THE GREATEST GENERATION

o write this article, I sent a list of questions to the T 40 people that had the lowest 46er numbers (from F.L. Peter Stone, #74, who finished the peaks 73 years ago in 1949, to Eva Nagy, #270, who became a 46er in 1963) and who have maintained an active account with the 46er organization. Virtually all of the survey responders mentioned the difficulty of hiking the Adirondacks after the hurricane that blew through the Adirondacks on November 25, 1950. Hurricanes were not named back then, but this one is often referred to as The Big Blow of 1950. Some resources estimated that one out of every three trees in the Adirondacks was knocked down and that you often couldn’t go more than 15 feet on the trails without encountering blowdown. Many trails were closed in the early 1950s and the 46er organization said it would not give credit for any of those peaks that were climbed while the trails were officially closed. The Sewards, Santanonis and Street and Nye were probably the most impacted. In a book recounting his hike of Street and Nye in the 1970s, author James Burnside wrote, “Getting to the summit took hours of inching upward through an almost impenetrable barrier of blowdown” and “most climbers today rate Nye and Street as the most difficult of the 46 High Peaks to conquer.” Today, that pair is known as one of the easiest 46er hikes. Anne Bailey, #163 describes her technique for navigating blowdown this way: “We mimicked gymnasts on a bar for most of the climb (up and down), and we balanced on one tree after another. A misstep could send us crashing into a deep hole under the dead logs.” Another important factor mentioned by many of the survey respondants was the evolution of trailless peaks. Today, such peaks have pretty well-worn paths we can see, but that was certainly not the case in the 1950s and 1960s. As Judy Sherman, #218 put it, “We were dependent on maps and a compass, and you needed to be quite proficient in the use of both.” It has been a pleasure to read and hear about this group of 46ers’ adventures of hiking in the High Peaks before it was a popular thing to do, and I am grateful for the opportunity to share some of their stories with the readers of PEEKS. g

HIGH HEALYS (ABOVE) Sandra Healy, #158 and her brother, Tom, #150 hiking in matching bushwhack shirts; (OPPOSITE) a recent photo of Sandra, who still hikes about six miles per day.

a family activity

For many of the people surveyed, hiking was a family activity. That certainly was true for the Healy family, and three siblings responded to the survey: Karen #149, Tom #150, and Sandra #158. Three other siblings also became 46ers. Their mom, Trudy Healy, #148 held key roles in the 46er organization including PEEKS editor and secretary, and she created stationery with sketches of the mountains that are still available on the 46er website. Sandra became a 46er at age 9, which was the youngest age for any finisher at that time, and is still an active hiker, often doing six miles a day near her home in California. Carolyn Menz Douty, #202 and her brother, William Menz, #203 climbed the High Peaks with their mother, Helen Menz, #42 and their uncle, Ditt Dittmar, #31. The four of them were together on Carolyn’s first High Peak hike—Cascade and Porter. No big deal you say? To make it a little more exciting, Ditt decided to take them down via the very steep Cascade slide and Cascade Falls, which comes out between the two Cascade lakes. Carolyn, who was 9 at the time, said her mother was having a fit the whole way down. Carolyn also fondly recalls hiking into the Johns Brook Lodge (JBL) when she was only a few years old to be with Mom when she helped open the lodge for the summer or prepared it for arrival of a trail crew. Jay Hohmann, #248 completed his 46er journey in 1962 on Couchsachraga at the age of 15. When his sister finished the following year, the Hohmann family became the first family in which both parents and all children were 46ers. The secret ingredient may have been the hiking boots: Jay has a pair of custom Limmer hiking boots that are more than 50 years old and still his go-to hiking boot. Phil Corell, #224 and his wife and kids also all became 46ers, and Phil has gone on to complete 27 rounds of the 46 peaks, by far, the most rounds of anyone I surveyed. Phil began climbing the High Peaks at age 10 while attending Camp Poke-O-Moonshine (later known as Camp Pok-O-MacCready), and spent 50 summers there in roles that included counselor, headmaster and assistant director. Phil has also been

NOW AND THEN (CLOCKWISE,

FROM TOP) Karen Healy, #149 now; Phil Corell, #224 then; brothers Tony and Peter Goodwin (#211 and #240, respectively) then; Tony Goodwin now; Peter Goodwin now; Phil Corell now.

an integral part of the 46er organization for half a century, leading numerous educational programs and serving two terms as president and more than 20 years as treasurer. John Nields, #189 is so grateful to have been able to take many hikes with his mother, father, three sisters, wife, three daughters and their husbands, and seven grandchildren. During his early years of hiking in the High Peaks, his family often hiked with the Peet and Schaffer families. Jim Frauenthal, #236 usually hiked with his brother, Steve, #237, and their introduction to the High Peaks came from Camp Lincoln, which they attended many times. For almost 50 years, a group of Jim’s friends from the camp would meet in the Adirondacks every fall to hike and reconnect. Steve, now deceased, gave back to the hiking community by running winter hiking programs for many years. The Goodwins may have spent more time on Adirondack trails than any family. Included in the survey were Tony Goodwin, #211 and his brother, Peter, #240, who became 46ers at ages 11 and 10, respectively. Their father, the late James Goodwin, #24, was a guide and author, and served as president of the Adirondack Trail Improvement Society (ATIS), which maintains the trails on the Adirondack Mountain Reserve property. When Jim retired from ATIS, Tony stepped in and continued that work for 35 years before retiring in September 2021. Tony has written four editions of Adirondack ski touring guides and, since 1985, has edited five editions of ADK’s “High Peaks Trails,” a guide and map carried by many of us.

favorite hikes

Lee Borland, #165 said his favorite summit was Whiteface. Lee spent seven summers on Moose Island, which is the largest island on Lake Placid, and was home to Camp Askenota, a Boy Scout camp, where Lee was an Eagle Scout. He rose to program director and led many of the group’s activities, including some trail clean-up from the Big Blow of 1950. Lee said that he never tired of looking at the majestic Whiteface at different times of day and in different weather conditions. Chuck Fenimore, #159 said his favorite peak was whichever one he was on at the moment: he cherished them all. Bruce Munson, #262 said his favorite was Haystack, part of his first High Peak excursion, in which he packed from Marcy through Panther Gorge to Haystack. Yes—that’s quite a way to get started! Several people said that Colden via the Trap Dike was their favorite hike, including Tom Kensler, #265, who added that Colden was special because it was his mother’s 46th peak. Dick Ernenwein, #152 said Algonquin was his favorite because of the huge view reward without the steepness and length required for so many of the other peaks. Virtually everyone cited the Sewards or Couchsachraga as their least favorite mountain/range because of the remoteness and blowdown. At the time, the only approach to Seward was from Ward Brook, and the blowdown was so bad that, instead

of retracing their steps from Emmons, hikers would often drop down into the Cold River region and make their way out via Ouluska Pass, between Seward and Seymour, which made for a very long trip. Jim Dickinson, #243 and his father took that route and, many years ago, wrote an article titled “23 Miles in 23 Hours!” that was printed in PEEKS. Jim is now 74 and loves to be on the trail. “Hiking has always been in my blood,” he says, “and I am proud that I can still do the trips.” Jim splits his time between Arizona and Ohio, but has vivid memories of all the

BRUCE ALMIGHTY Bruce Munson, #262 now; (ABOVE)

Bruce (back right) on a character-building day back in 1962.

BLAST FROM THE PAST

(CLOCKWISE, FROM TOP LEFT) Jim Dickinson, #243 in Arizona; Jim on Hough; Dick Ernenwein, #152 on a recent hike; Dick at The Trading Post information center; F.L. Peter Stone, #74; brothers Jim and Steve Frauenthal (#236 and #237, respectively) in 2015; Jim and Steve in 1965.

Adirondack peaks and details about his hiking trips. Dick Ernenwein, #152 has very fond memories of the Mount Jo lean-to on the shore of Heart Lake that was removed in the 1980s. Each year, his father would reserve that lean-to for two weeks and they would do a lot of hiking. Dick had a summer job at the Loj manning the Trading Post, which served as the original ADK information center. The Trading Post also sold some hiking/camping supplies, and Dick loved to share stories with the hikers that would pass through.

adventuresome trips

In November 1960, John Wilcox, #250 and three other experienced hikers planned a hike of the Lower Great Range and camped near the JBL the night before. There was a dusting of snow on the ground when they left the JBL in the morning, but as they ascended Upper Wolfjaw and Armstrong, the snow was getting deep and the group was not carrying snowshoes. The sun was beginning to set as they headed toward Gothics and they were all getting very cold. They trudged through the snow that was sometimes waist deep and made the Gothics summit, but they were starting to become hypothermic. The cable route was sheer ice, so the group used rope they carried with them to repel down to the Gothics lean-to (which has since been removed) in the col between Gothics and Saddleback. They were then able to cook a hot meal and get into warm sleeping bags to recover from an exhausting day. John still recalls the meal—ground beef and egg noodles—as one of the best he has ever had. Lyle Raymond, Jr., #182 described a scary experience he had: “It was Saturday July 19, 1958. We had climbed Giant and crossed the col over to Rocky Peak Ridge. As we headed down into the col back to Giant, we watched a stupendous rolling cloud coming towards us over the Great Range—I will never forget it—the cloud was coming toward us. I can still see it as it enveloped one peak after another. The storm hit us as we clambered up the vertical trail back to Giant—the wind and rain felt like hail hitting us. We were soaked. My hands were becoming numb as I clasped the rocks to pull myself up. My climbing companion had an extra wool sweater he gave me and it saved me until I got to the top of Giant. As soon as we entered the trees on the way down, we were fine. When we got back to Keene Valley, it was an ordinary hot humid day; the tourists had no idea of the maelstrom that had passed 4,000 feet over their heads. The storm was part of a wave that went over the Green Mountains to Mount Washington, where two people died from exposure.” Dick Ernenwein, #152 was hiking Algonquin by himself in winter. The weather was sunny with clear skies as he passed the intersection with Wright. He decided to leave his backpack down at the tree line, but Mother Nature had a lesson HERE AND THERE (FROM TOP) Tom Kensler, #265 on

a recent hike and (INSET) on Phelps in 1963; John Wilcox, #250 with the Emmons log book on his final 46er summit; John with his granddaughter in Washington State.

in mind. Dick got hit with a total whiteout on the Algonquin summit and couldn’t find the trail back to Wright. He started down the summit a couple times and had to go back up for orientation before finally finding the trail and reuniting with his backpack. Dick said he never separated from his backpack again.

Bruce Munson, #262 did a lot of his hiking with Camp Mohican. One day, he was coming down Nye with the hiking director and six other campers when the hiking director slipped and fell going over a downed tree, and the stub of a branch pierced his cheek. Fortunately, there was no bleeding and he was able to walk out to Adirondack Loj with one of the older campers. However, he insisted that Bruce take the rest of the group up Marshall…The show must go on! John Nields, #189 remembers coming down off Allen at dusk and encountering many intersections of logging roads and having to decide each time which one to take. Anne Bailey, #163 told this story: “We climbed the Dix range with Mary Schaeffer, who promised a cookout on the rock shelves of the Boquet River once we got off the mountains. We didn’t move as fast as Mary anticipated, and when night closed in, we had to lay down on the forest bed, back-to-back to conserve warmth. At sunrise, we continued the descent, and met Ma Schaeffer beside the riverbank, as agreed, fixing a campfire for our breakfast of hot dogs and s’mores.”

pride

After he retired, Dick Ernenwein, #152 became a volunteer leader for the Adirondack Mountain Club and led hiking expeditions all over the world. Compared to other ranges, Dick considers the Adirondacks to have the greatest wilderness experience. Peter Goodwin, #240 is proud that he and his brother had to use a lot of outdoor skills to climb the peaks in the 1950s and 1960s, and notes that a big part of the challenge was finding a route to and from their destination. Anne Bailey, #163 loves that hiking in the mountains can level the playing field. Profession, gender, ethnic or cultural

SHOT OF BAILEYS (CLOCKWISE, FROM LEFT) Anne

Bailey, #163 now; Anne with husband Jim “Beetle” Bailey, #233; Don McMullen, #244 with his wife and son at Big Slide in 1994.

backgrounds are of no consequence in the woods or on the trail. About 10 years ago, Chuck Fenimore, #159 did a solo bushwack hike to Grace from Route 73. He had a late start that day and was still on the trail when the sun went down. He considered overnighting, but decided to leave the trail and used dead reckoning to bushwack toward his car. When he emerged from the woods, he was only 100 yards from his vehicle. Bob Livingston, #222 did many of his climbs while he was associated with Camp Lincoln of North Country Camps in Keesville. Bob took great pleasure in introducing young men to the joys of camping, canoeing and hiking, and enjoyed watching them mature as many returned to the camp each summer. Jane Croft, #217 and Judy Sherman, #218 met as students at Smith College. Both were chemistry majors and subsequently took jobs at Eastman Kodak in Rochester. Jane and Judy would jump into the car after work on Friday and drive up to the High Peaks. From 1959 to 1963, they also took part in ADK outings, annual meetings and work parties. Jane currently resides in Ontario, and Judy lives in Maine. In 1993, Don McMullen, #244 started the Lake Placid

Outing Club with the mission to get children involved in hiking, and led most of the hikes for many years. The club started at the Lake Placid School, but expanded to include kids from all over. Before the pandemic, there were about 200 kids participating in the hiking program!

observations & fun facts

Chuck Fenimore, #159 said bushwhacking through the 1950s blowdown involved scrambling from one felled log to another, then dismounting and reclimbing. He said he would compare it to doing lots of burpees. One of the survey questions was how long it took to complete the 46er journey, and most of the answers were not surprising, but Chuck noted that it took him 52 years to get to 47, as he climbed MacNaughton in 2011. Tom Kensler, #265 went on to become the thirdever Northeast 111er, finishing on Mount Mansfield in August 1964. Numbers 1 and 2 finished in 1948, which undoubtedly is LINCOLN MEMORY (CLOCKWISE, FROM TOP

LEFT) Bob Livingston, #222 (far right) on a hike with Camp Lincoln at the age of 12; Bob on a recent hike; Jane Croft, #217 navigating through blowdown; Jane now resides in Ontario.

another sign of the devastation done by the Big Blow of 1950. Peter Goodwin, #240 also went on to climb all of the mountains over 4,000 feet in New Hampshire and Vermont. In 2017, Jay Hohmann, #248 through-hiked England’s Coast to Coast Walk, a 192-mile trail from the Irish Sea to the North Sea. Lyle Raymond, #182 hiked his first High Peak in 1938 with his parents. His father referred to the peak as Mount McIntyre, which was a name commonly used for the highest peak in the McIntyre range. Today, we all know that peak as Algonquin. Karen Healy, #149 said, “We hiked with sneakers on our feet and did fine. Of course, we carried adhesive tape in case sneaker repair was necessary.” Reed Hinman, #185 is no longer actively hiking. He has switched over to competitive running instead! In June 2022, Phil Corell, #224 will be joined by his family to hike Porter Mountain, which will complete an entire round of the 46 peaks hiked after age 70! Bob Livingston, #222 had planned on completing his 10th round of the 46 peaks on Skylight in 2004, and he did reach the summit that year. However, when he checked his records afterward, he realized he needed Gray, not Skylight, to complete his 10th round! He and his son are planning a trip to Gray in 2022. A question that I often get from non-hikers is whether we run into any bears while hiking, but the only one I ever see is in that big educational picture at the JBL. A few of the survey responders mentioned seeing bears, but only a couple people described encounters with bears. Don McMullen, #244 was a guide in the 1960s and 1970s. On his first guided trip, he and his guests were sleeping in a lean-to at night. The food was hanging in the center of the lean-to, which was the customary practice at the time to keep racoons from getting into it. Don was sleeping in the center of the lean-to with his head facing out, when a bear decided to stop by to check out the food sack. Don woke up looking up at the underside of the bear’s jaw and a big paw on each side of his head! Don yelled at the bear, who then took off. The guests insisted Don stay awake all night to keep a fire going while they slept.

fond memories

Eva Nagy, #270 climbed the 46 peaks with her late husband, Paul, #271. They climbed all of the peaks during the summers of 1962 and 1963, and Eva went on to complete the Northeast 111 in 1976. Eva said that one of her favorite memories of climbing in the Adirondacks was sleeping on the Cascade summit on a warm summer night. Eva now makes her home in Vancouver, British Columbia. And speaking of Cascade, the mountain was the first that Anne Bailey, #163 hiked at the age of 5. Cascade’s summit was visible from the front porch of her home on East Hill. Upon reaching the

JAY PEAKS (FROM TOP) Jay

Hohmann, #248 on a winter hike of Wright; Jay with his wife.

top, they used a solar reflecting mirror to send signals across the valley to her front porch. The folks back on the porch would then flash their reply.

The 46ers included in the survey were invited to a lunch at the Adirondak Loj in early May, and 10 people (including two from Washington State!) attended. A group of us climbed Mount Jo after the lunch and more stories and laughs poured out. It was a day that I will always cherish. I’ve had the good fortune to go on a number of hikes with Phil Corell, #224 and his friends that have hiked with him for decades. I love listening to their stories, which was certainly a big part of the inspiration for this article. When I started communicating with the 46ers in this survey, it was very clear that the courage, mountaineering skills, and adventurous nature of this generation of 46ers were infinitely greater than mine. While there is a vast difference between our journeys to become 46ers, it’s clear to me that there is also an unbreakable connection….a love for the Adirondacks. This special group of 46ers expressed a deep passion and respect for the High Peaks area. That same feeling tingles through my body each time I drive up the Northway, admiring the view. As Chuck Gibson, #251 said, “Thank you, Adirondacks. You made a huge impact on my life!” ...I couldn’t have said it better myself, Chuck.▲

EVA AFTER (CLOCKWISE, FROM TOP) A group of

the surveyed 46ers and their hiking companions on Mount Jo in May; Eva Nagy, #270 now; Eva Nagy on MacNaughton.