Last weekend our group decided to climb Mt. Parawagan located in Sitio Wawa Rodriguez, Rizal.
It has the same drop-off point for the more famous Mt. Pamitinan and Mt. Binacayan, just look for the Sitio Wawa Covered Court in Google Maps for directions. It should be just around 1 and 1/2 hours drive from Manila
Guides are not necessary to climb Mt. Parawagan, but since it’s our first time, we decided to get one for our group
Mt. Parawagan is considered to be a minor climb with difficulty rating of 3/9, the climb is approximately 5KM distance from the drop-off point to the summit, and you have to head back to the drop-off point. With a total of around 10 kilometers
We also took this opportunity to test out our new OSMO Pocket, to see the performance of this mini gimbal out on the trails. Most of the footage in this video will be taken using the OSMO Pocket.
The first 2.5 KM of the climb is a road, while the remaining 2.5KM is an uphill trail climb. But despite the short trail, the summit at Mt. Parawagan offers a spectacular view, one side showing the a view of Metro Manila, while the other side shows the breathtaking landscape and the different mountain summits in Wawa Rodriguez Rizal.
The route is pretty straight forward with no river crossing and is prefect for beginners, and those who want to use this route for their trail run training.
It’s my first time to use the OSMO Pocket, and my initial feedback is that it really is pretty small and super light, it’s like you’re not carrying any camera. Though it’s not as tough looking as the GoPro, I was really extra careful not to drop it while running.
The battery life for the OSMO Pocket lasts around 2-3 hours, and unlike the GoPro there’s no way to swap batteries, so to use it beyond 3 hours, you have to bring an power bank to charge it.
Scenic shots with the OSMO Pocket is smooth and stable, but since the field of view of the Pocket is narrow compared to the GoPro, running selfies are harder to pull off.
All in all, I like how easy it is to use the OSMO Pocket and how stable the footages are, but for action shots and in rough conditions, I think I’ll stick with the GoPro for now.
