Adirondack Peeks Winter 2025

Interest was added by a storm that threatened and a heavy wind that added to the feeling of wildness. I liked the view a bit better than from Donaldson, but Bob and Herb thought otherwise. We returned to Donaldson again, … and started our descent at 3:38, and returned to our packs at 5:31, … I feel pretty sure that we now have climbed all the Adk. Mts. over 4,000 feet.

the first 46ers: curiosity, adventure, personal challenge, a spiritual connection to the wilderness, and for the sheer joy of sharing the adventure with their climbing partners. George and Bob Marshall’s early hiking experiences in the Adirondacks led to lifetimes of advocacy for wilderness preservation. The 46ers club also has adopted the Marshalls’ dedication to environmental stewardship. Its members have volunteered countless hours on hiker education projects and trail work to protect the natural resources and wilderness character of the High Peaks region. As we celebrate the climbing accomplishment of Bob, George, and Herb let us, as a club and as individuals, renew our dedication to environmental conservation as we continue to embrace the sheer joy of climbing. Jason Albertson #15131V and Jessica Dardano #16458 – Photo Credit Gabe Dickens

It is interesting to note that there was no mention of a celebration for their accomplishment — no pats on the back, no champagne cork popped. George, Bob, and Herb celebrated by spending another two days in the woods climbing the mountains in the Sawtooth Range and MacNaughton and exploring Wallface and Scotts ponds. So how did we get from the trio’s climb of the real Emmons on June 10, 1925, to complete their list of the 46 peaks to where we are today? Bob’s book The High Peaks of the Adirondacks and Russ Carson’s book Peaks and People of the Adirondacks caught the attention of a small group of outdoor enthusiasts from Grace Methodist Church in Troy, New York. In 1937, the group formed a club known as the Forty-Sixers of Troy, whose members endeavored to duplicate Bob, George, and Herb’s climbs of the 46 High Peaks. The club was led by Rev. Ernest Ryder (46er # 7), and Grace and Ed Hudowalski (Grace 46er #9 and the first woman to climb the 46 and Ed, 46er #6). As more and more people, beyond the confines of Troy, took up the challenge of climbing the High Peaks a new, more inclusive, club was formed in 1948 — the Adirondack 46ers, our current club. Grace Hudowalski, the club’s first president and long-time historian, began the task of officially recording those individuals who had climbed all of the 46 peaks. She recorded Herb, George, and Bob, as the first 46ers and assigned their climbing numbers alphabetically: Herb Clark #1, George Marshall #2, and Robert Marshall #3. Throughout the past 100 years, nearly 17,000 hikers have literally followed in the footsteps of Herb, George, and Bob to climb the 46 Adirondack High Peaks. And most of the climbers embrace the challenge for the same reasons as Ron Konowitz #487V SKI, Phil Corell #224WV - Photo credit - Gabe Dickens

Let us toast the first three 46ers, using the words of Grace Hudowalski, who once wrote in a letter to George: I do not think it amiss to say here that to the 46ers, George, Bob, and Herb have been “guiding lights” to us who aspire to climb Adirondack’s High Peaks. So raise your glasses and toast our “guiding lights,” 46ers Nos. 1, 2, and 3 — Herb Clark, and George and Bob Marshall. © Suzanne Lance 2025 Vice President Felicia Neahr #9331, Past Vice President Brian Sutherland #6759W - Photo credit - Gabe Dickens

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