I believe there are two kinds of people in the world: those who have never heard of the Adirondack 46 and those who do, and know exactly how many of the 46 they have climbed. The latter are "peak baggers."
They get a thrill and sense of pride from accomplishing a very specific goal: climbing each one of the 46 Adirondack peaks over 4,000 feet. Non-peak baggers might shrug their shoulders and say "who cares?," but an Adirondack 46'er will tell you without hesitation the number of peaks he or she has climbed. And the names, if you'd like to know that too! If you're not a member of the elite club of Adirondack 46'ers, or if you're a novice peak bagger, you might be pleased to know that you can vault ahead in the race pretty quickly in just one weekend. Later I'll explain how I managed to climb six of the 46 high peaks in one weekend.
The Adirondack Park is a six million acre park that covers an area larger than the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone and Yosemite National Parks combined. Although the western and southern portions of the Adirondacks are a beautiful landscape of lakes, streams, hills and ponds, the northeast portion of the park is where the 46 "high peaks" are located. These mountains are geologically distinct from the Appalachian Mountains and estimated to be over 1 billion years old.
The High Peaks region offers all kinds of climbing experiences. One can stay in a bed and breakfast in Saranac Lake, Lake Placid, or Keene Valley, and hike for a half day, enjoying beautiful trails and incredible views, then return to the shops and restaurants of these towns in the evening.
Alternatively, one can camp or stay at one of the Adirondack Mountain Club lodges located right in the heart of the High Peaks Wilderness and spend the entire day (and evening) in the heart of the woods, living and breathing the wilderness experience.
I live in New York City, so the Adirondacks are a very distant treat. How distant? Well, driving north along the New York Thruway it's a good 5 hours to the Adirondack High Peaks wilderness area, located southeast of Lake Placid. Yes, the drive can be tedious, but every time I've done it I've never regretted it. The first time I took the plunge and drove north I was thrilled by the discovery of something new and different. Heading north to Albany and passing Harriman State Park and then the Catskills was actually exciting. Albany was a maze of highways, but once I was on the Northway and heading toward Saratoga, I knew that my adventure had really begun. Passing Lake George the scenery becomes more and more rugged: the beauty of the Adirondacks is increasingly evident. Taking the turn-off at Route 73 I felt like I was arriving at an exotic destination. The woods were thick and the mountains loomed in the distance.
The traveler who heads up Route 73 toward Keene Valley and, eventually, Lake Placid, has several options. The High Peaks Region and climbs to the highest peaks can be accessed from several places. My first trip north I actually stayed at Saranac Lake, slightly to the north and west of the highest peaks. I woke up early in the morning and drove to the trailheads, without considering the distance a problem. Since that trip, however, I have preferred to be closer to the peaks.
