THE ASCENT OF MOUNT HALCON, MINDORO. 



By Elmer D. Merrili,. 



{Frnni lliv hotdiiical fteclion of tlie Biologind Ijdhoralory, Bureau of ^oience. 



The Philijjpine Archipelago is essentially mountainous. Many of 

 the high peaks have been ascended by white men, although accurate 

 accounts as to when, by whom and undei* what circumstances the explo- 

 rations were made are to be found in but few instances. On making local 

 inquiries in regard to the ascent of mountains one usually hears vague 

 rumors of previous attem])ts to climl) them, entailing great difficulties, 

 privations and not infre([uently loss of life. Usually, however, it is 

 quite impossil)]e to verify many of these rumors for, as a rule, natives 

 living in the vicinity of tlie mountains liave very little information 

 regarding them, and because of prevailing superstitions it frequently is 

 difficult to induce them to accompany a party when the known o])ject of 

 the expedition is to ascend a high mountain. 



Mountain climbing in the Tropics, especially in such tropical coun- 

 tries as the Philippines, can scarcely l)e classed as a sport, and here 

 as in otlicr parts of Malaya, the higher mountains have usually not been 

 ascended by persons for tlic pure love of luountain climbing, but by 

 those who have had some special object in view, such as the study of the 

 fauna, tiora or geology of tlie region. In other words; tbe high peaks 

 of the Philippiues, as in the jMalayan region generally, have been ascended 

 mostly for what was to be secured on them. 



Mount Apo in southeastern Mindanao is the highest in the Philippines, 

 yet the first recorded ascent which I have been able to find is that of 

 J. Montano, a Frenchman, who reached the summit in October, 1880.- 

 Montano, however, states that an attempt was made by the Spaniards 

 in 1852 under the direction of Oyangiiren, which failed after the loss 

 of twenty men, anc'.. Lhat in 1870, Real, then the governor of Davao. 

 made another, but unsuccessful endeavor, to reach the summit. Dr. .1. 

 ScluKlcnhcrf/ ascended Apo in Fel)ruary, ISS'-i, and Otfo Koch must lunc 

 made tlic ascent at abonl tbe same time I'oi- \'idal ''' figures some si^'cics 



' Tliis is tlic liist (if a scries of articles on gco<;raphical subjects which it is 

 proposed to publish. — P. C. V. 



2 Voyage aux Philippines et en Malasie (1886), 245-264. 

 ='>Sinopsis, Atlas (1883). 



179 



