Adirondack Forty Sixers

Celebrating 100 Years

By Aleksandra Ryan

On August 2-3, the Adirondack Forty Sixers will host their 100-Year Celebration, commemorating a century since Bob Marshall, his brother George, and their trusted guide Herb Clark completed the first known ascent of all 46 Adirondack High Peaks. With their summit of Mount Emmons on June 10, 1925, they unknowingly launched a legacy of adventure, conservation, and community that now spans generations.

It all began with Whiteface Mountain on August 1, 1918. Bob and George Marshall, summering on Lower Saranac Lake, joined their Adirondack guide and friend, Herb Clark for what would become the first step on an epic quest. By the time they stood atop Emmons seven years later, only 15 of the peaks had trails. The rest required compass work, bushwhacking, and grit.

“There is pleasure in standing on a lofty summit where few have ever stood before,” Bob Marshall once wrote in “The High Peaks of the Adirondacks,” a modest booklet published by the Adirondack Mountain Club in 1922. And stand they did, on summits like Couchsachraga, Saddleback, and Allen; becoming the first known people to reach some of them. It wouldn’t be until decades later that Herb, George, and Bob would be assigned their finisher numbers of 1, 2, and 3 when the ADK 46ers club took shape.

In 1922 a teenage hiker from Ticonderoga summited Mount Marcy. Little did she know her life and those of thousands to come after her would forever be changed. Her name was Grace Hudowalski. Inspired by the Marshalls’ adventures and Russell Carson’s 1927 “Peaks and People of the Adirondacks,” she and her husband Edward helped organize hikes through their church in Troy, and on August 26, 1937, Grace became the first woman to complete the 46 High Peaks with her finish on Mount Esther. Their group eventually formed the Forty-Sixers of Troy, the first formal hiking club dedicated to the High Peaks.

Grace (#9) became the heart and soul of the organization, recording every hiker’s journey in detailed correspondence. She didn’t just check off summits, she nurtured stories. Her passion turned individual achievement into a community of shared wilderness experiences.

By 1948, the club expanded into the Adirondack Forty-Sixers, holding their first official meeting at Adirondak Loj in Lake Placid. With Grace as president, the club adopted not just a name and logo, but a mission: to preserve the wilderness spirit of the High Peaks and promote responsible hiking.

Over the decades, the 46ers evolved far beyond a hiking society. As early as the 1970s, club leadership recognized the pressures increased foot traffic placed on the fragile alpine ecosystem. Instead of shrinking from their growing popularity, the 46ers embraced stewardship.

They partnered with the NYS DEC to install summit canisters, reseed eroded trails, and teach Leave No Trace principles. Trail maintenance weekends, wilderness leadership workshops, and trailhead steward programs became cornerstones of the club’s identity. Today, volunteers donate thousands of hours annually to trail upkeep, summit stewardship, education, research, and conservation efforts across the Adirondacks. 

One of the club’s most impactful contributions is its Trailhead Steward Program, where volunteers greet hikers with maps, safety tips, and environmental guidance at popular trailheads. In a landscape increasingly strained by overuse, this one-on-one contact has become a crucial tool for protecting the peaks while preserving the experience. 

In 2014, after a 12-year campaign, the U.S. Board of Geographic Names renamed East Dix as Grace Peak, honoring Grace’s indelible contribution. It was a symbolic moment; a mountain once known only to bushwhackers now stood tall as a beacon of inclusive and intentional outdoor leadership.

That spirit continues today. With nearly 20,000 registered 46ers, the club now includes trail runners, retirees, young families, and solo adventurers from around the world. From pen-and-paper trip reports to a robust online portal, the 46ers have managed to honor tradition while evolving with the times.

They’ve also expanded their charitable footprint by donating over $1 million to environmental and educational causes since 2001. Beneficiaries include trail crews, Leave No Trace trainers, backcountry rescue teams, summit stewardship, and scholarship recipients. Every dollar, every hour volunteered, reflects the club’s core value: To give back to the mountains that give so much to us.

Climbing the 46 is more than a list. It’s a transformation. From that first breathless moment atop Cascade to the final triumphant step on Haystack, hikers change, not only in muscle and stamina but in spirit. They become stewards. Storytellers. Members of something bigger.

As Bob Marshall once wrote, “There is pleasure in standing on a lofty summit…” A hundred years later, the peaks may be better known, the trails better marked, and the gear more advanced, but the pleasure, the awe, and the gratitude remain.

So here’s to the Adirondack 46ers: to Grace, Bob, George, and Herb. To every muddy boot, every bug-bitten ankle, and every postcard to the club historian. And to the next 100: May the mountains remain wild, the hikers remain humble, and the view from the top remain breathtaking.

Join the Adirondack 46ers this August 2-3 in celebrating 100 years of reaching high and giving back. The celebration, which is presented in a “choose-your-own adventure” format, offers something for everyone. Saturday, there will be an opportunity to showcase your strength and skills by participating in trail crew. Guided hikes with legacy 46ers will be offered as well as yoga for those looking to start their morning with a flow. Once your day of activities has wrapped up, join 46ers at Schroon Lake’s historic gem, The Strand Theater, for a free screening of Blake Cortright’s 10th anniversary screening of “The 46ers” film. Sunday, join 46ers at Paradox Brewery in North Hudson to celebrate the club’s rich history and a special recognition by NYS Senator and fellow Adirondack 46er, Dan Stec.

Whether you are a registered 46er, aspiring, or just curious about the organization – all are welcome to attend! Learn more, sign up for activities, and purchase tickets at adk46er.org.

Aleksandra Ryan (aleksandraryan@gmail.com) is an Adirondack 46er (#14,000), runner, rock climber, and certified scuba diver. She is a grad student at UAlbany pursuing her master’s in social work degree while working with foster youth at Northern Rivers, a non-profit dedicated to providing a better life for children, adults, and families.