documenting 46 high peaks

[dale spring]

I am due to hike Allen in 2009. This will be my last of the 46. It has been a long journey one that I have enjoyed and was discouraged by equally.I have not documented any of my hikes with the ADK 46rs. I would like to have opinions on how best to complete this task. I have journals documenting the dates and conditions etc...thanks.

 

[yvon]

It's really not complicated. You have everything you need. One or two sentences about the important things or feeling on each of the 46 hikes is sufficient.
Good luck on Allen, I love Allen.

 

[AOC-1]

I also waited until I had hiked 45 peaks before contacting the 46r's. I got reprimanded for waiting so long. I then realized I hiked for myself, not for a number or a patch. Never did make it "official."

 

[dale spring]

thank you for letting me in on the 'how to'... not sure if i will go for the patch either... it was an incredible journey... at the 26th i finally 'got it' and stopped clocking how 'fast' I could summit.... and 'how many'... i literally stopped and smelled the flowers. 7 years later and a few injuries... i look forward to enjoying the earlier summits with leisure!

 

[una_dogger]

Hi Dale

I recently completed the 46 and I didn't apply for a correspondent until about half way through, so you still have time.

One of the reasons I chose to make my climbs official, was the historical aspect of the 46ers Club. Not sure if you know, but climb reports are archived forever -- its nice to be a part of history. You never know, someday an aspiring 46er may be reading through the historical archives, and find something of personal interest or inspiration in one of your reports.

Since I was already documenting my climbs as trip reports here on this forum, I simply cut and pasted them into the document format that the 46ers request -- it was pretty simple.

As an aside note, having documented all of my trip reports here also made it easy to fill out the dates/climb numbers for my 46/48/67/115...I just searched here on all the threads I had started!

So, while writing isn't for everyone, its not a huge task. As was mentioned before, just a few lines about the hike, weather, trail conditions, and any thing you'd like to share about your experience is all they are asking for.

Happy Trails,
Sabrina

 

[ColdRiverRun]

You don't need anything more than the peak and the date, even if it was long ago just writing summer is fine.

 

[Skyclimber]

It's really not complicated. You have everything you need. One or two sentences about the important things or feeling on each of the 46 hikes is sufficient.

You don't need anything more than the peak and the date, even if it was long ago just writing summer is fine.

It depends whether you want to share your journey OR just be a Recorded Forty Sixer/Winter Forty Sixer and receive a Patch OR Winter Rocker, along with your number. There is much more to climbing than just these couple of things.

Actually the Forty Sixers would like the climber to write as much as they feel comfortable with sharing. Like Grace Hudowalski used to say, "If a Mountain is worth Climbing, it's worth writing about." They also would appreciate a photo of yourself on a summit, as it is nice for the Correspondent to put a face with the words they write.

Like Una Dogger said, "the Forty Sixer Records are Archived in the Albany State Library, in which some Researcher someday may come along and pull your file, as they would like to read, "What it's like to climb the Adirondack Forty Six High Peaks." Reading it was sunny, muddy, snow knee deep doesn't give much for them to go by....Actually it makes for much boring reading.

 

[yvon]

One of the reasons I chose to make my climbs official, was the historical aspect of the 46ers Club. Not sure if you know, but climb reports are archived forever -- its nice to be a part of history. You never know, someday an aspiring 46er may be reading through the historical archives, and find something of personal interest or inspiration in one of your reports.

Like Una Dogger said, "the Forty Sixer Records are Archived in the Albany State Library, in which some Researcher someday may come along and pull your file, as they would like to read, "What it's like to climb the Adirondack Forty Six High Peaks." Reading it was sunny, muddy, snow knee deep doesn't give much for them to go by....Actually it makes for much boring reading.

I understand your points and I totally agree with you.
My response was to reassure Dale, who seemed to find it was a chore to write 46 long reports.

 

[dale spring]

high peak documentation

Thank you again for great info! I will get started and type up my journal entries. As a hunt and peck typist it will be a little daunting....

 

[Adk_dib]

I dont need no stinking badges (patches)!!!
Seriously, I have done 40 of them and have not submitted one. I have a correspondent but have not written to her. I am of the opinion that I know I did it, why does everyone else need to know. But part of my ego wants to display that patch right up front so everyone can see.
You can get anything on the internet so I think I will get a hiking shirt made up
that says "UNOFFICIAL 46ER".
If anyone has a problem with that I won't do it.

 

[Kevin Rooney]

Be careful what you say in your paperwork - it may come back to haunt you if you go to the dinner where the patches are given out.

The correspondents may have opinions re: how you did them, when, how long, etc. Ignore them or tell 'em to put a sock in it. There are no right reasons for doing what we do or how we do it. The only difference between you and a correspondent is they did the peaks before you did - big deal.

OK, /rant off.

 

[adktyler]

I dont need no stinking badges (patches)!!!
Seriously, I have done 40 of them and have not submitted one. I have a correspondent but have not written to her. I am of the opinion that I know I did it, why does everyone else need to know. But part of my ego wants to display that patch right up front so everyone can see.
You can get anything on the internet so I think I will get a hiking shirt made up
that says "UNOFFICIAL 46ER".
If anyone has a problem with that I won't do it.

To be honest, this was my opinion when I first began writing in. I knew I climbed them, and that was enough for me. I saw it as an inconvenience to write in to a stranger and tell my story that I'm sure they had heard a million times anyway.

Yet after writing a letter or two, and receiving the responses from my correspondent, I realized the rewards from it. It did several things for me, some of which have already been explained very well by una_dogger and Skyclimber.

- I was able to re-remember the wonderful experiences and memories of those hikes.
- I had the opportunity to keep a record for myself of what I had done.
- I was provided the privilege of receiving encouraging, thoughtful, and beneficial responses back from my correspondent.
- I have been able to send of my experiences to interested friends, in an organized and somewhat descriptive fashion.
- It gave me a connection to a much more experienced individual (my correspondent) who inspired me to continue with my goal, and cleared many things up along the way.
- Finally, it built a sense of community among fellow hikers, as we then had not only hiking in common, but also the writing down and sending in of our tales.

You are certainly free to do whatever you like, but maybe aspiring 46ers would like to at least try writing in. Who knows? Maybe, like me, you'll like it a lot more than you expected?!

 

[adktyler]

B

The correspondents may have opinions re: how you did them, when, how long, etc. Ignore them or tell 'em to put a sock in it. There are no right or wrong reasons for doing what we do or how we do it. There are no right or wrong ways to do it either (though outdoor knowledge is certainly a factor). The only difference between you and a correspondent is they did the peaks before you did - big deal.

OK, /rant off.

Just a quick little response to this. Yes, they do often share their opinions, mine does in every letter. Yes, I do not always agree with them, though I can't think of any right now. But, usually, they know a heck of a lot more than I do, and the opinions that are shared are very helpful. Of COURSE there are no right reasons for what we do! Hiking the 46 is a unique experience for everyone. Some may do it for the challenge, others for the family tradition, others to simply be outdoors. Our corespondents, in my opinion, share what is on their minds, and offer helpful suggestions, and maybe some critiques. Telling them to put a sock in it may not be necessary; considering what they have to say, and then politely agreeing or disagreeing may be more beneficial.

I know at least 3 of the corespondents personally, and I must say they're all great people. They have different hiking techniques, and personalities, and gear thoughts, and reasons for hiking, and idiosyncrasies. But what they all share is a commitment to the 46ers, a love of the Adirondacks, and a selfless devotion to returning our letters. Whether I agree or disagree with their opinions, I have lots of respect for them and pay special attention to what they have to say.

 

[PA Ridgerunner]

Sorta surprised by the "attitude" evident in a couple of posts here. They're pretty up-front about the qualifications/requirements for membership...and aside from the effort required to hike the peaks, the price of admission ain't too steep. Still, if you don't want to join the 46ers, you don't have to. Doesn't seem to me that there's anything to be pi$$ed about.

 

[Kevin Rooney]

.. Still, if you don't want to join the 46ers, you don't have to. Doesn't seem to me that there's anything to be pi$$ed about.

I'm going to assume that some of your comments are directed towards me.

My experience with a correspondent may not have been representative. Nevertheless, my correspondent took a condescending attitude towards me, and had NO idea what my previous experience was. In my case, I had FAR more experience than she did, but I choose to endure her "helpful" hints as I wanted the "stinking badge" since the larger goal was the 111 badge.

Still, if you don't want to join the 46ers, you don't have to. Sorry, but unless the requirements for the 111'er has changed, you do have to join the 46'ers first.

The correspondent system may have been needed at one point in order to provide information. With all the sources currently available now, it might be time to retire it.

 

[Hikes4fun]

I didn't send any report until after I finished them all--I keep a photographic "journal" of all my hikes..ADK or otherwise. They are sorted by date so it was painless and actually fun to go thru them all. I ended up writing a paragraph or so and included pictures of the people I hiked with etc...Ended up w/ a book It was fun for me, but everyone has to make up their own mind about joining. The whole process is quaint and dated I suppose, but has a certain charm to it.

 

[una_dogger]

Nice post, ADK88! Very thoughtful.

I understand your points and I totally agree with you.
My response was to reassure Dale, who seemed to find it was a chore to write 46 long reports.

I assure you I know how much work it was for you -- as English is not your first language and the reports are required to be in English!!

Hmmm....with your love of the 46 and helpful friendly attitude, maybe someone will nominate YOU to become the French Canadian Liason -- and you can help your fellow countrymen/women with thier reports!!!

Sorry, but unless the requirements for the 111'er has changed, you do have to join the 46'ers first.

.

Yup, ADK 46r all-season climber # required for 111. Just mailed in the paperwork yesterday.

As for unsavory correspondents, its just too bad that a few bad apples put a tarnish on the overall image of a great volunteer organization. I have a very fine correspondent.

There have been a few hikers who've shared with me the demoralizing experiences they've had with thier correspondents and this is just a shame. Its really too bad when those with more experience than others feel the need to belittle thier efforts, minimize thier accomplishments, or bully them by turning report submission into a red-tape nightmare, but unfortunatley, we all face difficult people in many aspects of our lives.

On one occasion I joined a 46er lead hike <ADK Chapter outing>, and found one of the leaders so offensive that I ended up hiking practically solo -- he really put a harsh on my mellow and treated me like I would be unable to complete the hike, even though I was required to send my hiking resume with my application to join the hike -- meanwhile, he lead clearly unprepared (physically and mentally) group members off trail through a fragile area to avoid The Saddleback Cliffs, which they could not handle. Imho, those folks would have benefitted from this correspondent and hike leaders' guidance to "leave the mountain for another day" when they were ready for it. Alas, this was not his choice. This was a missed opportunity, in my opinion, to pass down alot of good trail wisdom on many levels, and it was lost.

As the carspot for the group, I did wait until nearly 9pm for them to emerge at the trailhead...no thanks was given to me and the experience was overall a negative one. Still, I don't hold this against the 46ers -- it was a case of a bad apple in the bunch as far as I'm concerned.

I'm curious if anyone has ever requested a new correspondent??? Seems to me the overall organization would want hikers to look fondly upon thier whole experience, and it could be a way for them to "weed out" the bad apples.

 

[Bhoody]

yes you can!

Yes you can request a new correspondent! I would suggest that if you are/do have issues - then request a new one.

regards,

Brian H.

 

[una_dogger]

Yes you can request a new correspondent! I would suggest that if you are/do have issues - then request a new one.

regards,

Brian H.

Well, there we have it! Good to know.

 

[1ADAM12]

Thank you again for great info! I will get started and type up my journal entries. As a hunt and peck typist it will be a little daunting....

Hi Dale! I finished the 46 August of 07 and I started writing in after about 23 peaks in. I truly enjoyed what my correspondent had to say and I Can honestly say we are friends. It is a great organization and all volunteer. The more you put into your reports the more you will get back. My correspondent actually resides here on VFTT


www.adk46r.org is where you will find all the information you need when sending in your letters. Make sure you include a photo too!