(Mt. Silay, Negros Is., Philippines)
Location :
Basic Features :
First Ascent :
Approach :
Access Route Plan :
Climb Route :
Climb Plan :
Advisory :
Southeast of Cadiz near the borders of Victorias and E.B. Magalona
Highest Point in Mt. Silay, a volcanic mountain north of Mt. Mandalagan; peak is covered by a dense scrub similar to higher Philippine peaks; seclusion in the interior (without inhabitants); almost perpetually clad in fog
September 15, 2000 by Singarong Backpackers (MT)
Puting Tubig Creek (lower base of South Ridge) from Barrio Gawahon
Uphill and downhill logging road (1.5 days)
West Ridge
from a trail, bushwhack to logging road at 2,500 MASL on South Ridge of Sicaba-Diotay (1.5 hrs.); follow trail northward and set up Final Assault Camp by the creek below the West Ridge (3 hrs.); for the final push, hack a trail to the crest of West Ridge and proceed to the rock-wall (1 hr.); execute the Ella-Palabrica wall traverse and go up the upper ridge (1 hr.); climb the ridge and scramble on the section with the dense scrub (4 hrs.)
take caution of phythons in the surrounding forest of the Final Assault Camp and of scorpions in the Puting Tubig Camp; protection may be needed to execute the wall traverse
HOMEPAGE
MAINPAGE
As early as the 1970's Boy Scout camping sorties must have already advanced beyond the fork of Sicaba-Wala and Sicaba-Tuo. However, from the point of view of mountaineering, the first mountainering approach done in Sicaba was performed in 1997 by the SB, particularly by the Ella-Dichoso exploration tandem that discovered the two major head-sources of Sicaba River. With the exception of the late 1997 party of neighbourhood friends guided by co-discoverer Dichoso, these Sicaba discovery were followed by several other official SB parties, including the 1998 party that made the Gawahon-Sicaba-Mabini Traverse. Then, in early 1999, under the guidance of SB, the Sicaba-Wala River was introduced to other Victorias-based clubs - the NTCI and KSDM.Lately, the SB learned that a Bacolod-based group (most likely belonging to the BBMS) composed of five female and four male mountaineers went from Gawahon to Sicaba (there were evidence of camping in Sicaba-Tuo) under the guidance of a certain Pap of Gawahon.
Despite of these acitivities in the span of two and a half years, these incursions in Sicaba were confined only to the middle reaches of Sicaba Diutay Peak. Going eastward, the farthest point ever reached is the broad river valley ( perhaps the Kabadiangan as known to the locals) which does not even exceed the length of the logging spur.
It was by stroke of luck that the SB Messner Team discovered the pristine high-elevation valley which the SB dubbed as Kagang-Bucay Valley during its northeast detour after the climb of the Makawili Peak in the Silay East Wall, on August 29, 1999. The most secluded spot in the remaining virgin forest in Upper North Negros, Kagang-Bucay has a rare white mountain crab (`kagang'). This valley is about 1.5 kilometers northwest from the summit of Mt. Silay which is also 1.4 kilometers northwest of Sicaba Diotay Peak.
An 800-foot falls breaks the stream of the valley from the main creek of Sicaba-Wala below and it is almost impossible to climb the wall of the Sicaba-Wala canyon for the Kagang-Bucay. Eventually, the SB from a two-day trek to the West Slopes of Sicaba Diotay Peak discovered the Sicaba Diotay Crater with its Rock Spire and on August 14, 2000 attempted an assault on its summit - the first ever attempt on the mountain.
West Ridge from the Northwest Slopes (August 12-17, 2000)
Singarong Backpackers : Dennis Ella, Pedro Palabrica, Mariebelle Porras and Roger Sildres (Nonguided)
From the trail-head in Barrio Gawahon, it took the team two days to position in the Norhwest Slopes within sight of the Sicaba Diotay Crater with the discovery of an old logging road to the east of Ubak Valley. On the assault on August 14, 2000, the team took only one hour of hacking a trail to reach the crest of the West Ridge with a one-meter ridge-segment overlooking over two gaping sheer drops. Woman-climber, Mariebelle refused to traverse the narrow ridge and only the three remaining climbers proceeded. Eventually, amidst a slight rain and 20-meter visibility
West Ridge from the Northwest Slopes (September 13-17, 2000)
Singarong Backpackers : Dennis Ella, Pedro Palabrica and Mariebelle Porras (Nonguided)
Blazing an eastward trail from Tiniphagan in the southern base of South Face Peak (Dinamlagan East Wall), the team without a map in the dense forest overshot the eastern 'sikwayan' (major declination of a summit ridge) of Dinamlagan and in the process entered the Northwest Slopes of Sicaba Diotay Peak. Actually, the team intended to utitilze the 'sikwayan' for the ascent of Nagabusay Col (the Dinamlagan-Silay col), the springboard for the climb of Mt. Silay. Coming to terms with the fact that Sicaba Diotay is a closer peak (the distance between Mt. Silay and Sicaba Diotay Peak is only about 1.4 kms), the team decided to cancel the original plan and take a second shot for Sicaba Diotay. Therafter, at 9:30 a.m. on Sept. 15, 2000 (the third day), Dennis and Pedro started the Final Assault of the West Ridge while Belle opted to stay in the camp. By 10:12 a.m., the tandem positioned before the rock-wall, the spoiler of the climb in the previous month. True to their suspicion, they discovered a key around the wall for the upper ridge by making a length of wall traverse on the sheer northern wall. On the ridge which is thick with vegetation (mostly 'bariw', small trees and thorny vines), the tandem hacked a trail for four hours and at 1:42 p.m. Dennis and Pedro set foot on the peak covered by a dense scrub and a few stunted pines (the fog had creeped in since 12:00 noon). Very likely, it is the First Ascent on the peak without a trail, stem-cuttings or any other signs of human encroachment; the handful of decaying stem-cuttings which the tandem saw are confined 300 ft. below the peak..
