Mt. Talinis (Cuernos de Negros) Major Climb Part 2 : Camping at Nailig Lake

Bags unbuckled. Shoulders unloaded. Legs can finally relax. It really is a relieving feeling when you feel light after unloading the weights that have resided on your back for several hours. I grasped a huge breath in and let go a big sigh! At last! After the long and torturous trek, we finally made it in Nailig Lake which serves as our campsite for the night.

Nailig Lake is actually a crater lake of Mt. Talinis which is classified as a complex and potentially active volcano.

 

Read the Part 1 of the series and our tale of ascent by clicking here.

 

It was already late in the afternoon when we arrived at the lake. Complaints turned to awe as the lake naturally showcased her beauty to our eyes. As the sun started to rest, the shade slowly reigned. The fog started to descend as the atmosphere got colder. Might as well start pitching our tents before the bit of sun’s light fades and the atmosphere gets more unbearable.

 

 

Darkness is breaking. Let’s pitch our tents.

Beside the lake is a long stretch of marsh ground that serves as the camping area of the climbers. During wet seasons, the area gets tighter as the lake water rises and occupies more space. Pitching tents on the area is easy, pegs are easy to install since the land is soft. The ground is not rough which is good since there is no need for ground mats anymore.

Right after arriving at the camping grounds, everybody then pitched their respective tents and changed into their comfortable outfits. As for me, I retained my leg sleeves and even added layers of jackets. The place was heaven to the eyes but hell on my skin. Yes! I am that cold guy. I’ve been stressing this out even from my previous posts.

 

Food is life.

The air got colder and colder as the area’s visibility started to vignette. Stomachs grumbling and energies fleeing, we wasted no time and started preparing our dinner. Water for cooking is no problem since the lake serves as the water source. The water is potable as long as you filter and undergo it through boiling process. Also, take note, be responsible and do your share in maintaining the cleanliness of the lake’s water for the benefit of the many. We then had our small mountain “salo-salo” right after we did the cooking. Our food was not so special, but we ate like gluttons. “Walay dili lami sa taong gutom.” (Everything is yummy for a starving person).

 

It’s getting personal.

Healthy human poops at least once a day. Yes! Let me get this straight to the point. This part talks about pooping. LOL. Minutes after we had our dinner, some of us went straight to take care of our personal businesses. I am one of the few early poopers. Finding the perfect spot was a challenge. With a visibility of 1-meter radius, it’s really hard to see where you are stepping at. What made spot scouting more challenging is that you must be at least 60 feet away from the lake. To secure decency and modesty, you have to look for a good spot where you can go full incognito and squat peacefully.

After few minutes of scouting and roaming, I finally found my perfect spot. After going through the necessary steps of making a cat hole and such, I went ahead and did my business full blast. Cleaning and observation of proper disposal are always a must. Batch after batch we had our personal businesses attended. Shout-out to Four-Eyed Laagan for his successful mountain-pooping debut! No socials for the night though since everybody was all burned-out from the exhausting trek. Everybody went straight to their respective tents and snored like choirs of boars.

 

Cold mornings. Body warming. 

Early morning and the surrounding was still covered with thick fog. The air was still cold as if a huge AC was installed on the mountains. “Everybody seems like asleep still, might as well get back to sleeping.”, I said to myself. I managed to get a short nap before I heard footsteps and people talking. As I re-opened my tent, few of the people are already up and started initiating the preparation of our breakfast.

The lake looked so haunting but picture worthy because of the effect the fog brought in. We did not miss any chance and started snapping photos. Instagram time! Snap, snap, snap. We took several photos even though the air was torturous cold.

Later on, the sun started undressing from the mantles of the fog. As the fog was thinning, the beauty of the lake got even more stunning. A sky’s blessing indeed that the coldness lessened. It started getting warmer.

 

Care for another walking?

Not so long after, breakfast was served. We gathered around and started packing our bellies, enough to give us energy for another set of hours-long trek. After our meal and before any other else, picture picture muna. Another set of photo-op happened. Click, click, click. Solo to group photos, we missed nothing.

The skies then started to strip, showing a little more of sun’s skin. The people then quickly broke camp and prepped-up for the next hike. Minutes after, everybody was ready. We then started our next set torturous walk. The previous day it was all ascent. This time it’s all about the sloping slips and muddy trails.

Continued…

 

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