Daughter Vanessa and I hiked up through the ski area. We were glad that some backcountry skiiers had kicked steps up to the top of the ridge, but when we got there we found ourselves in a whiteout. Pulled out the compass and made our way out the ridge. Weather cleared a bit before we got to the top, making finding the summit marker easier.
Went up via Bull of the Woods, and descended to Lake Williams. Nice snow. No people. My dog had fun.
My 3rd time up.
txhiker76 - Jul 6, 2009 1:57 pm Date Climbed: Jun 22, 2009
Great Hike!
Went up on the Bull of the Woods route, came down the Williams lake route. Lost the trail a couple of time on the way up because of the snow. Weather was great all day.
Alex Wood - Jul 3, 2009 6:04 pm Date Climbed: Jul 2, 2009
9 Peak Day
Climbed the ridge from Kachina all the way to Wheeler. We hit Kachina Peak...An unnamed peak, Lake Fork Peak, "Bighorn Peak",Pt 12,728, Simpson, Old Mike, Wheeler, and then Walter. Started at 7:20am and then finished at 5:30. We started at the Williams Lake Trailhead. Amazing day! The weather somehow cooperated with us the whole time. Very fun traverse. Saw lots of Elk, Bighorn Sheep and Mountain Goats. SO MUCH FUN!!
Alex Wood - Jun 27, 2009 9:58 pm Date Climbed: Jun 27, 2009
Awesome Day
Climbed via the Bull of the Woods Trail...went up to Bull of the Woods Peak, Mt. Walter, and then Wheeler...the weather started rolling in so we took the Williams Lake Trail back. Great day. Williams Lake is wayyy cool and so is the water fall behind the lake. Hiked it with Tad and Killeen, both Rangers with me at Philmont.
jeffh25 - Jun 22, 2009 5:11 pm Date Climbed: Jun 20, 2009
Sideways Sleet
Went up and back Williams Lake in 5 1/2 hours. It's tougher than I thought though and I wouldn't do it without trekking poles. It was 50-60 degree vertical wet scree near the top. That combined with temps in the mid 30's, rain and sleet blowing sideways and the summit wasn't a fun place but once I was done I appreciated it that much more.
A great hike with Carla--nice respite being up at the ski area after the holiday-weekend biker rally down in Taos (arrrgh!). Nice easy hike up and back through varied terrain. The only sour note was the guy we met coming down. He was hiking up with his dog, who had just caught and killed a marmot. Ugh. Later we enjoyed post-climb beers at that German restaurant above the resort--nice way to end the day.
skinnywhitecomic - Jun 19, 2009 5:19 pm Date Climbed: Jun 16, 2009
HP #20
Like others before ne, I hiked the Bull of the Woods trail, and descended via the Williams Lake trail. Absolutely beautiful weather, it could not have been any better! It was difficult for me, as I had never hiked a mountain like that before so I had a Rocky moment when I reached the top ("Yo Adrian!!"). It gave me a very good idea of what to expect from mountains out west.
Holsti97 - May 24, 2009 10:45 pm Date Climbed: May 21, 2009
Williams Lake Trail in May
Left the Williams Lake Trailhead at 5:30 AM and hiked up a snowy trail to Williams Lake. Hiked up the steep trail past the lake on dirt and rock when possible. Saw some Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep on top of the mountain. Reached the summit at 10 AM. We were the first to sign the register since January. Marmots entertained us on the way down. Glissaded down to Williams Lake and reached our vehicle at 1:30. A rewarding climb with Ryan, Ed, and Tom. HP #39.
pyerger - May 15, 2009 1:47 pm Date Climbed: Jan 1, 2005
great hike
Climbed a few times. Once in the fall, once in the winter, but didn't make it. Once in the spring, swimming in mushy snow.
cheetah262 - May 14, 2009 11:52 am Date Climbed: May 9, 2009
Sunny snow!
Snow made the trek much more challenging and, in the long run, more satisfying. It gave me a nice break from the 100 degree+ days in Southern Arizona!
imike - May 14, 2009 11:06 am Date Climbed: May 9, 2009
winter???
Should have listened to those reports about snow... postholed and swam our way to the top with no proper gear, but a great day none the less. 4 hour 40 min up... over 3 hours down.
mthomas - Mar 1, 2009 11:25 am Date Climbed: Feb 22, 2007
Climb and Ski Descent
Nice climb and ski descent with John Kear.
strudolyubov - Jan 25, 2009 8:22 pm Date Climbed: Aug 10, 2008
Wheeler Peak from Williams Lake
Started at 6:30am from Williams Lake TH. Hiked to the lake, then climbed directly to the summit of Wheeler (third summit since 2001). Visited summits of Old Mike Peak, Simpson Peak and Mount Walter. Descended west slopes route and returned to the car by 1:30pm. Nice hike, great views.
02-07-2009: Solo winter climb via Bull-of-the-Woods Trail. Seen lots of bighorns near Frazer Mountain. Climbed NW ridge of UN 13,045 to avoid deep snow in La Cal Basin. Returned the same way. Warm but windy on the summits of Wheeler and Walter. Total: ~15 miles, 8:30 hours. Good weather, great views.
04-25-2009: Solo ridge traverse from Kachina Peak (Kachina-Lake Fork-Pt.12,807-Pt.12,819-Pt.12,728-Simpson-Wheeler). Fun snow ridge, nice weather, terrific views!
03-12-2011: Winter climb from Bull-of-the-Woods TH. 7:40 hours car-to-car.
Wiktoria Plawska - Jan 24, 2009 2:49 pm Date Climbed: Jun 28, 2007
Wiktoria
Great and high-elevation peak. Beautiful views from the top.
Boriss Andean - Dec 7, 2008 1:16 am Date Climbed: Dec 5, 2008
Route: Williams Lake
Left from Taos around 10:30 am. The hike started from Williams lake trail at 11:40 am. Got to the lake an hour later and climbed the Wheeler's steep slopes in two hours. Knee deep snow in areas. Beautiful views of the surrounding mountains.
Very windy at the summit (4,011 m/13,161 ft). Saw Big Horn Sheep near the top.
Perfect weather and a great hike up to New Mexico's highest peak! Got back to the car right before sunset.
My 4th US HP!.
Kadee - Nov 12, 2008 5:08 pm Date Climbed: Sep 1, 2008
Terrible Weather
We had terrible weather on this peak. We were in the clouds the whole time. Took Williams Lake trail. When we gained the ridge the wind was blowing so hard, I almost felt like I needed to crawl to the summit. Made it though. Amazing feeling to hike in that type of weather. It gave me a new respect.
Did San Luis and Elbert the days before - with the same crappy weather on San Luis.
davebobk47 - Oct 15, 2008 4:24 pm Date Climbed: Oct 13, 2008
Cold solo from Williams Lake
Left TH at 0800 and made decent time until I hit the ice. Left crampons in the car...oops. Williams lake was beautiful with fresh snow on the surrounding mountains.
canichol - Sep 28, 2008 2:43 am Date Climbed: Aug 15, 2008
Bull-of-the-Woods from Taos Ski Valley
Pretty view, but crowded on top that day. The approaching storm should've cleared things out soon after we left.
osatrik - Jul 13, 2009 7:23 pm Date Climbed: Apr 14, 1993
My 40th SHP, in 1993Daughter Vanessa and I hiked up through the ski area. We were glad that some backcountry skiiers had kicked steps up to the top of the ridge, but when we got there we found ourselves in a whiteout. Pulled out the compass and made our way out the ridge. Weather cleared a bit before we got to the top, making finding the summit marker easier.
Liba Kopeckova - Jul 8, 2009 9:00 pm
Nice hikeWent up via Bull of the Woods, and descended to Lake Williams. Nice snow. No people. My dog had fun.
My 3rd time up.
txhiker76 - Jul 6, 2009 1:57 pm Date Climbed: Jun 22, 2009
Great Hike!Went up on the Bull of the Woods route, came down the Williams lake route. Lost the trail a couple of time on the way up because of the snow. Weather was great all day.
Alex Wood - Jul 3, 2009 6:04 pm Date Climbed: Jul 2, 2009
9 Peak DayClimbed the ridge from Kachina all the way to Wheeler. We hit Kachina Peak...An unnamed peak, Lake Fork Peak, "Bighorn Peak",Pt 12,728, Simpson, Old Mike, Wheeler, and then Walter. Started at 7:20am and then finished at 5:30. We started at the Williams Lake Trailhead. Amazing day! The weather somehow cooperated with us the whole time. Very fun traverse. Saw lots of Elk, Bighorn Sheep and Mountain Goats. SO MUCH FUN!!
Alex Wood - Jun 27, 2009 9:58 pm Date Climbed: Jun 27, 2009
Awesome DayClimbed via the Bull of the Woods Trail...went up to Bull of the Woods Peak, Mt. Walter, and then Wheeler...the weather started rolling in so we took the Williams Lake Trail back. Great day. Williams Lake is wayyy cool and so is the water fall behind the lake. Hiked it with Tad and Killeen, both Rangers with me at Philmont.
jeffh25 - Jun 22, 2009 5:11 pm Date Climbed: Jun 20, 2009
Sideways SleetWent up and back Williams Lake in 5 1/2 hours. It's tougher than I thought though and I wouldn't do it without trekking poles. It was 50-60 degree vertical wet scree near the top. That combined with temps in the mid 30's, rain and sleet blowing sideways and the summit wasn't a fun place but once I was done I appreciated it that much more.
TheRootster - Jun 21, 2009 1:52 pm
Bull o' WoodsA great hike with Carla--nice respite being up at the ski area after the holiday-weekend biker rally down in Taos (arrrgh!). Nice easy hike up and back through varied terrain. The only sour note was the guy we met coming down. He was hiking up with his dog, who had just caught and killed a marmot. Ugh. Later we enjoyed post-climb beers at that German restaurant above the resort--nice way to end the day.
skinnywhitecomic - Jun 19, 2009 5:19 pm Date Climbed: Jun 16, 2009
HP #20Like others before ne, I hiked the Bull of the Woods trail, and descended via the Williams Lake trail. Absolutely beautiful weather, it could not have been any better! It was difficult for me, as I had never hiked a mountain like that before so I had a Rocky moment when I reached the top ("Yo Adrian!!"). It gave me a very good idea of what to expect from mountains out west.
Holsti97 - May 24, 2009 10:45 pm Date Climbed: May 21, 2009
Williams Lake Trail in MayLeft the Williams Lake Trailhead at 5:30 AM and hiked up a snowy trail to Williams Lake. Hiked up the steep trail past the lake on dirt and rock when possible. Saw some Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep on top of the mountain. Reached the summit at 10 AM. We were the first to sign the register since January. Marmots entertained us on the way down. Glissaded down to Williams Lake and reached our vehicle at 1:30. A rewarding climb with Ryan, Ed, and Tom. HP #39.
pyerger - May 15, 2009 1:47 pm Date Climbed: Jan 1, 2005
great hikeClimbed a few times. Once in the fall, once in the winter, but didn't make it. Once in the spring, swimming in mushy snow.
cheetah262 - May 14, 2009 11:52 am Date Climbed: May 9, 2009
Sunny snow!Snow made the trek much more challenging and, in the long run, more satisfying. It gave me a nice break from the 100 degree+ days in Southern Arizona!
imike - May 14, 2009 11:06 am Date Climbed: May 9, 2009
winter???Should have listened to those reports about snow... postholed and swam our way to the top with no proper gear, but a great day none the less. 4 hour 40 min up... over 3 hours down.
mthomas - Mar 1, 2009 11:25 am Date Climbed: Feb 22, 2007
Climb and Ski DescentNice climb and ski descent with John Kear.
strudolyubov - Jan 25, 2009 8:22 pm Date Climbed: Aug 10, 2008
Wheeler Peak from Williams LakeStarted at 6:30am from Williams Lake TH. Hiked to the lake, then climbed directly to the summit of Wheeler (third summit since 2001). Visited summits of Old Mike Peak, Simpson Peak and Mount Walter. Descended west slopes route and returned to the car by 1:30pm. Nice hike, great views.
02-07-2009: Solo winter climb via Bull-of-the-Woods Trail. Seen lots of bighorns near Frazer Mountain. Climbed NW ridge of UN 13,045 to avoid deep snow in La Cal Basin. Returned the same way. Warm but windy on the summits of Wheeler and Walter. Total: ~15 miles, 8:30 hours. Good weather, great views.
04-25-2009: Solo ridge traverse from Kachina Peak (Kachina-Lake Fork-Pt.12,807-Pt.12,819-Pt.12,728-Simpson-Wheeler). Fun snow ridge, nice weather, terrific views!
03-12-2011: Winter climb from Bull-of-the-Woods TH. 7:40 hours car-to-car.
Wiktoria Plawska - Jan 24, 2009 2:49 pm Date Climbed: Jun 28, 2007
WiktoriaGreat and high-elevation peak. Beautiful views from the top.
nch5y7 - Jan 2, 2009 4:43 pm
Very cold dayVery cold, windy and long day.
Boriss Andean - Dec 7, 2008 1:16 am Date Climbed: Dec 5, 2008
Route: Williams LakeLeft from Taos around 10:30 am. The hike started from Williams lake trail at 11:40 am. Got to the lake an hour later and climbed the Wheeler's steep slopes in two hours. Knee deep snow in areas. Beautiful views of the surrounding mountains.
Very windy at the summit (4,011 m/13,161 ft). Saw Big Horn Sheep near the top.
Perfect weather and a great hike up to New Mexico's highest peak! Got back to the car right before sunset.
My 4th US HP!.
Kadee - Nov 12, 2008 5:08 pm Date Climbed: Sep 1, 2008
Terrible WeatherWe had terrible weather on this peak. We were in the clouds the whole time. Took Williams Lake trail. When we gained the ridge the wind was blowing so hard, I almost felt like I needed to crawl to the summit. Made it though. Amazing feeling to hike in that type of weather. It gave me a new respect.
Did San Luis and Elbert the days before - with the same crappy weather on San Luis.
davebobk47 - Oct 15, 2008 4:24 pm Date Climbed: Oct 13, 2008
Cold solo from Williams LakeLeft TH at 0800 and made decent time until I hit the ice. Left crampons in the car...oops. Williams lake was beautiful with fresh snow on the surrounding mountains.
canichol - Sep 28, 2008 2:43 am Date Climbed: Aug 15, 2008
Bull-of-the-Woods from Taos Ski ValleyPretty view, but crowded on top that day. The approaching storm should've cleared things out soon after we left.