On the second day of our climb in Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur, our team hit the trail towards the newly discovered peak of Guinumhay..
From the camp site of Ognop
Tribal Filipino Community School it took us more than 2 hours of 3km trekking
through the muddy and rolling trails that were recently created intended for
the participants of the exploration of Guinumhay. Finding the trail became easy
because of the ribbon markings placed on tree branches by the locals, though extreme
caution is still needed for the high risk of falling and sliding on the slippery
trails.
Guinumhay is 859 meters above sea
level (masl) with coordinates of N 8°43.81” E125°59.74. This mountain peak is
not the usual summit that mountaineers would expect. Far from the usual
grassland summit; Guinumhay is home to some unique aggregation of flora from
dwarf trees, orchids and the most eye catching plants, Nepenthes or the pitcher
plants.
Pitcher plants are carnivorous plants that get it sustenance from the
digested small animals from small insects to small vertebrates like frogs, small birds and even forest rats.