"I left my home at 4:30 AM, August 1, 2016 to hike Peak 10,980 and Elk Mountain with my friend Jim. I hiked Elk Mountain with my daughter Christina in 2012, but had not yet hiked Peak 10,980. Elk Mountain was along the way, so I had to hike it again. We drove to Pecos, New Mexico then took highway 63 north for about 15 miles. We took forest road 646 to the east for about 14 miles, the map says it is road forest road 645. It takes about an hour to drive this road. It is a slow drive, and a 4 wheel drive vehicle is definitely needed. We arrived at our parking place at 7:30 AM and were hiking by 7:45. We could have driven a little further, but wanted to make the hike a little more challenging. We parked near the intersection of FR 393 and FR 646 (645). It was a cool crisp morning with a temperature of 50 degrees. The warmest that it got during the day was the low 60s. It was a clear morning with wispy white clouds in the sky. The elevation was 11,293 feet. We headed east on a road to Skyline Trail, then south . We were on a trail for awhile, then the trail disappeared and we were bushwhacking through the woods. Shortly, we were in an open area, then up an incline to the top of Elk..." — Phil-Robinson • Aug 1, 2016