Hello, Hive!
As promised, I’m back with the continuation of my Mt. Talinis escapade. If you haven’t read the part one, you can check my previous post titled Mt . Talinis: Back on the trail for more thrill.
Now, to the story…
Morning at Rancho campsite greeted us with a dance between thick fog and pale sunshine. Once we came out of our tents, it felt like being transported to a mysterious world. Like a cloud descending closer to the land, the fog covered the surrounding. The mountains, the trees, the plains.
After a quick break camp and breakfast, we started the hike right away since this second day involved the highlights of our climb: the Solfataras, Lake Nailig, and Nacolon Peak.
Entering the Solfataras, Mt. Talinis’ barren realm
In Mt. Talinis’ list of otherworldly sites, Solfatara, also known as Kaipohan Sulfur Vents, easily takes the top spot for me. Why not? A glimpse of this place will render you speechless or blown away.
After a 10-minute hike from the Rancho campsite, we reached this zone that reeks of death. Like literally. The first thing that greeted us was a brownish gully that stretched all the way to the base of what Alton pointed as the Peak 1700. As we got closer, the pungent smell of rotten eggs filled our nostrils. And I tell you, it was a lot stronger than that of Mag-aso Steaming Grounds.
The whole riverbed was bleached due to the high presence of sufuric acid. Years of exposure to sulfur sucked the life out of all living things and you can’t help but think of a scene from an apocalypse film while staring at it.
I was particularly fascinated with the contrasting colors of the snags with their white-brown inner bark and the dirty-yellow ground. It's also interesting to see how this dead zone is surrounded by abundant life.
 |  |  |
|---|
As we explored further, my friends and I went past the other side of the river where we saw a mini hole with bubbling water. None of us dared to stand very close to it though — or worse — touch it.
Not far from the bubbling hole is another small river fork that seemed to separate death from life. In this area, there were still few remaining green plants. But what’s more surprising was the natural pool we found that has clear, blue water.
It’s not my first time seeing the Solfataras but it still makes me feel in awe of its unfathomable scenery. There’s something beautiful with its grimness — the muted colors and the silence of the dead. Before leaving the area, Kim and I even jokingly said to ourselves that just by going to this place, we’ve earned our ROIs. HAHA!
P.S. Technically, us group 1 went to the Solfataras the day before since we had lot of time on our hands. But I'm including it in this post since the Solfataras was originally part of our Day 2 itinerary.
Hiking to Lake Nailig, Mt. Talinis’ precious gem
On the way to Lake Nailig, we passed by a dense forested area called Maribojoc Forest. This is where some of the Negros’ oldest maribojoc trees are located. The whole place was shrouded with fog that time and, of course, we did not let go of the opportunity to capture the dramatic scene.
After a few minutes of rest and a sip of blended rum c/o our guides, we continued with the hike. By 11:19 AM, we finally reached our next destination.
Lake Nailig is the most promient out of all Mt. Talinis’ crater lakes. The other two are Lake Yagumyum and Lake Mabilog.
Since it perfectly sits at the base of the summit, Lake Nailig serves as the main camping ground for most hikers. The campsite was wider and can accommodate a number of tents during my first time but according to our guides, after a series of devastating typhoons, Lake Nailig’s water has risen since. Forcing people to camp in the forests with uneven surface.
Being early birds, our group was able to pick better spots to pitch our tents. While the guides were preparing lunch, we discussed on whether we’d wait for the second group to arrive before we head to the peak or attempt to summit now while the weather’s fine. We chose the latter since we also know that the summit can only accommodate a few number of heads. It will help avoid crowding during picture taking.
Reaching Nacolon Peak, Mt. Talinis’ moody summit
From Lake Nailig, Nacolon Peak is accessible by a 30 to 40-minute trek through a forested trail. But don’t let this short distance deceive you. The trail going up is a lot steeper than the initial sections of Apolong trail.
A fun fact: I’ve recently learned is that Nacolon Peak was not the original Mt. Talinis peak. It was the Yagumyum Peak, also known as Peak 1700, which refers to its actual height in meters above sea level. Yagumyum Peak is the one visible from Dumaguete City prompting people to think it’s the highest summit. But further explorations led mountaineers to discover Nacolon Peak which stands at 1903. Apparently, Nacolon Peak is blocked by Yagumyum Peak and is only visible when viewed from the south. These two summits make up the "horns" of Mt. Talinis.
No matter how many times we come back to this place, I think we'll always find the summit trail exhausting. Mt. Talinis does live up to its name "talinis" which means "pointed" in the local dialect. The path goes around the slopes but every turn always points up. A steep assault. There is also a section called "monkey trail" where one has to use all four limbs to climb up.
The view from Nacolon Peak makes all the effort worth it though. It's immense. Our guides said that if you a get a clear view on top, you should feel favored since Mt. Talinis has a rather moody summit. Thick fog come and go. And if you're unlucky, it stays.
Gladly, we witnessed a "clearing" during this climb. My friends and I took turns in taking pictures with the view, but majority of the time, we just stared at the panoramic beauty in front us. Shout out to our fellow hikers for a successful first major climb! 🥳
After an hour, we decided to descend so the second group can have their turn at the summit. It was already 3 PM and there was a hint of thick fog coming which made us think that they may not get a clearing. And, matter of fact, they didn't.
Our guides suggested that they try again the next day but it seemed like most people in the group were too tired from the long hike. All of them did not attempt to summit — except for Gio who woke up very early to climb Nacolon Peak. I'd say he made the right decision because he caught the magical view of the sunrise on top. Here are some of the photos he'd like to share with you too. No guts no glory indeed. Way to go Gio!
 |  |  |
|---|
The second day ended with a fun socials and drunken conversations (lol). It was a fulfilling hike that ticked off a lot of boxes on my bucket list. Next time I'll be back with more stories from our third and last day of climb. Until then! 😁
Part 3 of our Mt. Talinis escapade is also out. Just click on the link 👇
href="https://peakd.com/hive-163772/@mariasalve/mt-talinis-adventures-and-misadventures-and-my-first-taste-of-panghilakan-trail">Mt. Talinis: Adventures and misadventures, and my first taste of Panghilakan Trail
Maria is a hopeless romantic who travels in pages and places. She is an INFP who loves sunrises and moonlit nights and reading books in between. On weekdays, she works for a self-publishing company as a copywriter. On weekends, she lives for life as a poet or hiker. She hopes to share her love for words and the world with you here on HIVE.
If you like this content, don't forget to follow, upvote, and leave a comment to show some love. You can also reblog if you want. Connect with here through PeakD, Tiktok, or Instagram. 🤍