Fortunately I have a new opportunity to explore the mountains of Palawan, and to begin with, I did a very nice dayhike of Mt. Beaufort, accompanied and guided by my newfound friends from Puerto Princesa: Jessa, Ronald, and Edgar - environmentalists all from Puerto Princesa. At 1148 MASL, this mountain is north of Thumbpeak, flanking it on the right if you are from Puerto Princesa's Baywalk.
We met up at the entrance of Irawan Eco-Park - reachable within 20-30 minutes from Puerto Princesa city proper; and took motorbikes for several kilometres more of roads, rough roads and trails. The motorbike ride through mountain trails - and several streams - is an experience in itself, requiring driver and passenger alike to duck when low hanging branches are upon us - reminding me of a scene in Return of the Jedi.
Completely covered by forest from the trailhead to the summit, Mt.Beaufort is teeming with flora and fauna; to begin with we saw a freshwater crab crossing the trail; this was followed by sightings of birds, snakes, and of course, so. Edgar became our resource person for the identities of the. The wildlife slowed down our pace; if you go too fast you'll miss the fauna lurking in the trees and on the ground - but it kept us going.
The trails are gentle at first, and it gets a bit steep past the junction where the trail diverges - the original trail goes on the northwest, down a Batak village by the West Philippines sea; while the trail on the left leads to the summit. As we ascended it, I was reminded of Mt. Thumbpeak and its verdant peak. Unusual plants and tree frogs greeted us as we breached past 1000 meters.
