How would you determine a certain thing, place, person, entity, etc. as haunted? Is it by the way it looks? Is it by the way how people talk about its horrifying background? Or is it due to how it made you felt when you experienced its menace? What makes a certain thing haunted or creepy? Is it by its appearance or is it based on how people who have experienced terror with that thing? Nature is a great way of God showing us that the world is truly beautiful but would you believe if there are some horror that nature can bring as well?
In the Philippines, there's a Mountain that's said to be a mountain for the devil or being owned by the devil himself. The said mountain is named Mountain Cristobal. The mountain is located in n Dolores, Quezon along San Pablo and Nagcarlan, Laguna which was named after San Cristobal. San Cristobal is known as the patron of travelers in the Greek and Latin culture. The mountain was tagged as creepy, dark and haunted. But before the Philippines got its independence, Mt. Cristobal was considered as a holy mountain. But when the Chinese came as well, they said that the mountain is a perfect example of yin ang yang. It's beautiful but it also has its dark side. Until now, the mountain is still being visited by tourists and others. It is also used for the pilgrimage during the lenten season. But for some, They go to the mountain to challenge the "devil."
The terror of the mountain spread through the internet, email and text messages. They said that the mountain fools and lures it's victims by appearing to be a local resident or worst, they copy the appearance of your companion while hiking. Just like this story:
From philurbanlegends.blogspot.com:
There was this couple who went on midnight hike in Mt. Cristobal. They took accidentally an unusual trail of the mountain which at that time, was not yet known. Even if the weather is threatening because of a storm and there was a zero- visibility, they still continued their hike. They got lost when they arrived in a point where there was a dividing trail. They took the left way of it. At that time, it was not yet known that the proper trail to take is the right one. The left trail is a deadly trail, thus they never made it to the campsite. Because they made on a midnight hike, the registration was closed. According to local folks, the two were not found till now. No one even went there to find them as well.
The story of this couple got a spin-off to other stories depicting the mountain's devilish ways. There are stories that the couple was used by the devil to attract more victims and trap them into the mountain.
The mountain that was named by a Patron can truly give us a comforting and spiritual feeling but let us not forget that this mountain was also tagged as the devil's mountain. Looks like it is truly a mountain of Yin and Yang then, right?