﻿THE ASCENT OF MOUNT HALCON, MINDORO. 



By Elmer D. Merrill. 

 (From the botanical section of the Biological Laboratory, Bureau of Science.) 



The Philippine Archipelago is essentially mountainous. Many of 

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

 accounts as to when, by whom and under 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 attempts to climb them, entailing great difficulties, 

 privations and not infrequently loss of life. Usually, however, it is 

 quite impossible to verify many of these rumors for, as a rule, natives 

 living in the vicinity of the mountains have very little information 

 regarding them, and because of prevailing superstitions it frequently is 

 difficult to induce them to accompany a party when the known object 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 be classed as a sport, and here 

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

 ascended by persons for the pure love of mountain climbing, but by 

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

 fauna, flora or geology of the region. In other words, the high peaks 

 of the Philippines, as in the Malayan 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. 2 

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

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

 of twenty men, and that in 1870, Real, then the governor of Davao, 

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

 Schadenberg ascended Apo in February, 1882, and Otto Koch must have 

 made the ascent at about the same time for Yidal :i figures some species 



1 This is the first of a series of articles on geographical subjects which it is 

 proposed to publish. — P. C. F. 



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

 3 Sinopsis, Atlas (1883). 



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