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| Legendary Badge you earn after climbing all 46 peaks |
As I wrote up my web text on the outstanding women of the
Adirondacks, I was suggested by Professor Dash to include Grace Hudowalski.
Grace Hudowalski was the first woman to climb all forty-six high peaks and was
part of the Forty-Sixers, a club for people who enjoyed climbing Adirondack
high peaks. I began to wonder more about the history of the Forty-Sixers and
why people enjoy climbing the 46 peaks. Climbing either one or all of the 46
peaks of the Adirondacks is a popular activity to do in the Adirondacks because
people enjoy connecting with nature.
Herbert Clark and brothers Robert and George Marshall began
their quest to climb the 46 Adirondack High Peaks in 1918 and completed their
journey in 1925. They were the first to climb all 46 peaks. Robert and George
were actually from New York City but they hiked for the sense of adventure and
the joy they received from exploring the wilderness. Their accomplishment
attracted other people to climb the 46 peaks specifically Rev. Ernest Ryder, Grace Hudowalski, and her husband Edward Hudowaski from Grace Methodist Church in Troy. After Rev. Ryder and Edward
finished their 46 peaks, they organized a club known as the
Forty-Sixers of Troy. By 1944, thirty people had completed the 46 peaks and
Grace who was president of the club during that time knew that the club name
had to change. So in 1948 the club became the Adirondack Forty-Sixers and the
name has stuck ever since.
As of 2014, 8819 people have climbed all 46 peaks. Now how
exactly do you become a Forty-Sixer? The club’s website adk46er.org has a well
detailed list on how you can become a member. First and most importantly you
must have climbed all 46 peaks. There’s also an initial fee to cover the costs
of the paperwork that is processed. For any adventurers out there adk46er.org
is a great place to start if you ever feel like becoming a legendary
Forty-Sixer.
Lynn, Peggy, and Sandra Weber. Breaking Trail: Remarkable Women of
the Adirondacks. Fleischmanns, NY:
Purple Mountain, 2004. Print.
The
Adirondack Forty-Sixers. Heaven Up-h’isted-ness!: The History of the
Adirondack Forty Sixers and the
High Peaks of the Adirondacks. Adirondack Forty-Sixers, Inc. 2011. Print.
I have heard of 46ers before but I never knew that there was paperwork to fill out to officially become a 46er. This is interesting because I always thought of it as being a self administered title instead of an official one. I suppose it makes sense though because it is another way for the park to make money that can be used to preserve the 46 peaks. I wonder if the Adirondack Forty-Sixers Club uses the money earned from the paperwork processing fee to support the care of the peaks.
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