It’s at times an informal community — one whose members are often inherently dispersed over hundreds of thousands of acres of wildernesses and adjoining lands that the High Peaks trails run through. But on Sunday evening, in a town whose legacy is shaped by those mountains, the sense, purpose and camaraderie was on full display as 190 club members convened at the Cambria Hotel for the Adirondack 46ers’ annual spring meeting.

The organization formed on May 30, 1948, just miles away at the Adirondak Loj, is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to recognizing those who summit the 46 High Peaks, preserve the peaks and their surrounding wildlands and foster a sense of appreciation thereof.

The spring meeting recognized the club’s newest members — those who recorded finishing all 46 High Peaks in 2024 — as well as those who went above and beyond with their dedication to the club in recent years. Club officials also shared updates from the past year.

It’s also the 100th anniversary since brothers George and Robert Marshall and their guide Herbert Clark became the first Adirondack 46ers.

Adirondack 46ers June, left, and Meghan Ellsworth, of Saranac Lake smile after receiving their certificates of completion at the club’s spring meeting in Lake Placid on Sunday. (Enterprise photo — Chris Gaige)

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Club updates

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Several club officials addressed the crowd, sharing facts, figures and ruminations — often punctuated with jokes. Treasurer Phil Corell gave a financial update, speaking to the various causes that 46er dues — which he quipped were a “whopping” $15 per year — and further donations helped make possible.

Corell said these included the trailmasters program for trail maintenance, trailhead steward program for education, “Peeks” magazine — the club’s official biannual publication — wilderness education reimbursements, the club’s historian and treasurer offices, website maintenance and other administrative expenses. Snyder said that even though the dues figure is small, its impact is not.

Adirondack 46er Laurie Rankin #5,525WV smiles with club Vice President Brian Sutherland #6,759, left, and President David Pawlick, #12,803, after receiving the President’s Award at the club’s spring meeting in Lake Placid on Sunday. Rankin is the Adirondack 46er’s immediate past president. (Enterprise photo — Chris Gaige)

“It all adds up when you have 10,000 people paying dues,” he said. “Because of that, last year we donated over $100,000. … All of that was made possible by what you donate to us above and beyond.”

Corell said that since 2001, the Adirondack 46ers have donated over $1 million to other organizations that are aligned with the club’s mission.

Mark Simpson spoke on the club’s work to maintain and improve the High Peaks and surrounding trail networks, noting that through 25 working days in 2024, 75 volunteers with the program logged a total of 2,400 hours. The work continues in earnest, according to Simpson. In 2025, the 46ers have already logged eight volunteer days, including Saturday and most of Sunday before the meeting.

“That’s why I’m hobbling,” he said.

Simpson said the work has centered around the trail to Cascade and Porter mountains, as well as the Calamity Brook Trail near the Flowed Lands.

“If you’ve been there in the last couple of years, you’ll see the fruits of our labor,” he said. “You’re not walking in as much mud.”

Simpson commended the quality of the work, noting that other organizations have reached out to him to see if 46er crews can spend some time on nearby trail networks. He said their calendar was already full for this year, but would pencil it into future work seasons.

Joe Ryan, of Saranac Lake, gave an update on the club’s trail steward program. In 2024, there was a total of 2,360 volunteer hours put in. Cascade Mountain’s summit was one of their busiest spots. The 46ers engaged with 11,473 hikers over 72 days there — an average of 159 per day. The busiest day saw 620 hikers and the slowest saw 13.

Ryan said trail stewards play a pivotal role in educating members of the public on sustainable hiking practices, various fun facts of the region and answering informational questions hikers may have.

“In the words of Tina Turner, our stewards are ‘simply the best,'” he said.

Bill Lundy provided an update on the club’s Outdoor Skills Workshop program, which seeks to introduce people without much previous outdoor experience to hiking and outdoor recreation.

“We have people who’ve never seen a mountain bigger than some little bump in the middle of Central Park,” he said. “And we also have full-fledged, already-finished 46ers who show up. So, with everybody who shows their information, we have an extremely good time.”

Club President David Pawlick spoke on behalf of Lee Nesbitt, who oversees the adopt-a-highway program but wasn’t in attendance Sunday. Pawlick noted that the program covers an 8-mile stretch along both sides of state Route 73. The club organized four cleanups in 2024, had 20 volunteers who logged a combined 500 hours and filled 40 large garbage bags, along with removing a number of larger pieces of trash that couldn’t fit in the bags.

“We really want to encourage you to participate,” he said. “That’s really part of the 46er journey … once you get all of those peaks, give back and just spend time giving back to the mountains and to the region.”

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President’s Award

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The club held a moment of silence for its members who died over the last year, and their names were read aloud. Things then turned to recognizing some of the club’s most dedicated volunteers. Four individuals were given the 46er’s highest honor: the President’s Award.

Recipients are nominated by club members and referred to an awards committee chaired by Lundy for the final decisions. There were four winners announced at Sunday’s dinner: Ryan, Simpson, Nesbitt and Laurie Rankin. The first three were introduced by club officials, with Pawlick noting that Nesbitt will be honored with a special presentation later in person.

Ryan was introduced by Brant Schneider, one of the club’s directors.

“This recipient is the quintessential example of what it means to be a 46er,” Schneider said. “This person raised his hand on many occasion when the need was there and simply said, ‘I will do it.'”

Ryan’s most extensive volunteer work included serving as the trailhead steward program coordinator and club liaison with the website administrator. Schneider noted that the club redesigned its website over the past couple of years and transitioned many of its administrative, logistical and merchandise services to a digital platform.

Schneider added that Ryan hit 1,046 hours of volunteer service last summer.

“We are out of additional volunteer patches to sow on his sleeve,” he said.

Rankin was introduced by 46er Vice President Brian Sutherland. He said that Rankin, who served as the club’s 32nd president, was instrumental to keeping the club and its institutional knowledge afloat against the “extraordinary” challenges during the coronavirus pandemic.

“Laurie is the embodiment of volunteerism on many levels,” he said. “A complete and total advocate for the club and its mission for many years.”

An accomplished hiker, Sutherland noted that Rankin is has completed both the 46 High Peaks, the Northeast 115 — a list of the 4,000-foot peaks in New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine — and has made over 1,000 ascents in the Catskills.

“Like a lot of hikers, not just in the Adirondack community, but all through the Northeast and New York state, we all benefited from getting to know Laurie by various means,” he said.

Simpson was introduced by fellow trailmaster Curt Snyder, who said that while there is technically not a “chief trailmaster” title, Simpson embodies that role. He goes above and beyond in the amount of time he dedicates to trail improvement, the logistics behind it and passing down his vast wealth of knowledge on the topic.

“There is an enormous amount of behind-the-scenes work that has to be done with planning and scheduling and Mark has taken that on admirably,” Snyder said. “Now, that does mean he gets to spend far more quality time with the state Department of Environmental Conservation than we can,” he said as the room broke into laughter. “But we’re OK with that.”

Snyder said that Simpson and his wife, Kathy Murray, were the second-ever couple in the 46ers’ history to both hit 1,046 hours of volunteer service.

“Mark brings an enormous amount of enthusiasm, compassion and people skills to this role,” he said.

Snyder said the 46ers trailmasters program is “stronger than it’s ever been.” He attributed much of that to Simpson’s work in forging strong and collaborative relationships with the DEC and other organizations aligned with the 46ers’ mission.

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The new class

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The Class of 2024 had 766 finishers, up from 723 in 2023. It is among the largest in the club’s history, though it’s still down from 2022 and 2021, which spiked above 800, fueled by a surge during the pandemic. Of those, 75 were in attendance at the meeting to receive their certificates of completion in person.

The finishers represented a wide variety of ages — from young children to those well into their retirements — and locations. While many in-person were from the Tri-Lakes region, some came from neighboring states and Canada.

Several families who finished together were recognized. One happened to be Megan Ellsworth, and her daughter, June, both of Saranac Lake — where Megan teaches sixth grade social studies. They started hiking when June was 3, beginning with the smaller peaks.

They first completed the Tupper Lake Triad that year. When June was 6, the duo had completed the Saranac Lake 6er.

Later, the two moved right on to tackle the Lake Placid 9er. Standing atop Bear Den, June asked her mother if they could do the High Peaks next.

It was a big undertaking and took a few years, but it was an experience they wouldn’t have had any other way. June said her favorite part of hiking was being outdoors. Megan said she loved being outdoors alongside her daughter. Living so close to the trails in Saranac Lake helped to make hiking a large part of their lives.

“It’s perfection,” Megan said. “I mean you wake up everyday and it’s just the best place on Earth.”

Up next, June said they are either going to do the 46 High Peaks again, or attempt the New Hampshire 48.

There were also numerous friend groups recognized at the ceremony. Some had known each other outside of hiking and others had met through the activity. One of those 46er finisher groups was composed of four hiking members — two humans and their furry friends.

Allison Defibaugh and Brittany Ferencik met through a dog hiking Facebook Group. Their respective canine companions, Emma and Ridge, were on hand to receive their finisher certificates as well. Although the 46ers doesn’t have a canine finishers program, they made sure to register Emma and Ridge as finishers with them.

Defibaugh rescued Emma, now 11, when she was 2 years old. She’s a Border Collie, Boxer, Chow Chow and Treeing Walker Coonhound mix. Defibaugh, who lives in Saratoga Springs, said Emma had tons of energy when she was a puppy, so hiking was an obvious choice to take up. Given their success in the rugged terrain, people have asked Defibaugh what makes for a good hiking dog. In addition to being a 46er, Emma is a Northeast 115er.

“I never specify a breed,” Defibaugh said. “I always say look for a high-energy dog,” she said, adding that owners should always make sure their dog seems to be enjoying the activity, as Emma did, before going on another hike.

The biggest applause came near the end of the evening, just before the new finishers gathered for a class photo. Adirondack 46er Iona Guindon, who lives in Ottawa, Ontario, addressed the crowd. She spoke, as a Canadian, to give thanks to everyone who helped with the search for Leo DuFour, the 22-year-old hiker from Vaudreuil-Dorion, Quebec who died while hiking Allen Mountain.

DuFour was reported missing on Nov. 30, 2024 and his remains were found on May 10. After DuFour was reported missing, forest rangers and their law enforcement partners engaged in a nine-day active search on and around Allen Mountain. It was a large effort, encompassing a total of 59 rangers covering a roughly combined 400 miles on foot throughout the area.

“I’m truly thankful for the endless hours and the hundreds of miles and dedication to bring our boy, Leo DuFour, back home to Montreal, Quebec,” Guindon said, fighting back tears. “This is home, my second home to me. I come here as a Canadian. There’s a lot of controversy going on in North America, but … I just can’t thank you enough that he’s home. It’s hard, these things happen, but nobody gave up on him and I thank you very much.”