Adirondack Peeks Summer 2024

We Climb Together, Separately Jack Coleman, #6237W, and Donna Meyer, #14543

Donna Meyer and Husband, Larry Lloyd #14544, on Sawteeth, June 2, 2012

She Said . . . M y story begins when my now husband, Larry #14544, and I were first dating back in 2012. For my birthday, Larry gifted me a pair of KEEN hiking boots and asked, “Wanna go hiking in the Adirondacks with me?” This sounded like a glorious idea as I loved the Adirondacks. It was a place filled with precious memo ries of my sons’ hockey tournaments, skiing Whiteface, and spending time in and around Lake Placid. I never hiked in the Adirondacks, so, when Larry asked me to go, I thought, “Sure! Exactly how hard could this hiking thing possibly be?” Little did I know that eight years later, my husband and I would embark on the most physically grueling pursuit either of us had ever been on. And, we would take every single step together. Our first high peak hike was on September 2, 2012. From what I recall, and pictures confirm, it was a perfect early fall day. Larry had decided on Sawteeth via the Scenic Trail. I asked him how he decided on which mountain we were hiking, and he said he “did some re search,” but I never got a clear answer on exactly what that meant. It didn’t matter—we were going on an adven ture! I wore my fancy new hiking boots and an all-cotton ensemble to round out the look. Larry carried his camo hunting backpack, and I think we might have had a bottle of water to share between the two of us, a first aid kit, and some bug spray. Ten essentials? Never heard of them. It was a great hike with so many beautiful lookouts, but no summit views. I assumed all the high peaks were like that. Our hike ended early enough to stop at the Adirondack Loj where we picked up a 46er logbook in case we decid ed to hike more of the high peaks someday. We enjoyed the hike, but becoming 46ers was not on our radar. Our next hike was in 2020 when Larry’s oldest daughter asked us to accompany her on a hike to Cas cade and Porter. We were blessed with another magical fall hiking day. The air was warm, and the skies were sun ny and streaked with delicate cirrus clouds. The trail was fun, and Porter was pretty spectacular; however, I knew I had found my happy place the moment I stood on the bald, expansive summit of Cascade soaking in the end less 360-degree, breathtaking views. I was overwhelmed by so many emotions and knew as I processed what I was experiencing that I was hooked. Grace Hudowalski, the original corresponder of the 46ers and East Dix’s name sake, said it best: "I was bitten by the 46er bug and I had

to finish them all.” 1 Those moments on Cascade did some thing to me, just like Mt. Marcy did for Grace. Practically the second we got back to the car I began researching our next hike and stumbled upon the Correspondent Pro gram on the 46er web page. I wasn’t sure what to expect. I assumed I would be assigned to someone who would provide me with a specific plan for how to become a 46er. It didn’t take long to realize how shortsighted my under standing was. I had no idea how invaluable and transfor mative a simple click of a button would be. Soon after signing up, I received a welcome email from my correspondent, Jack Coleman. As I fondly reread our many letters, I see how our communication and rela tionship evolved over time. Through our letters and my nonstop questions, Jack willingly shared his vast knowl edge of the Adirondacks, his hiking experiences, and his life wisdom, much like Grace did with her correspondents for over 60 years. Like a sponge, I soaked it all in. Jack is a sage mentor, providing guidance without giving an swers. He knew that for me to learn and grow, and, most importantly, be able to make survival decisions in the backcountry, I needed to develop skills, grit, and the right mindset to safely get out of the woods when faced with challenges of the high peaks, especially if things unex pectedly turn south. Magically and adeptly, Jack knew which seed to plant and how to guide me to develop my skills and confidence at just the right pace. Jack’s guid ance accompanied me on every hike, whether it was a survival skill, approach to a trail obstacle, words of wis dom, or hysterical Jackism, such as, “Hmm the definition of ‘fun’ is at times a paradox and oxymoron, but in the end, it doesn’t have to be fun to be fun,” or, “The Beck

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