The Friday Video: Karl Crossing the Knife Edge in El Paso's Franklin Mountains

There are a lot of great places and great people in El Paso, Texas and the region. There are so many good places to hike, bike, rock climb, bird watch and more in our Franklin Mountains and beyond. One of the more adventurous as well as dangerous places is the Knife Edge along the ridge of the southern Franklin Mountains. This video shows ace hiker and climber, Karl Putnam, navigating the knife.

What is great about Karl is the fact that he so unselfishly guides others on difficult adventures in the mountains. His strong arm once pulled me up and onto a ledge during a climb up the rhyolite cliffs of the Thunderbird. He has talked many a hiker down the infamous "Corkscrew of Death" in the Kenyon Joyce arroyo.

Of course, there are much easier and safer hikes throughout the mountains. Whether you are a beginning, intermediate or advanced hiker, you can find lots of good outings for any skill level by joining the El Paso Hiking Group, the brainchild of Michael Romero. Another great group is Samat Jain's Jornada Hiking & Outdoor Club. Although the club's page is headlined "Welcome Las Cruces Hikers", it is open to everyone and many of the hikes take place in the El Paso area such as a Christmas Eve 1,000 Step Hike. Samat is putting together hikes and events for just about everyone with any skill level. He's one of the region's leaders in getting people out into the beautiful and adventurous places of our part of the Chihuahuan Desert.

Keep an eye out for Putnam hikes in the El Paso Hiking Group. He is truly King of our Franklin Mountains. By the way, Karl just had a birthday. Happy Birthday, King Karl!