LOCALadk Magazine
Issue link: https://localadkmagazine.uberflip.com/i/728742
39 Fall 2016 LOCALadk Magazine LOCALadk Saranac Lake 6er This challenge was started in 2013 and includes reaching the summits of six mountain peaks: McKenzie - 10.6 miles round trip (RT), Ampersand - 5.4 RT, Scarface - 6.8 RT, St. Regis - 6.6 RT, Haystack - 6.6 RT, and Baker - 1.8 RT. Patches are awarded for completing the six during any time period, as well as an addi- tional patch if you complete the six during the winter months: December 21 - March 21. An elite group of hikers who hike all 6 summits within 24 hours become Ultra 6ers To date, about 1,500 people have completed the 6er Challenge, 153 are Ultra 6ers. Hiking in the Adirondacks is a real challenge. The trails can be steep, rocky and remote.. Weather can change quickly and compromise the intended plan. People get hurt and need to be rescued. These reasons, and many more, lead to some of the challenges. This story is about a different kind of challenge, a challenge of completion that offers a tangible form of reward. The reward might be the satis- faction of standing on a mountaintop, peering out of an old fire tower window, spending the night in an Adirondack lean-to, listening to a waterfall cascade from high above, or earning a cool embroidered patch that signifies comple- tion of a certain Adirondack challenge. New hiking challenges and other outdoor chal- lenges have been popping up recently in towns across the Park. The Fire Tower Challenge has been around for years and is still one of the most popular Adirondack challenges. It requires sum- miting 18 of the 24 Adirondack fire towers, and all five in the Catskills. Records indicate that more people are complet- ing the challenge and registering their comple- tion in order to receive the Fire Tower Challenge patch. In 2011, 26 people were awarded the patch, and in 2015 there were 87. This year may well surpass last year's numbers, with 69 com- pletions to date. The winter category is also growing: with 6 for 2015, only 1 in 2014. John Freeman's book, Views from on High, Fire Tower Trails in the Adirondacks and Catskills, is an excellent resource and reference. The second edition will be available this fall. Other challenges include: The Bald Mountain Fire Tower Kurt Gardner