The 46 of 46 Podcast

The 46 of 46 Podcast

The premiere podcast that brings the mountains, trails, lakes, and stories of the Adirondack Park to life—one adventure at a time.

Episodes

November 14, 2025 74 mins
The title says it all. Get ready for an inspirational story of a man who just completed the Adirondack Great Range Traverse at 70 years old.

10 Adirondack mountains, 8 High Peaks, 21 miles, 10k+ elevation gain. What a story this one is.


Looking for help to improve your your fitness for hiking?
Here's 2 ways I can help you:

1.) Work with James 1-on-1 (online)

Apply to work with directy with James 1-on-1 in his Seek To Do More program wh...
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In 2010, 22-year-old Wesley Wamsganz left his job in Lake Placid and walked into the Adirondack High Peaks—without gear, food, or a known plan—and he never returned.

And his body has never been found. Another tragic story from the ADK High Peaks and a family left without answers.

If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Wesley Wamsganz, please contact the New York State Police Troop B in Ray Brook at (518) 897-2000.



...
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The October Sessions' 6th Annual Bigfoot in the Blue Line episode features Johnny from Adirondack Bigfoot where we get into all things bigfoot sightings inside the Adirondack Park.

Follow Johnny on Facebook and Youtube @AdirondackBigfoot

Looking for help to improve your your fitness for hiking?
Here's 2 ways I can help you:

1.) Work with James 1-on-1 (online)

Apply to work with directy with James 1-on-1 in his Seek To Do More program w...
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In 2012, 18-year-old Colin Gillis left a party and walked alone into the Adirondack night—but he was never seen again. 

 In a small town where whispers linger and secrets run deep, his family is still waiting for answers.

How does someone vanish on a highway, in plain sight, with witnesses just minutes before? And why, all these years later, do rumors still suggest that people know more than they’ve said?

Colin’s family deserves closu...
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A routine deer hunt. An Army veteran in the woods. A strange sound in the distance. When the group returned to their cars, Tom Messick was gone—and what happened next has haunted the Adirondacks ever since.

If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Tom Messick Sr, please contact the New York State Police Troop B in Ray Brook at (518) 897-2000.



Follow on Instagram & Facebook:
@46of46podcast
@jamesappleton46


Does your...
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On April 12, 1976, 19-year-old Steven Paul Thomas sat down at a lean-to on the trail to Mt Marcy, brewed himself a cup of tea, and told his hiking partners he was going out for a short walk. He never came back...

What followed was one of the most puzzling disappearances in Adirondack history. Hundreds of searchers, helicopters, dogs, and years of follow-up would turn up no trace of the young hiker. His family, especially his brother...
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In July of 1971, eight-year-old Douglas “Dougie” Legg was spending the weekend with family at Great Camp Santanoni in Newcomb, New York. When his uncle told him to run back to the lodge and change into long pants before a hike, Dougie set off on a short, familiar walk of just a few hundred feet. He never arrived. What followed became one of the largest search operations in Adirondack history—yet no trace of the boy was ever found.

M...
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This week's Summit Session with Isabelle Carpenter is sure to inspire you. Grit is the only word to describe this woman's journey to 46. From 9 trips to the Dix Range before summiting all 5, to 6 trips to the Seward Range, and many more stories like that. This woman refused to give up. It took her 55 trips to the Adirondacks from Buffalo later, but she is now an Adirondack 46'er.

Enjoy this story of perseverance and finding your tru...
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The Adirondack 46 creates transformation for people who see the journey. This is Chet's comeback story of almost abandoning his journey alltogether due to weight gain and poor habits, to putting a stop to it, getting help, putting in the work to fight back for his health, and finishing the Adirondack 46.

An inspirational High Peaks comeback story.


Follow on Instagram & Facebook:
@46of46podcast
@jamesappleton46


Does your physical fit...
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This is the story of the Great Range Athlete WRIGHT Team



Follow on Instagram & Facebook:
@46of46podcast
@jamesappleton46


Does your physical fitness ever hold you back from fully enjoying your hiking adventures? 

Here's 2 ways I can help you:

1.) Work with James 1-on-1 (online)

Apply to work with directy with James 1-on-1 in his Seek To Do More program where he'll help you build the right kind of strength & conditioning for better ...
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August 29, 2025 23 mins
This week I'm diving in to discuss one of the most anxiety-provoking stretch of trail in the Adirondack High Peaks—the Saddleback Cliffs.

I'll give you the info you need to know and dissolve the overwhelm so you can be successful climbing this notorious High Peak.



Follow on Instagram & Facebook:
@46of46podcast
@jamesappleton46


Does your physical fitness ever hold you back from fully enjoying your hiking adventures? 

Here's 2 ways I c...
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August 22, 2025 55 mins
Throwing it back to a fan-favorite episode. A race on trail on foot and on the road via car. This is the race to loj 




Follow on Instagram & Facebook:
@46of46podcast
@jamesappleton46


Does your physical fitness ever hold you back from fully enjoying your hiking adventures? 

Here's 2 ways I can help you:

1.) Work with James 1-on-1 (online)

Apply to work with directy with James 1-on-1 in his Seek To Do More program where he'll help you bu...
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August 8, 2025 41 mins
In this episode I return to the mountain that started it all for me—Ampersand Mountain.

A story of life transformation 7 years in the making. Thanks for being part of it.


Follow on Instagram & Facebook:
@46of46podcast
@jamesappleton46


Does your physical fitness ever hold you back from fully enjoying your hiking adventures? 

Here's 2 ways I can help you:

1.) Work with James 1-on-1 (online)

Apply to work with directy with James 1-on-1 in...
Mark as Played
Ready for a story of persevering in the mountains? Then you'll enjoy this episode from my recent hike in the Lower Great Range with the recently graduated Great Range Athlete WOLFJAW team


Join the next GREAT RANGE ATHLETE Team and get in mountain-hiking shape in just 6 weeks from your local gym or your house. 
Learn more HERE



Follow on Instagram & Facebook:
@46of46podcast
@jamesappleton46

Get my books:
1.) The Adirondack 46 in 18 Hike...
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This week I'm putting the spotlight on another Adirondack organization that work to make the Adirondack Park an amazing place to be. On this Summit Session I sat down with Svetlana from the ADK Community Foundation to talk all about the organization's work as they help working professionals in the ADK community thrive and help other who want to relocate to the ADK community have the opportunity to thrive.

From the ADK Community Foun...
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In this special episode of the 46 of 46 Podcast, we head to Old Forge, NY, for the inaugural Forge Quad-Athlon — a one-of-a-kind race that pushes body and mind through four disciplines: bike, hike, paddle, and run. But this isn’t just a story about racing — it’s a story about community, courage, and everyday people doing extraordinary things.

Eight members from the Great Range Athlete and Seek To Do More coaching programs signed up ...
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This week hiking savage, Will Robinson, comes back to the podcast to tell the story of his recent Spring single-season NE115. 




Join the next GREAT RANGE ATHLETE 6-week challenge and get in mountain-hiking shape in just 6 weeks from your local gym or your house. 
Learn more about the Great Range Athlete Team Program HERE



Follow on Instagram & Facebook:
@46of46podcast
@jamesappleton46

Get my books:
1.) The Adirondack 46 in 18 Hikes: The...
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This week Jonathan Zaharek is with me to chat all about his new endeavor, Hike ADK. An online platform for all things hiking in the Adirondacks.

Download the HikeADK app in the app store now or visit www.HikeADK.com and take advatange of this phenemonal new resource for hikers.




Join the next GREAT RANGE ATHLETE 6-week challenge and get in mountain-hiking shape in just 6 weeks from your local gym or your house. 
Learn more about the Gr...
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In this special historical episode of the 46 of 46 Podcast, we go deep into the untold story of the very first Adirondack 46ers—Bob and George Marshall, and their legendary guide, Herb Clark.

Step back to the early 1900s and follow the trio's rugged, awe-inspiring journey through the Adirondack wilderness—long before GPS, marked trails, or hiking apps.

Follow on Instagram & Facebook:
@46of46podcast
@jamesappleton46


Does your physica...
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This is the story of the Great Range Athlete CASCADE Team. A group of 21 hikers who came together with the same goals: to impriove their physical fitness for their hiking adventures.

This team stretched from Vermont to Alaska and everywhere inbetween. At the end of their 6-week training program we got together in the Adirondack High Peaks for a group hike up Cascade and Porter Mountains in the Adirondacks.

This is their story.

Join th...
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