Trek to The Holy Cross on Mt. Ping-as, Pakil, Laguna

(this unplanned trip happened on December 31, 2012 (new years eve)

If Paete has the Tatlong Krus on top of Mt. Humarap, Pakil has single large cross on top of Mount Ping-as watching over the town of Pakil, which was once part of Paete town. The Crosses share some history as well as past (and long gone) resentment between the two towns on the demarcation line.

Tutubi initially wanted to trek up Tatlong Krus but later thought of Ping-as with his brother but ended up going there with his septuagenarian father, three of his brothers, nephews and nieces.

The Trek up Mt. Ping-as in Pictures:

the only water crossing. see the trail is easy even for senior citizens, much more for children

the last stretch of the trail up Mt. Ping-as has concrete steps going up the viewdeck and rest area

The Mt. Ping-as Rest Area where you can...rest?

Nuestra Senora de los Dolores de Turumba (Birhen ng Turumba) in glass at the rest area

The large cross is visible here, the dog included to add scale

a bird's eye view of Pakil town and Laguna de Bay, Tutubi was able to post this on Facebook due to presence of Globe 3G signal on the mountain belonging to the Sierra Madre mountain range. there was a slight drizzle that time thus the hazy picture

History of Ahunan sa Ping-as and the Krus ng Pakil:

This landmark of Pakil town hosts an annual festivity known as "Ahunan sa Ping-as" celebrated every last Saturday of May, where participants climb up the Sierra Madre mountain to witness the Santacruzan and attend the Holy Mass.

At the foot of the cross, you can see the bird's eye view of the town, which is 500 meters above sea level

The cross was erected there in 1671 in honor of Fr. Francisco Solier who used to carry a wooden cross as a devotion when climbing up the mountain of Ping-as. The wooden cross was later replaced with a concrete one and a 14 Stations of the Cross were set up along the road/trail leading to the mountain top.

When Pakil separated from Paete to become a town of its own, the people of Paete erected three crosses on top of neighboring Mt. Humarap that became the Tatlong Krus

How to get there:

Follow this guide on to how to get to Pakil, Laguna. From Sta. Cruz, remember to request the driver to drop you off just near the boundary of Paete and Pakil (very near Pakil Cemetery) and not reach Pakil Church. There's a road going up the mountain with the words "Ahunan sa Mt. Ping-as" written on it to mark the start of the road/trail going there. (Tutubi wasn't able to plot the trail on his GPS to update OpenStreetMap but will do so in the future to give an accurante map of the trail)

If you came from Rizal via Siniloan, you'll pass by Lerma's halo-halo, Pakil Church, Pakil town plaza, Pakil municipal hall, and Turumba Springs Swimming Pool.