"I drove a day early to Angel Fire, New Mexico to scout out the best way to hike Garcia Peak, elevation 10,920. I stayed at the Angel Fire Resort. I had a preplan, driving east on County Road 25 then hiking north to the peak. My plan did not work. One of the roads was just a cow pasture trail. I met some workers while scouting and they gave me a good suggestion to get close. Just north of Angel Fire where Highway 64 meets Road 434 drive 1.3 miles north, then turn east on Wheeler View Road for about 2 miles. I got up at 4:30 AM, Monday July 2, 2018, and started hiking about 5:20 AM at the time when first twilight meets the darkness. The moon above shown in its waning gibbous phase. It was a cool clear morning. The elevation was 8505 feet. My GPS said 4 miles as the crow flies to the peak. You can almost always add a third more to that number for actual hiking distance. I headed a little south, then east. My plan was to go to the little valley then hike the ridge to the peak. New Mexico was in a drought period so even though the forest was beautifully green, the grasslands had not greened up and the wildflowers were few. I crossed a little creek in the valley and headed up a rocky slo..." — Phil-Robinson • Jul 2, 2018