Mt McDonald (McDo)

Located in Pampanga, Mt McDonald is flanked by the much known Mt Pinatubo on North-Western portion and Mt. Negron on the South. It stands at 4363ft above sea level and is actually part of the Pinatubo via Delta V trail. The name may have been given by American serviceman taken from Donald McDonald a British officer, but I still have to research that since there are no references of its origin. According to the locals, the name already existed before they were born. But one theory exists and according to some local, every time an Aeta guide reaches the mountain's helipad they were given "Mcdo meals" thus they have religiously named it as Mt Mcdo.

The summit itself is characterized by a 360 degrees unobstructed view of nearby Mt. Negron, Mt Pinatubo's summit crater, nearby hills, and unnamed peaks. Once you have reached Mt Mcdo's summit it means that you have trekked a total of 26km starting from the jump-off point that passes several river crossing in the Sapang Uwak, Apo Mallari Falls and Mt Pinatubo's crater summit. 

From Mt. Pinatubo's crater, one has to descend a 700ft valley then afterwards, one has to ascend a 900ft trail consists mainly of vertical walls and do some rock scrambling, which for me is the most challenging part most especially when rain set-in making the rock slippery. There are also several Pitcher plants that I've seen along the vertical climb which at that time was something new to me. After a while I have reached the summit which is characterized by an open grassland known as the helipad which also serves as the campsite for those who goes on an overnight hike. The whole place was covered in clouds with strong gush of winds, I could feel the chill so I rested for a while waiting for the rest of the team to regroup. It was a good thing there was a slight clearing when all my teammates arrived, I can honestly say "sulit pag hihintay sa mga ksama nmin ng 2hours", it was worth the wait to witness the surrounding landscape. We were recharged with the scenic view before  embarking on the last portion of trail, known as the zombie trail some even call it as "umay trail" composed of 18km of plain sight.

Mt Negron as seen from Mt McDo

Pitcher Plant

***Mt McDo is part of the Pinatubo Delta V trail, it is another mountain which has it's own unique beauty