LOCALadk Magazine

LOCALadk | Event rather chase on the flats and pass on the uphill. Soon our pace matches his and we're right behind him. I notice he's listening to music and doesn't hear us. I step on a branch deliberately and the crack turns his head. He's a bit startled to see us. I give him a friendly smile. He steps to the side and Mallory and I jog past him. "Thank you!" we say in unison. The game of leap frog has begun. In a few minutes he passes us. We pass him. He passes us. And then we pass him. We hit the uphill and stay in the lead. I see a patch of rich brown mud and dip my hands in it. I streak the mud across my face and let out a war whoop. Mallory looks back at me and grins. It's one of our oldest hiking traditions—Warpaint. I smear the extra mud across Mallory's face and she smiles broadly. With mud on my face, I feel connected to my ancestors who ran after deer and into battle with spears. I feel alive. There is an inch of snow on Scarface's false summit. Even this seems like a walk in the park after Haystack and McKenzie. I'm glad we got those two out of the way. Mallory and I are deep in conversation and I hardly notice the blur of movement coming towards us. I look up and jump to the side of the trail. "Sorry," I mumble as the Phantom slips by. He tips his hat to us. "That's him," I whisper to Mallory. "Number one." Ten minutes later, we stand on the summit of Scarface. There is no one between us and the Phantom. I begin to giggle. "What?" Mallory eyes my suspiciously. I grab her shoulder and squeeze. "That means we're number two!" The day flies by and before I know it, we're on our last mountain—St. Regis. I park the car and look at Mallory. "Ready?" I ask. Mallory grabs our Lowe Alpine pack and smiles. "Let's do this," she says. We walk by the red car and a crowd of women cheer us on. "You go girls!" they shout, clapping their hands. Mallory and I smile and wave. The support on trail has been tremendous. We're having a blast. We clasp each other around the waist and march in unison towards St. Regis. For us this is where it all began. St. Regis was the first mountain I climbed as a Paul Smith's College student. It was also the first mountain Mallory climbed. And it was the first mountain we climbed as sisters. We've both been back since. This is our second ascent as sisters. Today, we will end our journey where it began six years ago. As we journey up the mountain, we talk about life and how we have transformed over the years. We talk about the ups and downs. We talk about our mother and father and older sister. We talk about our grandparents. We laugh about how silly men can be. We talk about our struggles with ourselves and the world. We talk about all the mountains we've hiked and want to hike. We talk about passions and following your dreams. We talk about growing up on a dairy farm in rural NY and finding our way to the mountains. We summit St. Regis and punch our cards. I wrap my arms around Mallory and give her a squeeze. We stand on the summit for a moment and look at the fire tower. I know we will not take first place. And it doesn't matter. What matters to me is spending this wonderful day in the mountains with my sister. I'm so proud, I almost cry. "Let's go ring that bell," I say. And with that, we're on our way. One more decent, one more hour and we'll be there: Berkley Green, ringing the Saranac Lake 6er Bell. At 7:09 PM we pull into the parking lot behind Berkley Green. Luckily, there is a parking spot right behind the gazebo. An upbeat Celtic band is jamming as Mallory and I run to the bell. White tents are set up around the park and crowds of people clap and cheer. Mayor Rabideau greets us and announces into the microphone that we have taken the place as Saranac Lake 6er's 2 and 3. Mallory and I hug and bounce up and down. We ring the bell together and are carried away into a sea of cameras and reporters. Congratulatory hands are extended, pats on the back given and numerous photos taken. We are handed cups of hot chocolate and cupcakes with butter cream frosting. We each get a trophy in the form of a hand crafted walking stick. We try to shout above the music. We laugh and shiver. I burn my tongue on the hot chocolate and I don't care. It tastes so good. The Phantom walks up to us and extends his hand. "Congratulations. You two had me scared," he says. "It was fun chasing you," I say. We take a few photos together and poise with our beautiful walking sticks. We make formal introductions and I learn his name is Loring, a triathlete from Lake Placid. Superhuman Calves Guy, also known as David takes fourth place and the last walking stick. The four of us reminisce about the race, refill our hot chocolate and indulge in the complimentary massages given to the Ultra finishers. One by one the finishers head to their cars. A well deserved shower is waiting for each and every one of us. "You ready?" I ask Mallory. She nods her head. We toss our cups and cupcake wrappers into the waste bucket and walk over to the gazebo. We stretch our legs, leaning down and touching our toes. And in the rain, we dance. It feels awesome. R Tasting Room & Growlers to Go! Tap into Delicious! Forest Home Black Red Skin Red Lake Flower Ale Saranac Lake 6'er Pale Ale 518-354-8114 www.BlueLineBrew.com Terry Robards Wines & Spirits Your Local Adirondack Wine Experts! ...Now in our 25th year serving the Lake Placid region Free Daily Tastings Special Events More than 650 different wines! ~ Open Daily ~ 2047 Saranac Ave Lake Placid 518 - 523 - 9072 TerryRobards.com Find Us on Facebook facebook.com/TerryRobardsWines LOCALadk Magazine Summer 2013 35

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