LOCALadk Magazine

28 Summer 2019 LOCALadk Magazine LOCALadk When asked why she was doing it she replied, "Because I can, I have my health. Not ever yone does." She also just loves to hike. Solitude on certain hikes is something she val- ues, but at the same time, hiking with the right company can make a trip pretty special as well. Amanda does in fact have a job, as many might be wondering, but it's a job with a flexible schedule that frees up four days a week to hike. If you follow Amanda on social media you will see that she is out there at all hours, thus catching amazing sunrises and sunsets, and just about ever ything in between. When asked about fa- vorite and least favorite mountains, without hesitation she answered that Marshall and Allen are some of her least fa- vorite, while non- 46ers are some of her favorites, including Hurricane and Noonmark. Amanda will be one of the youngest finishers if she com- pletes her 46 Grid in 2021. She said a few things that have surprised her along this awesome journey are the people. The support and encouragement she receives from several hiking friends has been the highlight for her, and what it's really all about. Amanda had completed 552 peaks at the time we went to print. The latest finisher is Lake Placid resident David Gomiak, the owner of the Tmax-n-Topo Hostel in Lake Placid. Tmax is David's wife and Topo is his faithful hiking companion, a small stuffed green frog that was a gift from Tmax. She also gave him a color-coded spreadsheet to help him keep track of the peaks he hiked. David, on the other hand, was not fo- cused on becoming a Grid hiker, he simply hiked because he loved it and would repeat many, especially his favorite, Goth- ics. David first hiked Marcy back in 1996, and went on to hike the Appalacian Trail in 2009. It was after the AT that David opened his hostel in Lake Placid, and found even more time to spend hiking in the High Peaks region. In 2016 he began in earnest to fill in the empty colored box- es on his spreadsheet, and by April 1 the first three months were done. By the end of that year he and Topo had hiked 75% of the 46er Grid. "As you progress along a road like this, you get to see these mountains in so many different phases. So often I'd hear someone say, "I'm never doing that one again." And while it is clearly understandable, that's just not in me, at least not yet. There's always days that are tough, more often mentally than physically, but overall, I've not met one mountain, at least in the Dacks, that isn't worthy of an- other future visit." David shared the following with me: Why do I climb in these mountains, and why do I spend my time attempting to complete the Grid? I hike because I can. I also love it, but at this time in my life there are things that can be done that many cannot do. In time that will change. Though that time is not today, and not likely tomorrow. In late December of 2018 David was left with just one peak, Esther. For the first time he was feeling some knee pain, so friends offered to help break trail in order to give him the time to complete the hike. As he stood on the top with TMax and Topo, and several friends (Joe Bogardus was one), he knew that he had done something right in life to be surrounded by such an awesome crew. David "topofgothics" Gomiak had become Grid finisher #17. You may still be thinking, these folks are crazy— I would argue that they are driven, goal-oriented, determined, bless- ed, happy, and, ok, maybe a pinch of crazy. Joe Bogardus

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