1 Year: 46 High Peaks

Just after 8AM on February 23rd, 2020, 14 of us from Rensselaer Outing Club departed from the Loj.

It was a sunny, pleasant winter day. Paul only had three high peaks remaining to complete his goal of finishing his 46 within a year. Today we were going to attempt to finish that goal. His last three mountains were Algonquin, Wright, and Iroquois, which happen to be three of my favorites.

With over 11,000 registered 46ers, many more unregistered, and even more aspiring... these mountains are getting pretty popular. But they're popular for good reason. The Adirondacks are remote, rugged, beautiful, challenging, and my favorite place in the world. And just because a lot of people are attempting them, doesn't make these peaks easy.

About half of the High Peaks are climbed via unmaintained herd paths. To become a 46er, you will follow drainages straight up mountains. The trails that do exist are eroded, rocky, and full of sneaky tree roots. I'm never surprised when I check a map and see I'm going to have to gain over 1000 feet of elevation in a mile. Switchbacks haven't been invented here yet.

And to summit all 46 in 365 days, that's almost a mountain a week.

Except a lot of these peaks are climbed together in long, 18 mile days... which we know all too well.

The hike up to the Wright junction was enjoyable. We moved slower than I had hiked in a while, but I was glad because I didn't wanna push my sore tendon any more than I already planned. Overall, our pace was good for a large group.

It had also been a while since I had hiked with so many people. It was fun and felt chill. I hung out in the back and got to move pretty slow. It made me nostalgic for freshman year hikes and my first high peaks. We passed the campsite and waterfall where we camped when I did these peaks for the first time. Nostalgia!!!!!

We hiked Wright first and before long, completed the .4 mile trail to the summit. Paul only had two mountains to go!

The section near the summit was pretty windy and icy, but that's Wright for you.

The views were perfect. It was a clear, high visibility day just like the first time I hiked it. On a hot late summer day in September 2017, I spent sunrise on Algonquin, hiked Iroquois, and then had my first kiss with Greg on this peak. That hike is still one of my favorite trips.

We made it back down to the junction and took a snack break.

It was quite warm out for a winter day. We were able to hang out for a while without getting cold and broke into laughter when Richard pulled a full bag of Tostitos Hint of Lime chips and a jar of salsa out of his pack. We met some other hikers, like a man who introduced himself as his Winter 46er number and a guy who had thru-hiked the AT.

The AT hiker asked us if the NPT was as muddy as it looked like it would be on a map.

We told him it was.

After our break, two of our group members turned back early due to blisters/leg cramps. The rest of us continued on up towards Algonquin.

Paul skirted the summit of Algonquin and continued on with a few others to hike on to Iroquois as well. Not wanting to push my sore tendon any further, I stayed behind with the rest of the group. We hung out on Algonquin's summit for a while and then eventually moved down to the shoulder of the peak to escape the wind.

The views were amazing... It was going to be a lovely day for a 46er finish!

The shoulder of the peak was sunny and wind-free. We were practically sunbathing as we lied around and hung out. About an hour later, Paul and the rest of the Iroquois group returned and we headed back up to Algonquin's summit together.

I was able to find someone in the Capital Region who could help me get a 46er patch so we were able to surprise Paul with one on his last summit!

Congrats, Paul!!! 46 in a year is pretty cool. :)