We'd read the hike up Wheeler Peak, New Mexico's highest mountain, was strenuous. But, hey, we'd just hiked across the Grand Canyon. We'd had two weeks for my blisters to start healing, two weeks for our muscles to ease out of the twisty knots hikers get after grueling climbs. Feeling so froggy, we'd even decided to chuck the long trail up Wheeler. Instead of wasting our time on the 14-plus-mile (roundtrip) hike, we'd zip up and back the six-plus miles on the Williams Lake trail.

We'd climbed part of this trail before but had turned back because of the weather. The weather this day looked just fine, though. While our 4 a.m. alarm was not greeted enthusiastically, it did get us up and dressing.

You want to start a hike like this early. Wheeler is 13,161 feet in elevation, the tallest of New Mexico's Sangre de Cristo Mountains, and weather is always a factor. It might be sunny and warm in Taos, at the mountain's base, but stormy and cold at higher elevations.

We started for the trailhead, high above Taos Ski Valley, just as planned and waited for early daylight. As soon as we could see, we put on our jackets, backpack (Hugh) and fanny pack (me), each filled with snacks and liquids, and started out.

I love forest hikes, and this one was showing early fall colors. We had no trouble getting to Williams Lake, where we perched on a boulder and dug into our goodies