Keep close to nature's heart...and break clear away, once in a while, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.
-John Muir
I was only able to hike once this year. Continuing my quest to conquer minor peaks, I chose to go to Nasugbu, Batangas again where my mother mountain, Mt. Batulao stands. My next hike will be north of this mountain.
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| Atop Mt. Talamitam in Nasugbu, Batangas. |
To make up for my scant nature trips, I hiked 3 mountains for my third hike: Mt. Lantik, Mt. Talamitam, and Mt. Apayang. Together, they are called the Nasugbu trilogy.
The Nasugbu trilogy
The three mountains are next to each other, with a hike distance of just 1 hour from each summit.
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| Courtesy: pinoymountaineer.com |
Mt. Talamitam has long been a popular hike and campsite in Nasugbu. It is colloquially considered Mt. Batulao's "younger sister."
The other two, Mt. Lantik and Mt. Apayang has just recently opened. There were barangay tourism disputes in the past on these mountains but the conflict has settled. They can now be hiked individually or, in my case, all at once.
The trilogy suits beginner hikers. Their terrains are identical and they can all be hiked in within 6 to 7 hours. Their sole challenge is a 60-70 degree assault before summits. Other than this, the hike just involves hours of trekking.
Start of Hike (6:30 AM)
I expected our trek to start at Sitio Bayabasan in Brgy. Aga along the Tagaytay-Nasugbu highway. Instead of this old trail, our jump-off point was in Brgy. Kayrilaw, a few kilometers from Brgy. Aga, where a new trail was recently opened.
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| Brgy. Kayrilaw in Nasugbu, our hike's jump-off point. |
The new trail leads first to Mt. Lantik, the mountain closest to Brgy. Kayrilaw. This trail allows for straight traverse of the three mountains unlike the old trail that leads first to Mt. Talamitam, which is located in the middle.
Passing through the barangay outskirts, our group soon entered a forest.
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| Forest trail going to Mt. Lantik. |
The path to Mt. Lantik involved an hour of trekking through dense floras. While enjoying the views, I paced myself to conserve strength before the summit push.
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| The view before Mt. Lantik's summit. |
The ascent to Mt. Lantik's summit revealed our first elevated view of the surrounding landscapes, mostly parts of Cavite. Within just an hour into our hike, we arrived at our first summit.
Mt. Lantik's summit (7:30 AM)
Mt. Lantik stands at 530 MASL, the lowest elevation out of the three mountains. This, however, does not make it fall short of having beautiful views.
Looking south, the plains of Nasugbu are seen in full, together with the ridges of Mt. Batulao in the distance. Westward, our next summit of Mt. Talamitam towers before us.
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| Mt. Lantik summit marker. |
The word Lantik means slime. Even our guide doesn't know exactly why the mountain was named this. However, I think it could be because of the difference in foliage color in its summit that from afar, looks like a patch of green slime.
Tourism developments in Mt. Lantik's summit involves a kubo rest house, quoted markers, and a small wood stage for taking photos.
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| Attractions in Mt. Lantik's summit. |
As for refreshments, there's no food or water resource in Mt. Lantik. Our guide shared we can get them from a rest stop on our way to Mt. Talamitam.
Mt. Lantik Campsite (8:06 AM)
In between Mt. Lantik and Mt. Talamitam, there's a col-a low point between two summits. This col is also Mt. Lantik's campsite.
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| A view in Mt. Lantik's campsite. |
There's a sight of beautiful trees and horses. The sun's rays, even though its beaming before us, doesn't feel hot. Instead, the open breeze helped alleviate our fatigue.
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| Resting. |
At this point, I realized that the hike is indeed, great for beginners. The trek to the summit of Mt. Lantik was nothing compared to the 4 hour walk I took to Mt. Marami, one of the mountains I hiked last year.
Given this, I expected the remaining two mountains to also be easy.
Mt. Talamitam's summit (9:00 AM)
An hour and a half in our hike, we conquered Mt. Talamitam. The mountain stands at 630 MASL and boasts a clearer 360° view of Batangas and Cavite.
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| Mt. Talamitam summit marker |
It is named after Talamitam trees that used to grow in its summit.
I was instantly caught by the surrounding views. In front, Mt. Batulao and the Talamitam grassland (where the old trail passes) can be seen in full.
At the back are the plains of Cavite, while Mt. Lantik and Mt. Apayang are in the flanks. This, I would say, is the best view I've seen so far in all of my hike journeys.
The summit's space is as wide as Mt. Lantik's. It permitted a kubo rest stop and this one is manned by a local selling halo-halo, soft drinks, and juices.
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| Rest stop in Mt. Talamitam. |
There are also rock spots for taking photos with Mt. Batulao and the grasslands as background.
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| One of the two rock spots in the summit. |
After the photo ops, sight-seeing, and rest, we moved on to our last mountain.
Mt. Apayang's summit (10:00 AM)
Mt. Apayang is the tallest of the three mountains, it stands at 662 MASL.
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| Mt. Apayang summit marker. |
It permits a sight of the Calatagan peninsula, Fortune island, and distant Lubang Island in the south west. In front, it has the same view of Mt. Batulao and Nasugbu.
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| Mt. Apayang summit view. |
Its name is a mystery but there's a faint account saying it comes from fogs covering its summit that, from afar, resembles an umbrella.
The other parts of the peak are inaccessible because of unkept grass. The only cleared area allowed a small space for the summit marker, a kubo, and a rock spot for taking photos.
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| Pointing to the next mountain I plan to hike, Mt. Pico de Loro. |
We have now completed the three summits. Our remaining challenge for the day was to descend back to Brgy. Kayrilaw in the heat of noon.
Mt. Talamitam's summit (11:05 AM)
Half an hour of of slicing through the dense trail of Mt. Apayang, we found our way back to Mt. Talamitam. It's about the middle of the day now and we're slowed down by the heat.
While resting, I took a last glimpse of the surrounding views. It was truly a memorable sight, one I'll carry in my next hiking journeys.
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| Taking a last look at the summit view. |
Our trail back will trespass Mt. Lantik and instead be on a junction in its campsite. From there, it will take an hour of trek to get back to Brgy. Kayrilaw
End of the hike (1 PM)
Negotiating through the steep descents of Mt. Talamitam was a bit of a challenge. First timers don't need to worry however as there are ropes installed along the trail.
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| Descending Mt. Talamitam. |
Enduring the afternoon heat-with only occasional tree shades as respites-we soon got back to our jump-off point.
Our entire hike took 6 hours and 30 minutes. We all felt spent and we were rewarded by a satisfying meal offered by the locals before bounding home.
Hike summary
Conquering three mountains in a day was a challenge I enjoyed. Even though they were beginner mountains, they still had their share of trials: from the heat of the sun to the steep descents.
I encourage first timers to make the most out of a trip to Nasugbu by doing a trilogy. The proximity of the mountains makes them easy to conquer, so why not hike them all?
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| Nasugbu trilogy, done! |
Remember to bring cover from the sun's rays, pack light, and lastly, enjoy the experience of being out in nature.
Happy hiking!
Further hike details:
Nasugbu trilogy: Mt. Lantik (530 MASL), Mt. Talamitam (630 MASL), and Mt. Apayang (630 MASL) - Kayrilaw trail
Specs: Minor climb, Difficulty 4/9, Trail class 1-3 with steep assaults.
Days required/Hours to summit: 1 day/6-7 hours
Event booked with Carpe Diem Adventures last December 7, 2024.
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