Columbines
The wildflowers were at their peak on the slopes leading east from Noname Basin to the saddle between Knife Point and Peak Ten. The columbines were especially beautiful. The vibrant scenery made the slog more tolerable.
Two short, interesting climbs in the Needle Mountains
The wildflowers were at their peak on the slopes leading east from Noname Basin to the saddle between Knife Point and Peak Ten. The columbines were especially beautiful. The vibrant scenery made the slog more tolerable.
Knife Point in the early morning sun as we climb toward the saddle between it and Peak Ten. The terrain leading to the saddle is very steep but straightforward.
Peak Ten (foreground) and Jagged Mountain (background) as seen from Knife Point. Jagged Mountain is a classic, well-known peak while Peak Ten lives in obscurity, partly due to its unranked status. The highpoint is the rightmost of the three summits seen here. We loved climbing Peak Ten and I've deemed it a hidden gem.
Dominic & I on the summit of Knife Point with 14ers Windom and Sunlight as the backdrop.
Dominic standing over Sunlight Lakes on the descent of Knife Point.
Dominic traversing sketchy hardpan as we descend back to the saddle between Knife Point and Peak Ten. In one place the runout isn't good and an unlucky slide could take a person over a small cliff.
Dominic starting up the southeast slopes of Peak Ten. Huge boulders are scattered up the steep grassy slopes and closer to the summit the boulders dominate the landscape.
A mix of third and fourth class scrambling got us up to the sumit area. The hardest moves were near the top. The terrain was highly reminiscent of that on Jagged Mountain.
From the summit of Peak Ten there are great views to the south of Windom and Sunlight Peaks.
Dominic sitting on the airy summit of Peak Ten. This photo does no justice to the exposure up here.
Jagged Mountain as seen from Peak Ten. The standard approach is from the opposite side but the route finishes on this side. The deep notch left of the summit is the crossover point.
Dominic downclimbing the large, exposed boulders that make up the summit area of Peak Ten. The steps are big and so is the exposure.
The blocks that make up the summit of Peak Ten as seen from the west. An exposed 4th class scramble is required to reach the top.
Dominic traversing toward the saddle between Knife Point and Peak Ten on our return home to Noname Basin. Knife Point looks much less dramatic from this side.
Looking down the extensive Noname Drainage on the descent back to camp. We saw nobody in the six days we spent there!
Wildflowers galore on the steep descent back into Noname Basin.