"Day 1 Our 3-day hiking adventure started when we left at 5:15 AM on July 16, 2010 heading towards northern New Mexico. I went with a friend of mine, Jim. I took my 4 wheel drive Toyota Land Cruiser because I was not sure of the condition of the roads. In the town of Truchas we went straight on road 639. You definitely need a 4 wheel drive for this road. Driving it was a fun adventure and we arrived at the trailhead at 8:20. The starting elevation was 8950 feet. We started hiking, to Hidden Lake, at 8:40. It was a beautiful cool day. I was carrying 33 pounds including all of our group gear. Towards the end of the hike we decided to bushwhack up the hill, rather than going to Trampas Lakes and then cutting back. If you want ease, do not do this. We arrived at the lake at 1:00 PM, after hiking 5.1 miles. The elevation of our camping area was 11,300 feet. We set up camp just in time. A big thunderstorm blew in. There was rain, thunder and lightning for about an hour and a half. We sat under a tarp and watched it all. After the rain we started a fire, cooked steaks and then went to bed. Day 2 Because of thunderstorms forming almost every afternoon, I wanted to get an early start..." — Phil-Robinson • Jul 17, 2010