Frost hits Benguet’s Mt. Pulag

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines – Frost hit Mt. Pulag, the country’s second highest peak next to Mt. Apo, in Kabayan, Benguet on Sunday morning.

Frost is the coating or deposit of ice that may form in humid air in cold conditions, usually overnight. It most commonly appears as fragile white crystals or frozen dewdrops near the ground. It is known to damage crops or reduce crop yields.

Emerita Albas, Mt. Pulag Park management office chief, said the frost hit Saddle Camp or Camp 3.

No one recorded the drop in temperature as camping is banned on weekends, Albas said.

On Dec. 28, Mt. Pulag hit a low of -2 degrees Celsius at its summit, some 2,924 meters above sea level.

Since then, the park management has been advising trekkers to bring more body warmers to avoid hypothermia and to secure medical clearance from a physician before making the trek.

Those with asthma or a systolic blood pressure level of 140 are not allowed to climb the mountain.

On Christmas Day, Mt. Pulag was closed to trekkers after the temperature dipped overnight and frost began to form.

Revered as a sacred ground of the Ibaloi tribe of Benguet, the mountain is a favorite trekking destination because of the breathtaking view of the sunrise amid a sea of clouds at its peak.

Frost damage, especially to leafy highland crops in Northern Benguet, has been avoided over the years as farmers adopted mitigating measures such as crop planning and overhead water systems.