Adirondack Peeks Summer 2024

site near the JBL. Sam went off to use the facilities and was gone long enough that Kaylie started getting concerned. Sam had managed to get locked inside the privy and had to use some creative maneuvers to pop the latch and reunite himself with fresh air. In the morning, they headed to Haystack in less-than-ideal con

Sam and Kaylie Merrill at their finish on Seward Mountain

campsite around 8 p.m. After setting up, they went to bed only to be awak ened by another group of campers that came in a couple hours later who apparently enjoyed loud music. They woke up just after 4 a.m. and arrived at the Garden parking lot around 4:45 a.m. to find no parking spaces available. They drove down to Marcy Field and were considering using the shuttle bus, but that didn’t start until 7 a.m., so they decided to drive down to South Meadows Lane and attempt Big Slide from the Klondike Trail. Soon after they started, they came to a brook with a collapsed bridge and difficult stream crossing. They became concerned that the trail might have other surprises in store for them, so they decided to head back to the car. After some additional discussion, they decided to do Street and Nye. Of course, being leaf peep ing season, there was no parking at the Loj, which meant a long walk into the trailhead. The rest of the hike was less eventful, but kudos for being prepared with Plan B and C! In 2021, Christa LaFranier #15216 and Martha Devaney #15262 had three peaks to go when Martha fell just before reaching the summit of Allen, putting their quest on hold. While Martha needed time to heal, she and Christa were determined to finish and honor a promise made to Christa’s partner, MaryAnne, who had lost her battle to cancer in 2020. In 2023, they hired Guide Ed to help ensure a safe and successful climb of Allen. In September 2023, Mar tha and Christa made good on their promise by summitting Gray and Sky

ditions. After summitting Haystack and descending into the col between Haystack and Basin, they discussed the question that had been on both of their minds: Should they take the Shorey’s cutoff route and leave Ba sin and Saddleback for another day? They agreed to at least do Basin and then reevaluate. They did some slip ping and sliding in steep sections of the Basin climb, but that scrambling gave them the confidence to con tinue to Saddleback. The cliffs were still wet and sometimes they had to take breaks to avoid wind gusts, but the perseverance paid off when they reached their third summit of the day. Back at the campsite, it was Kaylie’s turn for excitement while using the facilities. She heard a large crack and thought she was going to say hello to a bear, but it was a tree that had fallen right next to the privy. In October 2022, Kaylie and Sam arrived in the dark and found a

Tom LaPorte #14942

his 46th summit in 2014. Almost a decade separated Tom from his 46th peak and registering his climbs with the 46er organization, partly due to his commitment to writing his cor respondence letters describing his hikes, but we are glad that he com pleted the full journey! David Pratt #15409 did not set out to become a 46er. But after hiking in the High Peaks for many years and visiting different summits, he reached the tipping point and set his sights on reaching each peak. There were 37 years between his first and last peaks and he celebrat ed his 46er finish on Grace Peak in style. Not only did he have a cold one at the summit, but his group brought a flyfishing rod and caught (and re leased) a beautiful native trout in the Boquet River on the way up. Kaylie Merrill #15187 and Sam Merrill #15186 hiked the 46 peaks between August 2022 and September 2023. The couple live in Syracuse and often they would drive up to the Adirondacks late in the day, find a campsite as dusk was setting in, hike the next day, spend another night at the campsite, and then drive home. Kaylie kept detailed journals that she shared with a relative and her partner in the 46ers Correspon dent Program. Their resolve to become 46ers was tested along the way. On their hike of Haystack, Basin, and Saddleback, they hiked in from the Garden and found a camp

David Pratt #15409

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