Adirondack Peeks Winter 2023

friend when the winds knocked us around at 40 mph! I was afraid of blowing off the mountain! Your father, William H. Lance, was a member of the 46ers of Troy, the predecessor to the Adirondack 46ers

house. I remember talking to him about a few of the climbs that David and I had taken. And I can still see him looking me in the eye and saying, “You really should finish.” So we did. SR: Do you have a favorite high peak, and why?

David and I looked at each other and said, “Do you want to do it?” We both shrugged and said, “Sure, why not?” [ . . . ] Our interview lasted about two minutes and we became the new PEEKS editors.

SL: Oh, picking a favorite is hard. There are a few that I have returned to more than others. Gothics—from the Ausable Lake Road/Beaver Meadow

and a member of Ed Hudowalski’s Sunday school class that came up to the Adirondacks in 1932 on the first hiking trip. How was this trip perceived by your father? Was he aware of its significance at the time? SL: I asked my father to write an article about that first trip for PEEKS , and I’m happy to see it reprinted in this issue. I think it gives an amazing depiction of what hiking was like in those early days. In the article he recounts his impressions when reaching the summit of Marcy when he was sixteen years old. He says: “Being a city boy with more interest in tennis courts than mountains, I was overwhelmed by the expansive vista so magnificently stretched out before me no matter which way I turned. . . . I was elated and impressed and had forgotten all about the mud, wet shoes, and all the misgivings I had on my first trip to the mountains.” So, he had that same initial reaction that all of us who climb have experienced: one of awe, exhilaration, and bliss when seeing the beauty that surrounded him. I doubt that any of the boys on that first trip could have imagined that they were among the pioneers in the evolution of recreational hiking in the Adirondack High Peaks. SR: You’ve credited your father as being the person who instilled the love of the mountains and pushed you to become a 46er. What was his relationship with the mountains and how did he strive to foster this relationship in you? SL: Dad never finished the 46. He was a 36er. As often happens, life got in the way, so to speak. He served in the Army during World War II, got married, had kids, etc., and he never found the time to finish. But he did take us on hikes of some of the smaller Adirondack peaks when we were young. The first hike was Poke-o-Moonshine, which my mother climbed in a dress and saddle shoes, and then the hikes of Cascade and Colden that I’ve already mentioned. There was one other person who encouraged David and me to climb the 46: Orville Gowie, 46er #8. He was on that first hike in 1932. I think he and Ed Hudowalski were the only ones of that initial group to actually finish the 46. Orville was a good friend of both my parents. He always spent Christmas Eve at our

Falls trail. It’s a pretty trail. I like crossing the old slide despite those aggravating ladders. The views from the long summit ridge are spectacular and varied. And then we usually continue over Pyramid, which I think has one of the best views in the Adirondacks. Haystack is another one that I like for the fabulous views from the summit of Marcy and Panther Gorge, and the view from the trail of Little Haystack and Haystack. And I still have a warm place in my heart for Colden with its gorgeous views down into Avalanche Lake and the Flowed Lands. SR: Soon after becoming 46ers, you and your brother, David, became the editors of PEEKS magazine. Tell us how this transpired and your motivation for taking on this endeavor? SL: It was a totally spur-of-the-moment decision. We were at one of the annual meetings when Ditt Dittmar, #31, the club’s long-time secretary/treasurer, announced that the current editor of PEEKS , Joseph P. Turon #1016, was retiring. Ditt said if anyone was interested in taking over the job, they should speak with him after the meeting. David and I looked at each other and said, “Do you want to do it?” We both shrugged and said, “Sure, why not?” We both did a fair amount of writing and had some experience with print production at our jobs, so we knew the basics. After the meeting, we approached Ditt about our interest in the position and our qualifications. Our interview lasted about two minutes and we became the new PEEKS editors.

Family hike, October 1965, likely the care taker cabin at Marcy Dam

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