Knight Peak

December 17, 2024

Early last year we camped out near Knight Peak and got caught in a freak snowstorm. There's Dennis at the saddle, trying to enjoy his lunch in a howling blizzard.

We returned this winter with friends Alan and Sue on a much nicer day. Actually it was a little too nice. It should not be 70° in the middle of December!

Although Knight Peak looks formidable, we knew from our previous exploration that it is possible to pick your way around the right side to a high saddle where we might be able to scramble up the back side.

Alan tried a different approach.

We were thunderstruck when he emerged at the apex of this pinnacle!

We stopped for lunch at the saddle — no snow this time! — and admired this twisted rope of volcanic tuff.

We continued skittering around the back side, opting for bare rock rather than loose scree wherever we could find it.

An intriguing "bridge" of tuff between the two prominences. But between us and the bridge was a very deep canyon.

Just for fun, we decided to take a completely different route back, zig-zagging down the east side to avoid a deep side canyon, then following the nose of a ridge back to Knight Canyon Road.

A thoroughly satisfying brush-bashing expedition!