10/06/2026
Hello from the newest 46er, #17614!
Welp, I did it! I’ve hiked all 46 High Peaks in the Adirondacks. What started as a last minute hiking invite from a friend during COVID turned into a years-long mission to finish a list I never meant to start.
Thank you to Katie, for showing me the place where I (ironically) learned to love hiking, and that holds a special place in my heart.
Thank you to Renee for meeting a complete stranger in the dark at 4am because we were on the same mission.
Thank you to Tony for also meeting a stranger in the dark, getting 15 minutes of sleep, then starting a sunrise hike at 1am only to get zero views 😂
Thank you to TJ for the really long hikes, even the viewless ones, because we both believe there’s nothing better than being outside.
Thank you to my ex for showing me I could never date someone who doesn’t like hiking LOL.
Thank you to my boyfriend for coming back to my favorite place in the world with me this August, after my 3 year hiatus in Colorado, to finish the most awful peaks I had left (IYKYK) in 3 back-to-back 20-miler weekends. That’s true love.
Thank you to the Adirondacks for connecting me with so many amazing people I’m still friends with today, and to the ADK Facebook groups, where I met most of them and got countless advice.
And the biggest thanks to myself, for doing a quarter of these peaks solo and making the 4-5 hour drive every summer and fall weekend back when I lived in NJ. There’s nothing like an Adirondack trail. They build character and resilience, and through all the complaining, wet slides, and deep mud, I kept coming back for more. Even though I’m finally “done,” once you fall in love with a place like this, you’re never really done.
Finishing on Giant and Rocky Peak via the traverse during peak foliage was exactly what I wanted. We got clouded in on Giant, but the skies opened up on Rocky Peak for the views I dreamed of. A final thank you to Duncan (another Facebook group stranger), who dropped us off at the start with nothing to gain but wanting us to do this hike.
The Adirondacks will always have my heart