Phil Robinson atop rugged 13,108-foot Truchas Peak, the second-highest summit in New Mexico. Courtesy/LAM
By Bill Priedhorsky
Los Alamos Mountaineers
Phil Robinson will speak about New Mexico’s highest peaks at the March 26 meeting of the Los Alamos Mountaineers. The meeting will be in person with a hybrid adjunct.
While hundreds have summited all of the Colorado’s more than 50 “14ers”, which rise above 14,000 feet, Robinson, a retired Albuquerque Public Schools science teacher is the only person who has hiked New Mexico’s highest 186 peaks (with the exception of a pair of peaks in the Taos Pueblo.) He started working on the state’s 13,000-and 12,000- foot peaks, then kept going to tackle those in the 11,000s and highest of the 10,000-foot summits. His goal evolved into hiking the highest 102 major peaks (mountains with a prominence of 300 feet and above) as well as the minor peaks in between.
Robinson, 69, began his quest in 2006 and completed it in September of 2021 by summiting Mount Phillips, an 11,741-foot peak located in Philmont Scout ranch near Cimarron. He continues hiking adding more obscure peaks to the very inclusive list and leads cardio hikes to stay in shape. He hopes to hike Kilimanjaro at age 70.
He will be sharing his adventures; favorites, logistically most difficult, physically most difficult, equipment, fun stories, sharing pictures and 3D representations of hikes.
Robinson says, “As I drive through New Mexico I no longer just see mountain peaks. To me every peak is an adventure story. I relive those stories with every road trip.”
Online materials about Robinson’s adventures include an inclusive list of the highest 186 (190) peaks in New Mexico with maps here, over 200 trip reports, GPS treks, Google Earth 3D views of hikes and over 2600 beautiful NM high country pictures here, and YouTube videos of the highest peaks in New Mexico here.
We welcome all to this Mountaineers’ meeting on the regular fourth Tuesday of the month. The social hour, with cookies, begins at 6:45 p.m. and the program at 7 p.m.
The presentation will be streamed at Los Alamos Nature Center; the slides will be live-streamed on Zoom. Registration (free) is required to Zoom and recommended for in-person – we would love to see your smiling face. Registration for in-person and on-line participation is at https://peecla.app.neoncrm.com/event.jsp?event=51303&.
