A Night Climb for Two Knights

Revised 2019 and 2020, History has been moved to its own section. 3-stars with the P1 Variation “Middle of the Night” and Using P4 of Star Trek and Star Trek's "Lost In Space" variation. The original line for P1 is described here.; Three much cleaner variations to the original pitch 1 have their own route listings:1) Middle of the Night, 2) First Knight Returns and 3) Grey Ghost.   The P1  variation “Middle of the Night” is also highly recommended as an alternate to the first pitch of Star Trek.

Original 1966, P1   (Blue on the photo of the “Knights Slab”. ) From the flattish area scramble directly up very steep dirt 15-20 ft and step right on steep dirt to gain a double trunked tree.  Climb an easy ramp back left to the corner with small trees.  Climb the easy "layback" flake and corner above, [photo] step left onto the main slab near the stunted birch, then up to the tree ledge. 130 ft 5.4NOTE: There are three 1-pitch routes on the excellent, clean slab to the left of the corner, any one of which can be used as an alternate P1. These each have their own listings as routes: 1) "Middle of the Night",  2) "The First Knight Returns" and 3) "Grey Ghost".

P2 "The Black Band"  16 years later the climb Star Trek would follow the 1966 route through the black band. Climb up 5-6 ft left of the S T on easy (5.4 +/-) but less secure rock to a dark colored bolt. (see note) continue up to a second 3/8 inch bolt next to a old 1/4 inch-er.  Traverse left (20-25 ft), staying low, to where the overhang above you ends at downward-facing flakes. [photo]. Continue up through the flakes to a double bolt rap/belay anchor on the right. 80 ft 5.5 PG-13NOTE 1: The lower bolt was placed just recently by the 1966 FA leader because all cracks and flakes are expanding and lose. It is believed the higher 1/4-inch bolt was placed on the FA of Star Trek. During the FA of “Night Climb” the pitch was climbed without protection, and the team belayed on the flattish flake a few feet below the modern double bolt anchor/rap station.Note 2 All written descriptions imply that the Star Trek variant "Celestial Path" leaves from this belay and moves right and up.P3 - The 1966 route goes up what would become P3 of Star Trek:  Climb up about 15ft, to the bolt  ("backed up" by an old ¼-inch !) and over it (big step back left)  then move up and left to gain a sort of "rounded dike like" section of excellent rock with reasonable protection behind rounded flakes. Belay at a 2-bolt rap/belay anchor on the left. 100 ft 5.5 – 5.6 (The old ¼ inch bolts at the anchor are now completely replaced.) Nuts are very useful on this pitch.Today P3 ends at the dbl bolt anchor on the left, but in 1966 we moved right to the bushy ledge with small birch trees, located 25-30 ft to the right of the double bolt anchor of Star Trek.  On the nearly crackless slab the 1966 duo longed for the safety of tree-belays!P4 - Move right from the anchor, clip a (black) bolt to protect the moves onto the bushy island. Gaining the bush-island at the approx. level of the bolt is easiest. At the top of the bushes, climb up the obvious large flake/crack [photo] and at its top start moving right on a rising diagonal.  A fixed wire nut was found in 2015 where there is one small "step up".  [There was a VERY rotten web-sling looped through the wire, most probably from some 1980's "back off". The sling turned to dust in the hand!]  Continue moving right on very easy rock (brushed), then climb straight up on clean rock ( 2 bolts, 20-25 ft apart, added by FA leader 50+ yrs after the FA) just to the right of a line of black moss.  [photo] Brushed footholds lead to the mid-slab tree ledge above; belay at a single bolt anchor (small trees as back up) below a dike-like groove and obvious left-facing flake. The entire P4 was totally unprotected on the FA: 180 - 200 ft 5.4-5.5 PG  (130-135 ft from the bush island, which had a belay tree in 1966.)NOTE The route photo in guidebook The Notches (pg 28) incorrectly shows A Night Climb taking the line of Star Trek’s P4 and its Lost In Space (5.7+ R) variation to reach the mid-slab tree ledge, then scrambling down the ledge to the base of the dike-like groove at the start of P5. The "Knights" only WISH they had gone this much more ascetic route in 1966.  P5   Climb up the dike-like groove. When the groove ends, climb a short white face to an obvious left-facing flake. Up the flake and to a double bolt rap/belay anchor on the left (The FA belayed at the pine tree on the right). A very pretty pitch, even if it is easy. 80-90 ft 5.3 -5.4NOTE  End your climb here if you are not planning on doing one of the upper-tier routes.  A rap using a single 60m rope will reach the large oak tree at the climber’s-right end of the mid-slab tree ledge. Rap off the dbl bolt anchor 15 ft climbers-left of the oak tree.  The whole route can then be rapped with a single 60m (knots on the end please ! some raps are "close"). At the "S T Ledge", walk back east to where you came up and make a short rap off a small Oak tree to the dbl bolt anchor above the 2 black bolts, then to the ground.P6   Move slightly up and left to a nearly horizontal blueberry & bush ledge. Traverse left on this until you can move up into the Big Tree Ledge. 80-90 ft 5.3-5.4  Oak tree rap anchor.    [Easily combined with P5 if you are planning on going to the Upper Tier.]

 "P7" I added this as a “pitch” because most climbers will not bother to unrope and coil the rope. From the large tree (8mm rap sling, 2019) Scramble horizontally, then leftwards and up (watch for lose rocks) for 150 +/- ft and pick up the faint climber's path near the base of the steep upper wall.Continue to the right for another 200 +/- ft.  The most open path seems to now start at the base, then divert a bit to the right staying 30-40 ft right (downhill) of the path along the base, gradually regaining the base around the start of Sailspitch.  Just before the path drops down to the area of the winter ice routes on the East Face, belay at a good tree just below a corner with steep grass. (photo) The 1991 route Ground Control starts here and follows A Night Climb for its first 30 ft or so.  P8  Climb the grass and corner to a 1966 piton driven ½ way in. (Green, #0.75 Camalot can be placed 2 ft below the pin) Above the piton move right and down on a series of steps leading right, and past a 10-inch curved left-facing flake ( TCU, e.g. Red #1 TC-3 Camalot) to a stance at a bolt on an 8-10 ft-high steeper slab. [photo]. Climb the short slab (crux: 5.7+? ) A 2nd bolt 15 +/- ft above,  then  over 40-50 +/- ft slightly up and right to a tree belay at the base of a 10ft wide streak of clean, grey-colored rock. 130 - 150 ft  5.7+?

[see also Variation P8] During the FA the last pro was the half driven piton: no TC-3, no bolt. The leader, climbing in Limmer boots with lug Vibram soles ( no sticky rubber in THOSE days!) called down to the second and told him that, in the case of a fall it was OK to cut the rope.P9  Climb the 4-5 ft wide streak of lichen-free, light grey rock to the trees. 80 ft  5.5 - 5.6 ( 2 bolts)Variation P8  First pitch of The Christening  FA 4July85 by Butch and Jeanne Kinnon (See the end of the HISTORY section for more info.) From the belay move out right and then a semi-tricky move back left to gain a right-rising gully [photo]. Climb this to the top, make a step up left, then directly up and arrive at the easier climbing just to the right of the 5.7+/5.8 move of the original P8. Continue as with P8 up right, to a tree belay and then P9 to the top. Taking this variation reduces the grade of P8 to about 5.5-5.6 PG / PG-13While the rock looks ugly, it is actually better than it looks.

Descent: Bushwhack uphill and slightly right to the climbers path from Hitchcock Gully, thence onto the summit of Mt Willard and the hiking trail.Descent from the end of P6 (base of Big Tree Ledge)Descend with a single 60m rope:1) From the oak tree on the Big Tree Ledge to the anchor end of pitch 5 2) From the anchor at the top of P5 rap down to rapeller's left directly to the large oak tree. (If you can't tension-rap to the tree, just rap straight down and walk up to the tree.)3) From a double bolt anchor 15-20 ft climber's left (skier's right) of the large oak tree, to P4 of Star Trek. This creates a TR on "Lost In Space" (5.7 R/X)  if you are interested. 4) From P4 to P35) From P3 to P26) From the P2 belay/rap anchor to the tree ledge at the "ST".  May be some lose rock.  The first Climbers down should walk to skier's left on the ledge to get out of the "line of fire". Half-way down this rap, flip the rope to rappeller's right over a "hump" to make it easier to land near the "ST".>>With double ropes it is possible to rap directly to the base near the start of Star Trek, but it is bushy, dirty, and has much lose rock. Better to Walk to skier's left 25-30 ft, to the rap anchor on a small oak tree (end of P1).7) Rap only about 40-50 ft to a dbl bolt rap station (A single 70 m will only get you the 3-trunked birch)8) Rap to the ground, below the 3-trunked birch tree of "A Night Climb"

Standard Rack -  Plus, be sure to bring a #1 Red Camalot for P4 and a Red, #1 TC-3 Camalot for P8.  Nuts actually work bettwer than cams in some of the flakes of P2, and P3.