Adirondack Peeks Winter 2025

TALKING POINTS

Suzanne Lance #1802WV at the Paradox Brewery sharing historical information about the first three 46ers - Photo credit Gabe Dickens.

100th Anniversary of First 46ers’ Finish – June 10, 1925 Suzanne Lance, #1802WV

Sunday, August 3, 2025, Paradox Brewery, North Hudson NY W elcome. Thank you all for coming to celebrate George and Bob Marshall and Herb Clark and their pioneering, inaugural round of climbing the 46 Adirondack High Peaks. I’m going to turn back the clock 100 years or so to trace how we have arrived at this event today to celebrate the 100 th anniversary of the completion of the very first round of climbing the 46 Adirondack High Peaks. This “Cliff Notes” version of the somewhat complicated story of a century of Adirondack history includes numerous direct quotes from George, Bob, and Herb. So you can imagine they are telling their story directly to you. George and Bob were born and raised in New York City. The Marshall family included parents Louis and Florence,

and siblings James and Ruth. Beginning in 1904 — when George was 5 months old and Bob was 3, the family spent their summers at Knollwood. Knollwood was a great camp compound on Lower Saranac Lake, jointly owned by the Marshalls and five other New York City families. Louis Marshall, a distinguished attorney and advocate for environmental conservation, played a significant role in drafting the “forever wild” clause in New York State’s constitution, which has safeguarded state-owned land within the Adirondack Park since 1894. In the summer of 1906, Louis hired Herb Clark to be his family’s guide during their summers at Knollwood. On August 15, 1916, Herb took 12-year-old George and 15-year old Bob up Ampersand, their first mountain hike. Two years later, George, Bob, and Herb, along with Carl Poser, another Knollwood guide, climbed Whiteface on August 1, 1918. It was their first climb of a High Peak. The

6 | ADIRONDACK PEEKS