us or we just plainly enjoyed the Hello Kitty campsite? It was already 7 AM when we started our descent to Quirino. I have to say it's one of the best trails I've been through. There were so many spectacular views. Tirad Peak and both forested and bald but enchanting mountain ranges can be seen from the ridge where we are trudging. I reckon this is part of the Spanish trail in use since the Spanish times.

The winding trail exits to a country road. There's a small canal with clear, fast-flowing water on one side. It was very idyllic! By this time, those of us trying to catch our jeep had abandoned all hopes of doing so. What we planned to be a 2-hour descent is actually a 3-hour descent. We passed through ricefields then came upon a small barrio with concrete road. It turns out Legleg is still way below, on the other side of the river. We crossed a hanging bridge making some of us dizzy because it sways and moves up and down. My Ilocano came in handy as we asked for directions from the locals.

Arriving at Quirino and forewarned by the locals we met along the way, it came as no surprise that the jeeps going to Cervantes had left as early as 6 AM. We rested in front of the Police Station and was greeted by a muscular, dark but handsome man in civilian clothes (they don't wear uniforms on weekends, he told me) who turned out to be a local police! We called him Manong & he allowed us to bathe at their bathroom and cook our lunch on the front yard of the building while he radioed for a jeep that we could hire to take us to Cervantes.

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