Adirondack Peeks Winter 2024

muscles in shape. Marcy and Skylight were done with my (now) grown-up children and son-in-law via two nights at Johns Brook Lodge. Even in early August, we got back to the Lodge in the dark. That family hike remains a great memory for all of us, especially after a classic JBL breakfast of waffles, maple syrup, and coffee. And finally, Allen: the mountain that had defeated me once in a thunderstorm close to the summit, but this time with the help of a guide we made it to the top on a dry ish day, just before it started raining for the long walk out . . . fifty years after Rocky Peak. I feel lucky to have visited the Adirondacks so many times, to have had the freedom to go off into the hills, and to have escaped with only minor bruises and scratch es. It is a stunningly beautiful and challenging wilderness. I look forward to shorter walks with family and friends and to supporting anyone who wants to climb one of the 46. I’m grateful to everyone who has helped me along the way: my wife Dodi, family and friends who have given me time and walked with me, and the guides who have helped navi gate the more remote peaks. My favourite peak remains Colden: a varied climb and a spectacular central point from which to appreciate the grandeur of the Adirondacks. My least favourite is Emmons: no view from the top and (un fairly to the mountain) because of the rain, mud, and cold on that day. The Dix range is also a favourite based on its scale, variety, and its location closer to our camp.

signed myself off the hike and went up Gray on my own, partly to enjoy the freedom and partly to escape a par ticular fellow climber who insisted on starting and ending each day with copious slugs of bourbon. He did Gray, too, but hours later—and more slowly. I passed him on my way down. Another lean-to experience involved sleeping with other climbers like sardines in a tin to avoid the dripping rain that came through the roof. The older I got, the more aware I became of safe ty issues, especially when I was walking alone. And on at least three or four hikes, I had to turn back close to the sum mits because of bad weather. I'd read Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air and knew that risking summits in storms or high winds was not a good idea. My philosophy was: The moun tain isn’t going to go away. I’ll try this another time. Now some of my favourite reading includes the ranger reports of rescues in the mountains: it’s amazing how much you can learn about what not to do. I have endless admiration for the forest ranger teams who head out, day and night, in all weathers. As I turned 70 with three mountains to go—Mar cy, Skylight, and Allen—I reflected that I could have ap proached the 46 with better planning by not leaving the highest and longest until last. I worked out in a gym for three months prior to our trip to the Adirondacks to build up stamina and core body strength and on arrival in the States climbed a few small practice mountains to get the 46 While Still 64 Randy Unterborn, #11169 M y journey to become a 46er probably started like so many other hikers—having no intention of be coming a 46er. Living in western New York, I had never been to the Adirondacks until I was 58, when in August of 2011, at the invitation of my daughter and her husband, we hiked up Cascade and Porter, the peaks that so many others have begun their quest on. It took me 5 years to bag 22 of the high peaks. It was at that point that I felt the goal of conquering the rest of the 46 while I was 64 was achievable. To make that goal I had to hike 24 peaks in two years. On August 17, 2018, on the summit of Whiteface, with friends and family accompa nying me, I became #11,169. Although I hiked 20 peaks solo, “It’s the friends you meet along the way that help us appreciate the journey!” I am forever grateful for the fellow hikers I have met on the trails. I have had the honor of presenting 46er patches to four of them! These mountains have led me to many new friends and helped me reconnect with some old friends. I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge a special friend, Amy Novack (#11,015), who became a great hiking partner as I neared the finish line and remains so to this day. I had the honor of hiking 18 of her daughter’s 46 peaks with her including her finish on Skylight this summer.

L to R: Amy Novak, #11015; Rori Novak, #14998; and Randy Unterborn, #11169

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