Adirondack Peeks Winter 2023

the story of mountaineer Kate Matrosova’s death during a winter traverse of the Northern Presidential Range in 2015 when the weather conditions deteriorated quickly. The Whites are a beltway of some of the worst weather due to three major storm tracks that converge there. The book was a great read and has stayed with me for years. Throughout your life you have committed yourself to the 46ers and have helped to share the history of the organization. What writing projects are you working on or hope to begin in the future? SL: I plan to continue writing nonfiction, history-related pieces that tell a story, hopefully, for the “Trail Tidbits” page of the 46er website. Also, during COVID, when we were all looking for things to do, I pulled out the old family photos as well as my grandmother’s diaries from the 1930s up to the 1960s. She wrote two or three sentences a day about what she did, or something about what was going on in Troy, NY, where she lived, and I transcribed these little handwritten books. Now, I’m thinking about what I want to do with it. It’s historical and provides a glimpse into the life of a working-class family during the Depression. I also have all the letters my father wrote to my mother when he was overseas during World War II. I’ve had them for some time but never had the courage to read them, until recently. It’s fascinating, you can see where the stories overlap; my grandmother’s talking about my father going overseas and he's providing details on things that are happening there. Really cool. SR: How meaningful to have that kind of written history about your family. My mother journals and has documented almost every day of her life, which of course includes mine. It’s a blessing to have these journals and letters within your family. I believe you hiked Big Slide this weekend. How often do you hike the high peaks these days and how do the trails compare to your first round of the 46? SL: Now that George and I are retired, we have the time to hike more on a regular basis. Plus, we have the flexibility to hike when the weather is nice instead of taking whatever

Suzanne on Mt. Washington, 1990

All the work that’s been done on the marked trails by the Adirondack Mountain Club’s paid crew and the 46er volunteer trail crew has improved some trails considerably over the years. As an example, I think the trails from the Adirondack Loj to Marcy and Algonquin are better than they used to be. Sections of the Calamity Brook trail and the Bradley Pond trail that the 46ers have worked on recently

the weekend weather is. We hiked more than we ever had during the COVID years, as I’m sure many people did. We were out two, sometimes three times a week, and we were doing hikes that we swore we would never do again.

After David and I finished the 46, we wanted to “give something back.” That’s a bit of a trite phrase [ . . . ]. But it’s appropriate. [ . . . ] As special as finishing the 46 was, I think the time [George and I] spent doing trail maintenance was even better.

Regarding the condition of the trails, I’d say it’s mixed. The trailless peak paths have deteriorated considerably as so many more people are hiking them. The herd paths in the 1970s were not as well defined as they are now. David and I often lost the path and just continued by the “rule of up.” Now the herd paths are much easier to follow and most have an adopter who does minimal trail clearing to keep people on the main path.

are much better. Of course, there are still trails that need a lot of attention. But mud is not new to the Adirondacks. Even my father mentioned the mud on that first trip to Marcy in 1932. SR: As you noted the 46er Trail Crew members are volunteers as are all the roles within this organization. It’s amazing to me the level of contributions the 46er organization makes

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