Adirondack Peeks Summer 2023

be back. If something were to happen to her, she wasn't going to send Elijah down the trail by himself, even though he was good at reading maps and spot ting trail markers. They carried the necessary gear and extra food that would allow them to safely wait for help. Elijah recalled the rock scrambling on Saddleback. He had no problem at all; he just jumped on those rocks and up he went. No big deal. Mary Beth, on the other hand, was way more apprehensive. She doesn’t recall how she did it. She took her time, running on adrenaline. Mary Beth claims that even if you're older and you feel that you can't do something, you figure out a way. Lots of grandparents could do this. After they had finished the shorter hikes, Mary Beth planned for the longer, overnight ones. She knew she couldn’t carry a heavier backpack with camping gear into the backcountry, so she hired guides to help. Over the next few summers, she hired two guides, Dave Ol bert from Newcomb who guided four of their hikes, and Matt Burnett, an artist and professor at SUNY Can ton, who guided the remainder. It was cool hiking with guides and spending nights in the woods! Elijah loved camping and sharing lean-tos with strangers, saying, “I got to meet so many nice people. People from lots of different places and lots of different walks of life. It was great.” The grandmother-and-grandson hiking team kept a journal with a page for each mountain they climbed. Both cringe when they recall climbing Allen in the rain with the “green slimy stuff” on the rocks. Mary Beth recalls being on one hike just before reaching Johns Brook Lodge at a little stream crossing, and Elijah found a really big Nalgene bottle on the ground and

picked it up to check it out. It looked like it was filled with iced tea; however, when Mary Beth unscrewed the cap, she realized it was filled with liquor. They brought it to the lodge, and ended up finding the Na lgene’s owner, who was with a group of friends who were all very happy to see the bottle. Each year this group of friends would hike together, and one would be responsible for bringing whiskey because they like to have a sip at night in front of the fire. They were so happy to be reunited with the lost bottle that they re warded Elijah with a gigantic bag of beef jerky. Another time on top of a mountain in the Seward Range, Elijah looked over the edge and spotted three gentlemen sitting on a knob, just a bit below the sum mit. They each had a small folding chair and were cook ing on a little stove. Elijah took their picture and the men hollered up their phone number so that he could send them the picture. The men were from Korea and were cooking Korean noodles on top of a mountain in the Adirondacks. How cool was that! Another special memory for Mary Beth is when they were the only two on top of Skylight with the summit to themselves. They stood looking out over the hori zon and as far as their eyes could see were mountains and more rolling mountains; a boundless expanse of trees, valleys, and ridges sprawled out before them. “Wow. This sure is humbling,” was all Elijah could say. Knowing he felt the essence of the Adirondacks and what nature does for your spirit made all the hard work worth it for Mary Beth. During the summer before sixth grade, Elijah Aguier, #14266, became a forty-sixer, finishing on Marcy—the first high peak Mary Beth ever climbed and her last, for now. Elijah smiles from ear to ear when he remembers finishing and how great he felt. He also remembers all his grandmother’s stories and her promise of a relax ing celebration when they finish and he excitedly pro claims, “We’re going to Belize in April for snorkeling and RELAXING!” * * *

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