Christopher Knight grew up in Albion, Maine, less than an hour’s drive from his campsite. He was the fifth of six children born to Sheldon and Joyce Knight, who had him participate in family projects, such as fixing electronics and automotive equipment, optimizing crop yields, and building a greenhouse using water-filled jugs to create a heat sink. The family kept a library’s worth of books and magazines along with any piece of scrap metal they could find. Aside from some hunting excursions with his father, Knight wasn’t an outdoorsman and never slept in a tent.

The Knights valued “Yankee ingenuity” that stated, “It’s better to be tough than strong, better to be clever than intelligent” (68). Knight said he had no complaints about his upbringing but notes that his parents were strict and discouraged the boys from expressing feelings. One of the few displays of affection he recalled was giving a bouquet of lilacs to his mother. His family was intensely private with a small circle of friends.

Alumni at Lawrence High School said that while Knight didn’t seem strange, he never joined clubs, skipped gym class, and avoided events like prom. One student, Jeff Young, recalls when he and Knight planned to skip school only for Knight to immediately abandon the plan after seeing his father drive by.