LOCALadk Magazine

LOCALadk 23 UNSUPPORTED A Story of Moving Fast and Letting Go– Setting a Speed Record in the Adirondack Mountains By Bethany Adams "The forested peaks and whiskey-colored waters of the Adirondack Mountains have captured my heart. After four years of environmental studies at Paul Smith's College, I can't bear to leave. Though I miss the farmland of my central New York roots, something about this vast, jagged landscape feels like home to me. The sheer rock faces that rise to the sky, the thick pine forests, the blue ridgelines stretching toward Canada and Vermont. Plus I love the idea of being close to Lake Placid, where Olym- pic athletes train. But living here isn't easy. The recession leaves my dozen job applications unanswered, so I piece to- gether three seasonal tourism gigs just to afford the expensive vacation-destination rent. To save money, I bike and walk as much as possible, eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and picking wild straw- berries along the roads and railroad tracks. One day, my college friend Maegen invites me to hike Mount Marcy. I don't know much about the Adirondack High Peaks, as New York's tallest moun- tains are known, other than there are forty-six of them and Mount Marcy is the highest. In all my years as a student, I had been too busy playing soccer and basketball to get out and explore them, even though I could see a few from campus and most of their trailheads were less than an hour drive away. Know- ing that my restless legs need a new sport, I agree to the fifteen-mile adventure." Which sets my life on a trajectory I didn't even know existed… In 2007, I came to the Adirondacks as a Paul Smith's College Environmental Studies student. This was the chapter in my life where I found the power of writing and hiking. Six years later, LOCALadk Magazine gave me the outlet and opportunity to bring those two worlds together in the form of adventure writing. From the Saranac 6er to Bob Marshall Traverse, I have written about my ultra-hikes for local and national magazines. Now, I'm proud to announce that a memoir will join the list. Unsupported follows my hiking partner, Ka- tie Rhodes, and I on our record-setting unsupported thru-hike of the Adirondack 46 High Peaks in 2020. Together we faced the challenges of the trail head- on, and with each other's constant companionship, buoyed by our fierce desire to prove just what women can do in the mountains. All the while, I'm forced to reckon with the dissolution of my marriage and what it means to be supported in life, love, and adventure. Grabbing the 46Climbs bandana from her pack, Ka- tie's body stiffens for a moment. Behind the sunglass- es, tears fall. Watching her, I choke up, thinking about everything that has led us to this moment. Those things that make us never the same. It's the mountains that support us during those times and give us hope that maybe we can survive. Not only survive, but may- be even be fortunate enough to understand our pain and make peace with it. To understand that life is loss. And loss is life. To let go. Bethany can be found at @bethany.climbs on Instagram. Buy the book at: https://www.ruggedoutdoorswoman.com The book can also be purchased locally at The Book- Store Plus in Lake Placid or The Mountaineer in Keene Valley. "Adams is perseverance personified." -Amanda K. Jaros, Author of In My Boots: A Memoir of Five Million Steps along the Appalachian Trail t

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