For both Sarah and I, this weekend was going to be our first real backpacking outing of the year. We decided to stay close to home (due to the snow at altitude) and try and ascend Santa Fe Baldy with an overnight stay at Lake Katherine. Lake Katherine is the highest lake in the state of New Mexico and is considered by many to be the most beautiful. It is situated at the top of a basin surrounded on three sides by Santa Fe Baldy. 
Soon after we started up the trail the weather started to turn on us. The temperature quickly dropped down to around 55 or 60 and it started to drizzle a little. Eventually we got hailed on by marble sized hail, but because we were still below the tree line we were mostly protected from them.
After a few hours we came to the first saddle between Santa Fe Baldy and Penitente Peak. From here you can either go directly north over the ridge and descend to Lake Katherine or head east and hike around the ridge to come up the east side of the basin. Because there was significant lightning, we decided that it was best to not go over the saddle above the treeline. Going the long way adds about 4.1 miles to the trip, but it's worth it to stay safe.
2 miles after the saddle we come to Spirit Lake. The lake was beautifully calm with crystal clear water and a natural dam at the south end. After stopping for a rest, we continue on our way.
After another mile and a half we round the end of the ridge and start the ascent up into the Lake Katherine basin. The trail is covered with thousands of fallen trees so the going is slow, but we take our time and are able to stay on the trail for the most part. Once we get up to around 11,200 ft, we start to encounter snow banks 4 ft deep. They cover the trail in many places and we start to loose the trail more and more often. Since the trail follows the river up to Lake Katherine though, it's easy to not get lost. After another hour we finally reach the lake and begin to unpack.
The temperature has really dropped now to about 30 degrees. The wind is still howling through the basin but at least the rain has stopped. We pick one of the few flat spots and set up our tent. We quickly jump in side and take off our boots. At this point we have hiked 11.1 miles and our feet needed time to breath.
We ate some Jamaican Jerk Chicken and went to bed early. Around 9am we decided to finally crawl out of our mummy bags and get moving for the day. Luckily this day is bright and sunny without a cloud in the sky and promises to be warm.
After packing up camp we tried to find the trail head on the south side of the basin that headed up to the peak. Due to the amount of snow, we were unable to locate it. We decided to head straight up the side of the mountain instead and blaze our own path.
We would have to stop every 10 minutes or so to catch our breaths and do some trail finding
Once we gained enough altitude we finally saw where the trail we were suppose to be on went. It's hard to see in this picture, but it's on the far left end of that ridge and then simply follows the ridge up to the peak. This would have added about 5 miles to our trip but would have been infinitely easier...
Eventually we get within a few hundred feet of the peak and it gets really steep. The spot that we pick to make the final push has this one broken rock that we HAVE to step on to get over the edge of the peak. I let Sarah go first and after she steps on it half of it goes tumbling down the mountain and the other half moves a few inches. I know that once I step on it it'll go tumbling down the mountain too and I'll be stuck and have to add another hour of climbing. Luckily I move quickly and I can grab a hold of the next rock before the first one goes tumbling down.
As Sarah pops up over the front edge of the peak she give a few guys a little scare. They ask us if there is a trail that comes up that side. We tell them "no, and I don't recommend that route either."
The view from the top is of course amazing. To the northeast you can see Pecos Baldy and beyond that to the north the Truchas Peaks. We enjoy the view for about 45 minutes before making the 7 mile hike back to the car.
Overall it was a great weekend and I discovered that there is an amazing national forest right in my back yard. We ended up doing around 18 miles with at least 3000 ft of elevation gain. It was a great time and we'll definitely be going back soon.
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