" I am off during the summers and had only a week left before having to go back to work so I decided to do a 2 night, 3 day backpacking/camping trip to hike 5 peaks north of the Latir Lakes in northern New Mexico. I loaded up gear of 33 pounds of ultralight luxury which included 9 pounds of water. I was not sure if I would be camping near a water source. I took my dog Daisy and left the house at 5:30 AM on July 31, 2012. The total drive was about 4.5 hours. I drove on road 552 to the town of Costilla turned east on highway 196 until the entrance to the Rio Costilla Park Land and Cattle Company. I paid for a 2 night, 3 day pass to hike on their land. I drove on a very good dirt road which changed into a tough 4WD road and continued to the end, which is at the third of seven Latir Lakes. The drive from Costilla to the Lakes is about an hour. Everything was lush, green, forested and beautiful. I started hiking at 10:30 on a cool, crisp morning. I had no other choice but to burn it up the hill with a full backpack. I had a little backpack for Daisy. The starting elevation of the hike was 11,160 and I had to burn 940 feet to the top. I reached the ridge, elevation 12,100, and enjoyed be..." — Phil-Robinson • Jul 31, 2012