LOCALadk Magazine

56 Winter 2018 LOCALadk Magazine LOCALadk The light fades. Against a slab of smooth rock, I drop into a modified downward dog and stretch my calves. Over my shoulder, I study the domed summit of Colden bathed in al- pine glow. I estimate another hour of daylight before head- lamps need to be clicked on. I look down the steep trail and search for the neon glow of my hiking partner's t-shirt, but there is no sign of Adam. His absence does not alarm me. In the past two miles we've ascended 2,000 feet and we're both hiking at our own pace. The autumn chill settles on my skin and raises goosebumps. It feels good. I fuel up with a few gulps of iodine water and stuff half of a chocolate chip Clif bar in my mouth. On tired legs, I push to the col between Iroquois and Algonquin. There is a gentle breeze above tree line and I take off my pack and layer up, pulling on a poly top, fleece, and pair of gloves. I hang my headlamp around my neck and look toward the west. The horizon is a flaming pink with flat horizontal clouds that frame the setting sun. I watch the colors morph into oranges and purples. From the corner of my eye a beam of light catches my attention, and for a split second I think it might be Adam's headlamp. I turn and clasp a hand over my mouth. A full moon rises over the Great Range. It's almost too much beauty to take in at once. Layers of purple mountains stretch before me, and the slides of Colden and the surface of the moon pick up a faint pink from the sunset. Adam staggers around the corner, perspiration dripping off his face and eyes wide, he slumps to the ground. "Oh, my god," he huffs. "Bob Marshall was one badass." "Yeah, he was," I laugh. We're 30 miles and 10 high peaks in, attempting to recreate a hike Bob Marshall completed on July 15, 1932 which is now referred to as the Bob Mar- shall Traverse. Roughly 38 miles with approximately 15,000 feet in elevation change, the route consists of: Big Slide, Lower Wolfjaw, Upper Wolfjaw, Armstrong, Gothics, Saddle- back, Basin, Haystack, Marcy, Skylight, Iroquois, Algonquin, Wright, and Mount Jo. We've been on trail for twelve hours and our bodies are tired. Minds too. Thankfully, the grandeur of the Adirondack wilderness refreshes us. "You ready? " I ask Adam. He looks to the boulders of Iro- quois and nods. "Let's do this." Robert Marshall was well known for two things: his pres- er vationist wilderness ethic and ultra-hiking. Mind you, Mar- shall was an ultra-hiker (completing distances over 26.2 miles in one day) before ultra-hiking was a thing. Born in New York The Bob Marshall Traverse By Bethany Garretson Bob Marshal (L) and guide Herbert Clark Courtesy of Adirondack Experience

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