"This cirque route ran the ridge up and down about a half dozen 12-13k peaks over the entire traverse. Wheeler Peak, Mount Walter, Simpson Peak, Rich Peak, Lake Fork Peak and Kachina Peak to name some of them. My legs are absolutely smoked. Driving south to Texas to bag the highest peak there tomorrow. Guadalupe Peak in Guadalupe Mountains National Park." — wiweasel • Sep 29, 2023

"On Peakery.com a new peak was added, Rich Peak, elevation 12,535. It is between 2 peaks I have done before, Kachina Peak and Lake Fork Peak in the Wheeler Peak Wilderness. I was expecting just a bump on an, above-the-timberline-meadow, it ended up being much more difficult than I anticipated. I left my house at 4:30 AM, heading to the Taos Sky Valley, then driving a little further to the south and I was at the Williams Lake parking area. The final leg is a dirt road but a 4WD is not necessary. My GPS said the elevation was 10,220 feet. It was a perfectly clear pleasant morning. I was carrying about 14 pounds for conditioning and started hiking at 7:45. My plan was to climb up the world class Taos Ski area by way of the Kachina Bowl going straight up some black diamond runs to the ridge above, then across. I was met by a worker who said I could not go that way because of construction. I would have had to go a very roundabout way, adding much more difficulty to the hike. I said, “Please will you let me go this way?” He was very kind and said that being that it was so early and there was no construction going on, “Yes.” A great big, “Thanks!” to him. I first had to get to Kachina P..." — Phil-Robinson • Jul 27, 2023

"On Saturday morning August 22, 2009 I left the house with my dog Daisy at 4:30 AM to hike Kachina Peak. The exciting thing about this hike is that I was surrounded by the highest peaks in New Mexico with spectacular views in all directions. I had a small 9-pound daypack with water, food and emergency items. Daisy had a small day pack with water and a leash. The peak is south of Taos Ski area in Northern New Mexico. I parked in the Williams Lake trail head parking area. The elevation was 10,261 feet. There was no trail to follow to Kachina Peak so my plan was to bushwhack straight up the mountain. It was a beautiful, cool, clear morning and I started towards the mountain top at about 7:45. The entire 2-hour trip to the top was a “stair-stepper” leg burner with lots of standing second-wind stops. On the way up I saw a little large eared pika, a very rare sighting. I followed a ski lift to Kachina bowl, at times going up a black diamond run, and then headed straight to the top of the mountain, getting there at 9:45. The distance on my GPS said 1.4 miles. The elevation was 12,481, an elevation gain of 2,220 feet. The views were spectacular in all directions. At the top was a pole with..." — Phil-Robinson • Aug 22, 2009