I left the house at 5:00 AM, July 11, 2013, and headed to Santa Fe then Espanola then north on highway 285 to the town of Tres Piedras. It took about 2 and ½ hours. I met fellow peakbagger Richard O. and we took his Jeep and headed to the Colorado Border. We went to the town of Antonito then headed west following near the route of the Cumbres and Toltec narrow-gauge railroad. Not long before highway 17 returns to New Mexico we turned left on a dirt road that appears to be where Forest Road 87 exits New Mexico. After testing a few roads, and crossing back into New Mexico, we found Forest Road 686 that led us to within a half mile of Peak 11070. This is about 6 or7 miles from the paved road. Some of the road is accessible by any vehicle but the last couple of miles is a tough 4 wheel drive road. It took us about 2 and ½ miles from Tres Piedras, but we spent 30 extra minutes hunting the correct road.

It was a beautiful morning! We started hiking at 10:30 AM. The starting elevation was 10716. We followed the road to the west for a short distance then were quickly bushwhacking. It only took eight tents of a mile to get to the peak. It took about 40 minutes. The peak was clear of trees and the views were spectacular! We could see that the route to the next peak was a mixture of beautiful green meadows mixed with some log climbing forests. It was a wonderful hike to the next peak. Lots of open space and great views. We arrived at Peak 10977 in about 2 hours time and 2.9 miles distance from the Jeep. Again the views on the top, for the most part, were great. We took a few pictures and looked around then headed back. It looked like the area had been getting lots of rain, although we did not experience any. The meadows were rich and green and wildflower filled. We followed a slightly different route back and arrived back at the Jeep about 3 hours and 40 minutes after we left. We hiked 5.4 miles with up and down elevation gains of about 1400 feet. This is the second time I have hiked with Richard and it is enjoyable hiking with someone with a similar passion. The total time back to the Albuquerque area was 4 hours. I spent about 8.5 hours of drive time. It was a spectacular day with near perfect hiking conditions.