June 27, 2025 • 55 mins
This week hiking savage, Will Robinson, comes back to the podcast to tell the story of his recent Spring single-season NE115.
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Visit my other websites:
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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 Complete Guide to Hiking the High Peaks
2.) Adirondack Campfire Stories: Tales and Folklore from Inside the Blue Line
Looking for custom help to improve your both your fitness for hiking, disicpline, and daily habits? Work with James 1-on-1 to become fit for the trail and llife.
Book a free strategy call with James to learn more about his 1-on-1 coaching program,
SEEK TO DO MORE at www.seektodomore.com
Visit my other websites:
www.46OUTDOORS.com
www.46OF46.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
This is the forty six of forty six podcast summit session,
where we'll talk all things Adirondack back country and beyond.
From high peaks stories and adventures to trail tips and tricks.
We'll dive deep into the heart of these mountains and
the people who passionately climb them. Adirondack maps and spruce
traps to bushwacks and backpacks. It's all here the forty
(00:22):
six of forty six Summit Sessions. Hello everyone, and welcome
back to the forty six of forty six podcast. I
(00:43):
am here with a summit session with a repeat guest
who just continues to push the envelope and challenge himself
more and more to do absolutely ubsurd things in the mountains.
I am back with Will Robinson. You may remember him
from a summit session long ago where he talked about
his through hike of the Northeast one fifteen. Yes, he
(01:07):
walked from state to state, from the Adirondack Catskills to
the Adirondacks, to the Green Mountains, to the White Mountains
and over to me well, hiking just a couple of
mountains in.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
Between, an absolutely absurd feat. But he is back.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
He just finished a spring single season. Wait for it,
Northeast one fifteen, not just the forty six. Now we're
talking the one fifteen. And this isn't the first time
he's done it. Wait until you hear what he has
actually accomplished over the last year. But anyways, Will Robinson
is here to talk all about it and to share
(01:42):
some mountain adventures here in the forty six to forty
six podcast.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
So Will welcome back. It's good to see how you doing.
Thank you, James, I'm going great. Thank you for having
me on again. It is a pleasure and honor. Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
When I saw your Instagram story a few days ago,
you know, saying I've already been following what you've done
in the last year, He's like, man, he's always out
there doing stuff. And then when I saw what you
just completed again, I was like, my god, this we
have to share this story on the podcast. So I
don't even want to take I don't want to take
the spot. I want you to tell us, tell us
(02:13):
what you just finished, and then tell us what the
last year has has entailed for you.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
So this past spring, I set out to hike all
the four thousand foot mountains in New York Vermont, New
Hampshire in Maine. All in the single spring season, which
elapsed time is like ninety days, it was like ninety
two point eight days of spring or something like that,
(02:38):
if we're getting precise, And I thought that it was
going to be one of my easier rounds of the
Northeast one fifteen. Oddly because when I first started the
Northeast one fifteen journey, I thought spring was gonna be
the hardest one because everyone always talks about hard spring is.
But I was looking at my calendar and I was like,
I have so much time off during or time off
(03:00):
that I can use during the spring. I'm gonna be
able to actually break this down into smaller hikes. Like,
for one example, in the fall, when I did a
single season round, I did Tabletop, Phelps, Marcy Skylight Gray,
and Colden in a day. And this spring, I was like,
I have so much time off, I'm just gonna break
(03:20):
that up. I'm gonna do Tabletop and Phelps one day
and then just do Marcy Skylight Gray called in another day. Yeah,
like a like a normal hiker exactly. But as anyone
who's actually hiked in the spring before all will no
spring is tough. Yeah, that's land. So it ends up
actually being one of my hardest rounds.
Speaker 1 (03:43):
Right, so you have done three round No, this was
your fourth round of a single season fifteen. So now
people you all recognize people do the single season winter
forty six or you know you might hike them all
in one season at some point. That's just the forty
he's also doing the New Hampshire forty eight. He's doing
(04:04):
the mountains in main like, he's not just hiking the
forty six in one single season, which is what makes
this such an absurd feat that you've done. But this
is your correct me if I'm wrong. We were talking
about the statistics beforehand. This is your third single season
one fifteen in the last calendar year, but your fifth period,
(04:25):
is that correct?
Speaker 2 (04:25):
I think technically would be the last three rounds in
the last twelve months, Okay, and I'm sure if that, Yeah,
it might be a different technicality than calendar year, but
then it's technically my fourth unique single season of like
the different seasons. But I've done five single seasons of
(04:46):
the Northeast Blue fifteen because I've done summer twice. Bonkers,
absolutely bonkers.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
So let's talk a little bit about the beginning, so
you went there must have been a point where you said, okay,
well now I have to do them in every season.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
What was that? When did that happen first? Is my
first question. Let's see, so I did the winter one first,
which might seem weird, is it's probably the one of
the hardest one.
Speaker 1 (05:16):
It's the hardest one, but that's also the one that,
like draws the has the allure for that sort of
speed hiker question.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
Exactly, there's most people who do single season things, either
it's a single season summer or a single season winter,
those which seems like the big ones be able to do.
So I did that, and I just started dreaming up
what are other unique ways that I could do the
one fifteen. That's why I came up with what I
called or called or call the one fifteen Grand Slam,
(05:45):
which consisted of, in my mind, the one fifteen in
every single season, the one fifteenth through like the one
fifteen speed Effort, which at the time I was considering
anything under thirty days. I was able to manage it
in under twenty days, and then the last part of
the Grand Slam, which I have yet to do and
(06:06):
currently I have no real aspirations for is the one
to fifteen grid. And for those not familiar with what
a grid in hiking terms is, is hiking all of
the mountains every month of the year doesn't need to
be in one year over a lifetime. So maybe someday
I'll get the it's to actually go for that. Technically,
(06:28):
right now it is legally impossible because Baxter State Park
closes above tree line for one monthly. I can't remember
which one it is, but it's like, yeah, maybe it's sure,
it doesn't matter, absolutely wild.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
So for context people to do the grid of just
the forty six Aronic high peaks, that's five hundred and
fifty two mountains, I believe is what that comes to.
So now add New Hampshire, Vermont, and add all the
other mountains to the mix. Absolutely crazy. What an impressive
feat and pressive resume. I look forward to reading your
book one day. I think I said that on the
last podcast, but I look forward to eventually reading that
(07:06):
book one day that you're going to write about the
Northeast Mountains and why hiking here in the Northeast is
its own animal altogether. No one would be more more
fitting to tell that story than you after what you've accomplished. Okay,
so talk to us about talk to us about this
last round the spring one point fifteen. Take us through
the journey, tell us how to go. Let's start at
(07:26):
the beginning in less rock and roll.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
So I started out with I think like, I'm having
a lot of flexibility of where I can hike because
I had all of the Northeast to work with. So
I thought to myself, if I have this flexibility, I
might as well take floo advantage of it, and like,
look at trip reports, look at where the weather just
made best, and not necessarily say I'm going to start
(07:50):
with one region and just knock that out, which is
what I did in the winter. When I did it,
as I was like, I want to knock out the
Adirondacks right away, and I'm going to go on to
the next region. I feel like that wasn't the best
way for me to do it, and so I got
smarter and so I was able to look at trip
reports on the New England has a website Newland Trail Conditions,
(08:13):
which is wonderful of Unfortunately, with New York, Madirandecks not
technically being in New England, they're not on that website,
and so for most people who hike them at Airondecks,
they probably are familiar with the Facebook page, the Adirondack
Trail Conditions page, which is very helpful. It's definitely not
(08:37):
as user friendly and easy to find what you're looking
for on there as it is on the New England page.
But I was on that page a lot, scouring new posts,
searching for the most recent post, trying trails that seem doable,
and then I would just something was broken out because
(08:57):
early in the spring still have a lot of snow.
So I was in vir trails that was like it
was broken out, didn't have major river crossings, was at
that point all like ice bridges were melting or unstable,
and just that's kind of how I started the planning,
was trying to find areas that were going to be
(09:19):
the best conditions for the snow, and I found New
Hampshire to be my best bet for that. As much
as I feel like that around Necks are well traveled,
the White Mountains, they like super highways, it feels like,
and so there was so much more broken out. My
wonderful part of that is because I feel there is
(09:41):
like a gridding culture in that are on decks. But
and maybe this is my bias, who I spend more
time in the White mountains, but I know so many
more people who are gritting in the Whites, so that
the trails yet traveled year round. I find that in
the Adrondic is more summer and winter that get the
biggest trafficking. Once that winter calendar stops and you're knotting
(10:04):
your winter credit anymore. Her you're yeah, a lot of
like I'm not going to do the santanonis now. Yeah, yeah,
I know you're You're not wrong.
Speaker 1 (10:11):
And you also get like, obviously we all know the
the you know, the messaging that comes out from places
like the DC, the Mountain Club about like don't hike
in the spring, all these things, So I think I
think that actually goes a long way with with various people.
And yeah, the gritting culture here is significantly smaller. I know,
I know a handful of people that that's like part
(10:32):
of their part of their thing that they're going after.
But yeah, spring hiking here die. I mean it does
straight dies like it dies asquickly, for sure, no doubt
about that. So basically from what I'm hearing you instead
of doing like the forty six and the forty eight,
you decided to whatever mountains make sense this week or
basically is where you went. So you're that must have
(10:54):
been quite a lot to manage it your head and
you're you live in Vermont, correct if I remember correctly? Yes,
a year you know, hop skip and a jump from
both so or ranges there. So talk to me about
the actual keeping track of all these mountains that you've done.
And also too, there must have been well you're waiting
to see what mountains make sense next. There's also like
(11:17):
there's a time crunch, there's urgency because there's dates involved
that these have to be completed by. So how did
that kind of play into play into the whole thing?
Speaker 2 (11:29):
I started out the season in a sense of false
security with as I mentioned, for all this vacation time
that I had to use, and so I was comforted
by the fact that like, oh, I have thirty skip days,
something I can use. I can't remember exactually the number
of days I had available to me, but I would
(11:50):
keep track of it as like, Okay, I need to
hike for forty days. Let's say I can skip twenty
five of those twenty five days, twenty five days and
still be on track. But that might not be making
sense to any funny else but I'm not sure hell
is to put it. Unfortunately, But so I had some
(12:11):
flex days. I was calling them, and because I had
so many of those, I was like, Oh, it's raining today,
I don't really want to hike in the rain. So
I would like, I have plenty of skip days left.
Speaker 1 (12:27):
And unfortunately oppressive though, given the fact that like, there
is that urgency. So I would imagine it would be
one of those things where you would front load so
much hiking so that you, you know, you have a
good base for you know, then maybe you would do
the skip days later on, later on during the jur party,
(12:48):
handle a lot of the mountains.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
But but no, okay. Another another thought process that I
had had was that the trail conditions were only going
to get better. Like when I started, there was still
soveral feet of snow out there, and knowing that later
in the spring I was gonna have bear trails. That's
why would I want to break trail for eighteen miles
(13:10):
and two feet of snow when I can do that
in the dirt. But I could, I could totally see
how someone would want to do the majority of it
early on. Yeah, load for you know, mental sape, But
it's a good point.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
Like hiking March twenty second and hiking June nineteenth, very
deep situation. So it's a good point that you bring up.
I forget that, Like, yeah, technically, I mean we're we're
in a few days into summer, but in my mind,
like in my mind, summer begins in the Atironic Park
on May first, once first, even though it's technically spring,
(13:44):
the seasons here are so short to me, it's just
like it's just like summer ish is what I basically called,
because come October it could be winter. Where I live,
It's just like summer ish and then winter. Those are
the two seasons we have. So okay, that makes sense,
That makes sense that that would be that would be
your Okay, So you started knocking out a lot of
the whites because of the trails just being more traveled
(14:06):
and more information on trail conditions. So continue, so continue
onto the journey here.
Speaker 2 (14:11):
I think one thing I definitely wanted to bring up
is just one anecdote of hiking the Santinons. That was
one where I I don't know what I was thinking
until we left one early into the spring, and I
hadn't seen a shrip report for a while. I should
have known it was going to be horrible out there,
(14:34):
but I could have never guessed how about it was
going to be. It was one of my worst hikes
I've ever had, right and i've in so I as
a being early spring, is still much snow there. Obviously,
I have my snow shoes with me, and I think
that I was delusional on someone. I was like, I'm
probably not gonna need them, But like within ten steps
of even that first little bit of like the roadwalk, ye,
(14:57):
I'm already tossing snowshoes on and on the road. I
was able to stay aflow. But once I got onto
the actual trail, someone had broken out a portion of
it going up to Times Square, but they bailed very
early on, and after that it was just me and
(15:19):
bare snow in front of me, like no tracks whatsoever.
And for those of a hike that rains, it's just
herd path trails. There's no trail markings. And I was
one trying to find the trail trail just having my
phone out a bunch which I don't like having to do.
(15:40):
And I was sinking in every single step and just wet,
slushy snow. Even when the snowshoes on, I could not
stay aflow at all, and being a warmish day and
there was some fresh snow that came recently, I was
being dripped on from the trees above, which is just
(16:00):
as bad as being rained on, yeah, even worse because
you know, like like there's blue sky above you and
you're still getting just soaked to the bone. And so
that was almost all day of just being wet, being miserable,
having my phone out, trying to find some semblance of trail.
(16:20):
And then thankfully I got to Santennonia nearing the end
of my time on the Ridge area, and I saw
a large group of people coming up the Santennoni Express
and I'm just so relieved knowing that I wasn't going
to need to break out that trail going down and
(16:41):
do trail finding all the way down to the end.
At that point, I was really convinced I was going
to end in the dark, which isn't end of the world.
I always have a head lamber two with me, but
just not what I was wanting.
Speaker 1 (16:55):
It's a long days in Spumber, by your long day
even in the summer, by yourself on the sand Nony Range,
a perfect day, let alone in that situation when you're
going through that much stuff, And there must have been
a moment while you were climbing up Santinoni that day
where you.
Speaker 2 (17:09):
Were like, what am I doing? I don't have to
be right now. There were so many points this spring
where I was like, I don't need to be here.
But then I remind myself that if I wasn't here
right now, I would be I'm not hiking the one
fifteen of the spring, and then regretting that later, knowing
(17:29):
that because I knew that eventually I wanted to do
this last I'm three. You can't just leave it at that.
You mean to do the fourth ones, and so knowing
that if I didn't do it this spring, I would
have to do it next spring, and just get it
out of the way now because I don't need to
do it again later. M Yeah, you're saying you're think
I think that was what pushed me through a lot
(17:50):
of the spring. You're thinking about future you and how
would future you think as opposed to current you, which
would love to be sold right now, not you know,
trying their way over to Coopxicraga right now by myself.
Speaker 1 (18:03):
So did you so you must have? Did you beat
the crowd over to Coo Cicraga, then you had to
break break trail over there too.
Speaker 2 (18:09):
So I had started going up to Panther catch esagraa
and then went over to Santoni after. So I had
broken the rest of the range out and then it
was just my descent down where I had the broken trail,
and it was just that was so nice to mindless,
(18:29):
be mindlessly, be able to hike without a fear of
getting lost. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (18:33):
Absolutely, So do you think about this this season in particular,
because you know, you bring up a really good point
about you know, how it's so different on March twenty
second than it is on June nineteenth, where it must
feel it must feel like March twenty second was like
(18:53):
like right now with you, it probably feels like it
was years ago that you started a set, whereas it
was like, no, it's just like past season, whereas like
summer obviously you know, June twenty first and September twenty
first like look exactly the same.
Speaker 2 (19:07):
Does it feel like it was years ago.
Speaker 1 (19:09):
At what what do you think about in your brain
when you compare like the last few mountains compared to
the first few mountains.
Speaker 2 (19:15):
Yeah, this spring felt like a very long season. Even
the last few weeks just felt like they were going
to drag on, Like is this ever gonna end? Am
I going to be able to finish this?
Speaker 3 (19:26):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (19:26):
Looking back on my pictures of the mountains from March
and then the mountains from last week or two weeks ago, Yeah,
last week, I think it was totally different worlds and
I'm just glad.
Speaker 1 (19:41):
So for yeah, sure, sure, it's always it's fun in
the moment to talk it's fun. It's fun to talk
about it later once it's been accomplished. It's not fun
in the moment. This is This is hiking as fact,
and what you're doing isn't type too fun. It's it's
beyond that. It's deeper than.
Speaker 2 (19:58):
You for sure. Something I need to try to get
back to. Like when I started hiking, I was hiking
because I enjoyed it, and now it's become like a
chore or a job. I never used to put in
headphones when I was hiking this past spring. There might
have been like a couple of minutes where I didn't
have headphones. Oh, I get it, and like that's a problem.
(20:20):
I want to be able to enjoy it again. So
I'm hoping to like I've done my big goals for now.
I hope I'll probably find something else, but for the
time being, I just want to kind of try to
enjoy hiking again.
Speaker 1 (20:34):
Sure, get back to just going out and allowing yourself
to just hike one mountain.
Speaker 2 (20:39):
I'm just gonna go up this one.
Speaker 1 (20:41):
I always say that once you finish the forty six,
you free yourself to not feel the obligation to do
you know Marcy Skylight and Gray, or to do the
whole bac entire range. You can just go do right
and that's it and go home, Like you free yourself
from feeling that obligation. But at the same time, will
like I'm maybe I can relate to it because I
(21:03):
go into the mountains to enjoy the the challenge of it,
the push of it, the physical nature of it. Like
that's why I go out there. And you're not gonna
you It's almost like you like you clearly like pushing
yourself from both a physical and a mental standpoint, and
you do it in the back drop of the mountains,
(21:25):
whereas like, it's not that hiking is a chore now,
it's like the it's the the physical pursuit of these big, big,
lofty challenges just happen to take place in the mountains
because that's where you actually like to be. So now
going back and just climbing a single mountain like you're going,
I mean you'll you obviously enjoy it, But I do
think that there's slightly a different sort of not vibe,
(21:48):
but a different there's a different goal at hand, where
whereas like hike it fun for the joy of the
mountain and then pushing yourself, they just happen to take
place in the same the same place.
Speaker 2 (21:59):
Am I right there? Am I? I think you are
actually because like I do find some weird joy in
pushing my body and seeing what I'm capable of. But
so it's just like what joy am I looking for
in the moment? Am I looking to push myself? Am
I looking to just enjoy hike? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (22:15):
Well, think about the satisfact? So what to talk to
us about the satisfaction you feel right now having persevered,
having pushed through, You didn't quit, You didn't go home
during this Antononi range and saying, you know what this
thing like maybe next spring. No, you did it, So
I think you're really working towards that feeling that you
feel right now of talking about this this big adventure.
Speaker 2 (22:36):
I've always said to people that I never feel a
giant feeling of accomplishment after these projects, like I expect
to feel and I feel like that's true again this time.
But I think I finally came to the realization I
can't expect the final hike to feel like this magical
(22:57):
thing and feel like this flow of accomplishment just wash
over me. It's just one other hike. I need to
think about how the whole spring led up to this,
and how each hard hike that I did brought in
a little bit of accomplishment, Like I got trickles of
(23:19):
accomplishment all throughout the season, whereas I this feeling I
crave is just like one wave of the accomplishment at
the end of the season that never happens, Like I'm
proud of what I did, I'm super happy I did it,
but there was never any feeling of just like huge
feeling of accomplishment. Okay, that makes it make sense.
Speaker 1 (23:38):
No, it does make sense, and I remember us talking
about this on the first podcast that you did. So
let me ask you, is there a hike that you
can think back to where you have felt that sense
of accomplishment upon getting to the summit or like getting
back to the trail and that gave you that fulfillment
that you were searching for.
Speaker 2 (23:57):
Or maybe you did expect. I don't say think that
it was a hike necessarily, but I've dabbled in the
ultra marathon world a little bit, and the i'd say
the finish of like set races like the I never
felt it at the end, like backer all shows where
there is no real and it's going to tap out
(24:19):
when you're done, or like timed like twenty four thirty
six hour races. But when I finished the Eastern States
one hundred, which is one hundred mile race, like there's
an actual finish line, there's you're working towards that all day,
actually think a day and a half, and then finally
(24:40):
getting into that I really felt that wave of just wow.
I think it's because it was a shorter term push
and it all happened in one short period of time,
Whereas it's like I wasn't getting that trickle accomplishment throughout
the smaller journeys. It was just all I did this
one really big thing and wow does that feel good?
(25:03):
And this I've been visualizing this finish line for the last.
Speaker 1 (25:07):
Thirty three hours. Okay, that's good. At at least you're
getting that. You're getting that in some capacity you've experienced before.
Because I was gonna ask, I was like, man, I've
not experienced that like that, you know, kid on Christmas
moment in the mountains.
Speaker 2 (25:21):
Then I would say, Okay, I'm willing you better talk.
We got to talk.
Speaker 1 (25:23):
We got to we got to get to the the
bottom of why you're going out there. But no, I
really appreciate the pushing yourself in the mountains. I always
ask people in this podcast like why do you hike?
Why do you do it? And for me that's actually
the answer is I like that. I like the physical
pursuit and like what better backdrop than to do it
in like the mountains.
Speaker 2 (25:42):
It's it's just a great spot.
Speaker 3 (25:45):
My name is Sheene Kayshek and I came across James
through his forty six of forty six podcasts and I
joined the Seek to Do More program in June of
twenty twenty two, after watching James on Instagram with the
program and seeing people be sixcessful with it, I needed
to get myself out of a rut, and with the program,
I was able to break free from old habits and
(26:06):
really reclaim my life and my confidence. I found such
a fulfillment in myself and I'm stronger both physically and mentally,
and more confident in the choices that I make. My
adventures have become unstoppable with what I'm determined to do.
I've hiked multiple peaks by myself, I've backpacked by myself,
I've started doing ultras, and I really found myself also
(26:26):
dealing with unexpected things in everyday task in a more
confident way. I highly suggest this program if that's what
you're looking for in your life and if you're just
ready to start making changes both mentally and physically, this
is where you want to be.
Speaker 1 (26:40):
It's a new year and another opportunity to become the strong,
the confident, and the unstoppable person that you know inside
you're capable of becoming. You know, sometimes we find ourselves
in a rut, just like Shane was, but it takes
three things to break out of that rut. One making
a choice to put a stop to it too, having
(27:00):
a plan of action to take you from where you
are in life to where you want to go, and
three following through with that choice by putting in the
effort to execute the plan. You see, Shane is a
prime example of going from being in a rut to
becoming an absolutely unstoppable woman both in the mountains and
in her mindset. On how Shane approaches challenge and how
(27:23):
she approaches life, how she shows up.
Speaker 2 (27:26):
For herself and for those around her.
Speaker 1 (27:29):
So if you find yourself in a rut just like
Shane was, and you are ready to break out of
it and improve not just your strength and conditioning for
climbing mountains, because you know we all want to do that,
but if you also want to improve your mindset and
how you show up in the world every day beyond
the back country, then my seek to do more one
on one coaching program might be the trail map that
you've been looking for to take you to the top
(27:50):
of that mountain. You know, if you've had enough and
you're ready to make twenty twenty five, the year that
everything changed, book a call with me over at Seek
to Do More dot Com and let's get you moving
up that mountain. Because new summits are indeed within your grasp,
you just have to go get them. So if you
want to become the strongest version of yourself on the
trail and off the trail, head over to Seat to
(28:13):
Do More dot Com.
Speaker 2 (28:14):
Book a call with me and I'll see you on
the call.
Speaker 1 (28:20):
Best day during this recent spring quest and worst day?
Speaker 2 (28:27):
Okay, best day is almost always the Presidential Traverse and
new I'm sure have you done them before? No? I
have not, Okay, it is just absolutely phenomenal. You're above
tree line basically the entire day views of the Presidential Range,
which in my opinion is just the prettiest range in
the entire Northeast. And I always try to choose the
(28:51):
best weather window possible, obviously, because it's very dangerous up
there in poor weather. Now Washington is home of the
worst worst weather in the world, the highest recorded windspeed ever.
And I got a great weather window for this year.
I hike with some great people, and I just love
(29:11):
a good Presidential shore. So that was definitely my best day.
And why did you do there? Was last day? What
days did you do that or what month? I should
say month days? What do you remember? So unfortunately all
this kind of blends together. I know that I had
micro spikes on for the ascent up the initial ascent
(29:32):
up into onto the ridge, so there was still some
snow and ice out there, but once I was above
tree line, there was no sign of snow rice. It
was just bare rock. So it was yeah, So that
was my best day for sure. And then the worst
day was that one on sant To that I was
mentioning Senteny range. I was early on the spring and
(29:57):
it was just super tough.
Speaker 1 (29:59):
How fitting that it that the Santinoni range gave you
gave you the worst day of the of the bunch?
Very cool, very cool, classic Santononi range, Classic Santononi range.
There's a reason it has the reputation it has, and
that is it lived up to its reputation.
Speaker 2 (30:14):
Very good.
Speaker 1 (30:15):
So how many days in total did it take you
to complete all of this? What do you have account?
Speaker 2 (30:20):
I want to say that was I don't. I want
to say it was like eighty eight days. I should
be able to find that just one moment. It took
me eighty eight and a half days. We're going to
call it that. So, and yes, spring lasts for ninety
two point eight days, which I always thought it was
just ninety days when I googled it, that's what I found.
(30:42):
And I did just for some fun stats. I did
forty four hikes this round. Within my I hiked thirty
five individual days. Of those eighty eight point five days
that I had, the lapse time of it was five
hundred and thirty three of hiking one hundred and ninety
thousand pree V elevation game. Yeah, I suppose are some funnel
(31:05):
stats I have on that page.
Speaker 1 (31:06):
So I pulled up and thousands of minutes of fun
all in one adventure. Why as you hear it? So
when you are doing these big, these big adventures, let's say,
and I know this just from my own, my own,
like like when I did the forty six the first time,
I did it in the summer, and it was all
that I thought about. When I did the Northfield Plastid Trail,
(31:28):
it was all I thought about. I had the map
on the on the kitchen table. Does it does it
take over your life a little bit? Or are you
so familiar with these mountains at this point that maybe
you don't have to focus on it, on the actual
like details of it so much.
Speaker 2 (31:43):
Yeah, I don't think I focused on the details too
too much, other than I found myself checking the weather
app just about every half an hour throughout since fire spring.
It felt. I obviously I was working, I wouldn't be
checking a while wrapp, but if I had free time,
it might be more often than that. It's like the
weather in New York right now, what about New Hampshire?
(32:05):
Like what about Vermont? Where am I gonna be hiking? Oh,
it's changed because the weather change so frequently this spring
probably just always does. I don't notice as much, so
don't check the weather app as frequently. But I had
to pivot so much this spring. Like I was talking
to somebody recently, I was like, as much as it
would have been kind of nice to hike with somebody,
more like they would need to be the most flexible
(32:27):
person in the world. So I'd be like, Okay, let's
hike in New Hampshire and then the weather would change,
so you're absolutely sorry, I'm going to go to New York.
Speaker 4 (32:33):
Now.
Speaker 2 (32:35):
There's a lot of pivoting this spring due to weather.
Got it.
Speaker 1 (32:38):
I noticed on that list that you that you just gave.
You didn't list the miles driven during your.
Speaker 2 (32:46):
Oh gosh, that might be a depressing one for me
to figure out. I did think about trying to find
that find that out, but it's not a stat that
I tracked through a wout, and so it would be
very hard to go back and try to figure that out.
But it was definitely a lot of driving, and I
think I felt that more this season than I had
(33:07):
in previous seasons. I just moved in with my partner recently,
and so I was wanting to do less overnights in
the mountains and more day trips, and so that meant
driving in the morning three hours and then driving in
the evening or night three hours. That's like. Whereas I
(33:32):
still did a lot of overnight trips where I'd like
go out in car camp somewhere, just because it's impossible
to always do day trips, but I found myself doing
more day trips than I would have previously. So this
season had extra driving sure.
Speaker 1 (33:47):
Now, besides for the weather, obviously, the weather plays its
own it as its own is its own factor. What
made this round of the Northeast one fifteen unique and
different from previous ones.
Speaker 2 (34:01):
So I don't know if I have a great answer
to this people. Obviously with the different weather, you have
the different views because you have different like conditions on
the ground, there's different like vegetation out or lack thereof.
Speaker 1 (34:18):
You feel like you experienced the mountains in a different way?
Do you feel like you learned something different about yourself
them the adventure, anything that maybe stands out that that
made it unique compared to It's been up there so
many times on other nowas, and you've done them all
so often. Anything in particular that makes it unique, because
there might not be there, It might not be answer,
(34:39):
it might.
Speaker 2 (34:39):
Not be Unfortunately, I don't think I have a good
answer for you here. I love these mountains and all
the seasons, but they're pretty like the mountains stay pretty
similar throughout.
Speaker 1 (34:54):
Where does the spring? Where does this spring one rank
amongst the other rounds? Through the one fifteen?
Speaker 2 (35:03):
So I think it's kind of I'll give the best
answer I can, But I think that's kind of complicated
of an answer, because like my summer rounds, they were
unique in the ways I did them. Sure, like the
through hike, that's gonna be much harder than a regular round,
Like say, I was just trying to do like a
(35:24):
regular round of the summer that would be easy, breezy,
but I went the route of trying to doing the
through hike and also doing the speed effort. So those
were very hard in their own unique ways. Let's see,
I would say, and I might just be saying this
because the spring is the most recent one of my
memory that I'm gonna say the spring was my hardest
(35:47):
single season. But I guess that just because it's the
most recent, and.
Speaker 1 (35:53):
Obviously there's no improve which is the hardest for you,
but it's not, you know, it's good that it's it's
naturally it's in your it's in your brain. But also again, dude,
spring spring hiking is harder. It does bring so many
different challenges. You got multiple seasons you're dealing with on
the daily.
Speaker 2 (36:09):
And then the through hike in the summer that one
actually could could possibly surpass the spring and difficulty. I
just had so many, so not so many, but I
had injuries that I was dealing with which I don't
usually have on trail, and I was so lonely that summer,
(36:34):
like those were, so that was really tough. And then
I would say the winter, and then the twenty day
speed effort in the summer, and then the fall. I
think that should cover all. The fall was easy, breeze,
it was really simple. I think that covers all of
(36:55):
the rounds and sure some sort of an order. Now
let's talk about this speed effort. I want to hear
more about this. So you said twenty days to do
the northeast one fifteen. Yeah, it was like nineteen days,
eighteen hours probably something like that, like really cutting the clothes,
like just barely under twenty days. Okay, got it?
Speaker 1 (37:14):
So tell us that adventure that's en up of a
story where we could start from the shot from the beginning.
Do you remember it? Do you have that pretty fresh
in your mind? I happen to now you could.
Speaker 2 (37:23):
I haven't looked back up recently, Like I was more
thinking about this spring when we when I was prepping
for this. But I'm gonna do my best to go
back here. So for the.
Speaker 1 (37:31):
Wrong answer, it's just so interesting, like twenty days, you
sell someone you do twenty days through the high peaks,
they're gonna be like holy caps.
Speaker 2 (37:38):
Let alone the one fifteen. So I started out up
in Maine because Baxter State Park needs it's a little
bit of finessing to get into it, like you need
either a park pass, a parking pass, or like a
camping pass to use some sort of and it fills
(37:58):
up pretty quickly, And so I didn't want to have
to be scrambling that at the end, like if I
wasn't on the exact pace side. I say it started,
and I knew that twenty days out I had my
reserve reservation to Baxter. If everything didn't go to plan,
I would be kind of out of luck. So I
(38:18):
know if I started there, I would get that out
of the way and won't have to word about that again.
So I did Baxter State Park in a day, which
is North Brother, Baxter and Hamelin. No, actually I didn't
do it. Sorry, I always do those in a day,
but this time I started the clock late on the day.
(38:39):
I'm probably do a poor job of explaining why I
did this, but I started the speed effort at probably
four pm, and I hiked Baxter and a Hamelin, which
to most people is they're going to call that call
Baxter Catadam, but the actual peak name is Baxter, and
then slept the next day North Brother, and the reason
I did it this way is because the second day
(39:02):
I had a long drive from Bachelor State Park to
the next peak, next set of peaks, and so I
drove a good chunk of that next day and then
did either hike or two that day. So maybe got
done in like two and a half days. I think
it was maybe three, I can't remember exactly. And then
(39:23):
I made my way over to New Hampshire. And I'm
not gonna be precise on my time frame here, but
that probably took me seven days maybe, And New Hampshire
was pretty chill. Other than I think I need to
(39:46):
just scramble a little bit for my My presy traverse
had some issues because I was doing this self supported,
and the format for that is like you can't coordinate
special help for yourself, you can receive help from the
(40:07):
general public that would be available to everybody. And so
my car. I was using a bike for some of
these things where i'd like bike from trailhead to trailhead
if I needed to, And this time I dropped my
bike and I got back to after the hike started
biking back to my car got a flat tire and
(40:28):
then I had to frantically look up online what the
rules are for supported my self supported fast known times.
It's like, am I allowed to hitch hike or am
I walking back to my car? Now, thankfully I was
able to hitchhike back to my car that was allowed,
and then went back to my bike and Hamphia went
pretty smoothly because I's just like I'm really familiar with
(40:50):
that area. That's where I spend the most time hiking.
And after that, I did Vermont in a day, which
is my first time ever doing that. People do it
pretty frequently, but it was It's something I'd wanted to
do for a while, it never gotten around to it,
and so I did for mountin a day, and by
the end of that day, technically I had set the
fast known time for the New England sixty seven self supported.
(41:14):
I say technically, but I haven't actually submitted for that one,
because it's just I don't know.
Speaker 1 (41:19):
It wasn't worry, that wasn't my goal. Sure, but hey,
you did it, though, I tell you to submit, submit,
submit person.
Speaker 2 (41:28):
And then I made my way over to the Adirondacks,
which on all of my efforts I've done that. Adirondecks
is always the crux of the project. It is the hardest,
and I was still true on the speed effort. Those
miles for me are so slow, but I got those done.
It again probably around seven ish days, and then my
(41:52):
last day I pushed from I did the Santinoni Range
and Alan in a day, and then drove without sleeping
down to the cat Skills, which like a three and
a half four hour drive from there, and then finished
again without sleeping on Hunter and Slide. But so that
(42:14):
was a very brief and not very well put together
presentation of what the speed effort looks.
Speaker 1 (42:21):
No, it's good, it's good. Good to see how it
unfolded in like how it all worked. You just made
your way, made your way west ultimately, and just I'm
gonna carry it on. So tell me, why do you
feel the Adirondacks is always the crux of your of
these endeavors that you go.
Speaker 2 (42:36):
What makes it so difficult? And it's just rockier, routier,
and mentally it's more remote than anywhere else. So it's
those places where I'm most like I am in the
wilderness right now. If something happens that I could be
in trouble, like you have situations like that elsewhere. But
I feel that most consistently that are on backs. It's
(42:57):
just feel like as my which the trails are well
taken care of for what they are like, they're they're rugged,
like I mentioned the rocks and the roots, like it's
slow going, they're steep all out of the times. My
most reson I can utter on Dex was I finished
better on nex in the seward range, Like you have
(43:20):
some steep stuff there.
Speaker 1 (43:21):
Absolutely, Wow. Yeah, it's gonna challenge It's going to challenge you,
that's for sure. The seward range is not going to
make a simple, simple day, that's for sure.
Speaker 2 (43:32):
Those some of my reasons behind why I think that
her index are the toughest in my opinion. Okay, yeh.
Speaker 1 (43:36):
I just love to hear, love to hear from someone
like yourself who's all over the place constantly. And when
you said that, was like, oh, I got to know
why what makes it so interesting and so so difficult
for these for these endeavors for you? So as before
as we start to wrap things up, do you have
something that's next? When your mind are way too soon,
we don't.
Speaker 2 (43:55):
Really have something that's next. I feel like I have
a pattern lately of like take the majority of a
season off after something like, so I did the summer
speed effort this past summer. I did that pretty early
on the summer. So then I took the rest of
the summer off, and then I did my fall single season,
(44:16):
and then I took all of the winter off, and
then I did the spring s lingle season, and so
in my eyes, I deserve summer off now. And so
I have no real plans. I told myself near the
end that of the spring single season, maybe I'll try
to become a runner. Now I don't know, but I've
never been good at sticking with that. I've told myself
(44:37):
that a few times now, like I'm gonna try running again,
and then I get burnt out of that. But I'm
looking forward to spend some time by the lake and
they are chill in this summer.
Speaker 1 (44:46):
Now, when you do take these times off, these seasons off,
are these like seasons that you're like not hiking at all,
or you just you're not doing a thing, You're just
maybe you might go up here, go up there, You're
or you just completely off.
Speaker 2 (44:59):
I'll still like socially okay, but not nearly as much.
It's hard to motivate myself after some at big to
want to drive the several hours to the mountains. Sure,
but loves some stuff.
Speaker 1 (45:13):
Probably you don't want to lose those those mountain legs
that you work so hard to build, you know, the
the ability to climb up.
Speaker 2 (45:20):
Over only feel that loss at the beginning of each
project is like I try to train some before them,
but I never do a good job of training. So
it's usually just me training on trail at the beginning
of my project. No understood understood. Fortunately we have we
have ways to fix that. That them wearing a T shirt.
That is why how we do that? Dow but good
(45:42):
glad to hear.
Speaker 1 (45:42):
So as we start to wrap these things up, wrap
up this podcast. I always like to ask people this question,
and we'll ask you again so you know, I'm I'm
gonna mold it to yourself. So the first question is
always like, what's something that's unique to you that you
always have with you when you're hiking, whether it's in
your backpack, whether it's something you like to eat, what's
something you need to you?
Speaker 2 (46:00):
They like, gotta have it, got to have it with me.
I'm I don't know, this might be too boring of
an answer, But I'm an absolute crutch of my crutches
trekking poles, which is a kind of interesting pole that
ar crutches, but I cannot hike without them. They take
(46:23):
off so much strain from the rest of my body.
So that's one of my definite answers. And when I
did my Heemi loop this spring, which I do what
I always liked to just an air quote because I
feel silly, but they call it a super extended Pemmy
loop where certain add ons to it. But when I
was coming off of a zeal and my trekking pole
(46:45):
just fell apart on me. It was a black diamond
trekking pole I had for a while, and I just
there's no way to repair it. So I strapped at
my pack and I was walking around with one pole.
It felt so awkward, you know what, But I feel
like another one I need to and I have two
more afters. I would love to give quick close shout
(47:06):
outs to no sponsorships at all here, but I love
my welches, fruit snacks. Anyone who follows me knows that
have fun sure, but one that I deserved recently was
seal skin socks. I really need to just give them
a shout out because without this, without them the spring,
I don't think I would have been able to do it,
or at least do it and stay sane and keep
(47:27):
my feet from falling apart. But they are waterproof socks
and I didn't get a single blister all season long.
I wore darn tough socks on the like as my
initial air, and then put the seal skins over them.
It was phenomenal and I couldn't recommend them highly enough
for spring conditions.
Speaker 1 (47:45):
Very cool, all right, So we got darn tough socks
and then seal skin socks over the darn tough sock.
Speaker 2 (47:51):
And then what am I hearing you correctly that yes
you are?
Speaker 1 (47:55):
Yeah, what's the reason for that over the other sockarticular?
Speaker 2 (48:01):
It's just to have my so my friend Joe who
suggested it to me. That's how they did it, and
I didn't try it any other way. I guess you
probably could get away with just doing the sealskin sock,
but I think it probably has to do something with
like wicking moisture away from your body or something else.
I'm not going to end meton.
Speaker 1 (48:22):
I don't understand and sod my brain immediately would kind
of went to like, well, I could understand like a
sock liner and then the sock on top.
Speaker 2 (48:29):
But hey, whatever, whatever works, it worked for you. So
glad to hear.
Speaker 1 (48:33):
And I'm also right there with you with trekking polls,
I will legit go home. If I've forgotten in my car.
I get to the trailhead, I don't have my I'm
gonna I'm not hiking. I'm going home. That's how much
I need them. And you're right they people so many
people don't hike with them and think like, oh, they're clunky,
they feel weird, they take so much wear and tear
(48:53):
off your body going and going down. They are just
to me, they are an absolute muscle. It's as important
as my backpack. In fact, I'll go climb like small
mountains here all the time with nothing but the tracking polls.
So in fact, if you think about it that way,
I take my poles more than I take a backpack.
That's how I feel about them. So very cool. Next
(49:15):
question for you, will I always ask what makes the
Adirondacks a unique place, but I'm going to switch it
for you. What makes Northeast hiking a unique place? In
terms of the whole world of hiking. Why is the
Northeast so unique?
Speaker 2 (49:31):
So I grew up here, So this is these a
mountains that I grew up knowing. I think my best
answer will be so I went out to Colorado a
few summers ago and hiked to the fourteen Yers out there,
and I met some cool people. But the hiking community
(49:52):
out there was nothing like what it is in the Northeast.
Maybe that's only because I spent just just over like
maybe I missed every a month and a half over there,
so maybe I didn't give it enough time of chance.
But just the hiking community over here is phenomenal. I
don't know, I've met so many great people and just
(50:12):
it's such a tight knit group, like everyone seems to
know each other, or if they don't know what show,
it's something they know someone that knows the other person.
So I just love the community here.
Speaker 1 (50:23):
Sure, I think there's a real depth to the love
for this area. You know, it's kind of like an
it's if you know, you know sort of mentality. But
I think that's what you get here because whereas like
you think, you ask anybody in the country, like where
are you going to go?
Speaker 2 (50:39):
Hiking.
Speaker 1 (50:40):
Every person's answer is going to be out west Rocky Mouth,
so it's like it's it's the obvious answer, but in
the Northeast it's not the obvious answer. So it creates
a cult following. And as you all, you know, like
any sort time there's a cult following, there's like real
depth to the love for it. So I think that's
really what what attracts the people in the Northeast to
(51:02):
They take ownership over the mountains, like these are our mountains,
and you know, there's that sense of pride with them.
Ultimately very cool. So now final question is always why
do you hike? But for you, you don't just hike.
As we talked at the beginning of the episode, why
do you continue to set these monster challenges for yourself
that a no one's making you do. You could quit
(51:25):
at any freaking time you want and go home, but
yet you keep you finish and you keep coming back
for more.
Speaker 2 (51:32):
Why As I touched on a little bit before, I
do very much enjoy pushing my body, seeing what I'm
capable of. But I also do love the idea of
knowing that some of these things I've done nobody has
done before. That's just baffling to me, like how there's
so many people out here in this world and it's
(51:56):
it's hard for people to say, like I've done something
no one else has ever done before, and it feels
good to me to know, like hat it's something that
said before. There's there's a quote the long lines of
like either write something worth reading or do something worth
writing about, and that kind of Drew Manfan first heard
it in a song by the Ballroom Thieves, I think
(52:18):
it was, but I think they were quoting somebody else
who was now unfortunately, but I've kind of drawn some
inspiration from that. Yes, mostly to push myself and just
do something that nobody else has done before and be
out in a cool place, like mountains are beautiful. Sometimes
(52:38):
I forget to look around and then joy it as
much as I should. But where you live a we're
lucky to live where we do. Absolutely, you know, you
know you hear so often. You know anytime you post,
I mean you probably know more than anyone. Anytime you
post anything like this in pages, you're gonna get people
who say, like, why do you need to hike so fast?
Why do you need to see it?
Speaker 1 (52:59):
But like you just said, like, maybe you need to
look around and enjoy it more, but I think that
you're enjoying it in the way that is unique to you,
and that's really what it's about. It's kind of like
the same, the same old like hike your own hike
sort of mentality, but like you are enjoying it in
that way.
Speaker 2 (53:15):
But I would also I do.
Speaker 1 (53:16):
I can also relate to the idea of like, sometimes
you need to look up and look around a little
bit more instead of just at the few steps in
front of you, And I catch myself having to do
that as well. That way we don't miss the trail
around us, because the trail is equally as enjoyable as
the summit, just in different ways.
Speaker 2 (53:33):
Very cool, Will Well.
Speaker 1 (53:33):
I appreciate you coming back on the podcast to share
your story.
Speaker 2 (53:37):
Where can people find you online if they want to
learn more?
Speaker 4 (53:40):
Mostly I'm active on Instagram at Will's Underscore Wanderings, but
lately I haven't been posting some stories during the spring.
Speaker 2 (53:51):
But yeah, let's LEAs follow me for if I'm doing
a project, I'll be doing some story updates throughout it, all.
Speaker 1 (53:58):
Right, Very cool, Will Rob the most impressive hiker who
never documents or posts anything on social media about these
adventures that he's having. But man, the stuff that you're
doing out there inspirational and absolutely legendary.
Speaker 2 (54:13):
And the fact that you are.
Speaker 1 (54:14):
Indeed doing things that no one else is doing is
absolutely true and is incredible to watch. So thanks for
coming on the podcast, Will and that's going to wrap
up this episode of the forty six to forty six podcast.
Speaker 2 (54:25):
Head over to forty six Outdoors.
Speaker 1 (54:27):
Dot com to check out when I have some guided
grouphikes this summer. Pick up my new book, The Adirondack
forty six and eighteen Hikes. If you're about to hike
the forty six High Peaks, or you've already hiked it
and you want to hear someone else's story, reread REGOs
through that adventure that books for you, whether you're just
starting or your season. Forty six or the next Great
Range Athlete team is unfortunately sold out for July. June
(54:48):
and July both sold out, so if you do want
to catch on get on that for a future team,
go to forty six Outdoors dot com and sign up
for the next team. Not sure when it's going to
drop yet, but be on the lookout for that if
you do want want help getting in mountain shape so
you can go enjoy your adventures instead of feeling like
you're suffering through them. But that's going to wrap up
this episode of the podcast. Check back on Fridays for
(55:09):
new mountains, new stories, new guests, and new episodes right
here on the forty six to forty six Podcast. Remember
I always leave no trace. Do the rock walk and
if you carry it in, carry it out. See you
on the trails.
Speaker 2 (55:20):
Everybody
This is the forty six of forty six podcast summit session,
where we'll talk all things Adirondack back country and beyond.
From high peaks stories and adventures to trail tips and tricks.
We'll dive deep into the heart of these mountains and
the people who passionately climb them. Adirondack maps and spruce
traps to bushwacks and backpacks. It's all here the forty
(00:22):
six of forty six Summit Sessions. Hello everyone, and welcome
back to the forty six of forty six podcast. I
(00:43):
am here with a summit session with a repeat guest
who just continues to push the envelope and challenge himself
more and more to do absolutely ubsurd things in the mountains.
I am back with Will Robinson. You may remember him
from a summit session long ago where he talked about
his through hike of the Northeast one fifteen. Yes, he
(01:07):
walked from state to state, from the Adirondack Catskills to
the Adirondacks, to the Green Mountains, to the White Mountains
and over to me well, hiking just a couple of
mountains in.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
Between, an absolutely absurd feat. But he is back.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
He just finished a spring single season. Wait for it,
Northeast one fifteen, not just the forty six. Now we're
talking the one fifteen. And this isn't the first time
he's done it. Wait until you hear what he has
actually accomplished over the last year. But anyways, Will Robinson
is here to talk all about it and to share
(01:42):
some mountain adventures here in the forty six to forty
six podcast.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
So Will welcome back. It's good to see how you doing.
Thank you, James, I'm going great. Thank you for having
me on again. It is a pleasure and honor. Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
When I saw your Instagram story a few days ago,
you know, saying I've already been following what you've done
in the last year, He's like, man, he's always out
there doing stuff. And then when I saw what you
just completed again, I was like, my god, this we
have to share this story on the podcast. So I
don't even want to take I don't want to take
the spot. I want you to tell us, tell us
(02:13):
what you just finished, and then tell us what the
last year has has entailed for you.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
So this past spring, I set out to hike all
the four thousand foot mountains in New York Vermont, New
Hampshire in Maine. All in the single spring season, which
elapsed time is like ninety days, it was like ninety
two point eight days of spring or something like that,
(02:38):
if we're getting precise, And I thought that it was
going to be one of my easier rounds of the
Northeast one fifteen. Oddly because when I first started the
Northeast one fifteen journey, I thought spring was gonna be
the hardest one because everyone always talks about hard spring is.
But I was looking at my calendar and I was like,
I have so much time off during or time off
(03:00):
that I can use during the spring. I'm gonna be
able to actually break this down into smaller hikes. Like,
for one example, in the fall, when I did a
single season round, I did Tabletop, Phelps, Marcy Skylight Gray,
and Colden in a day. And this spring, I was like,
I have so much time off, I'm just gonna break
(03:20):
that up. I'm gonna do Tabletop and Phelps one day
and then just do Marcy Skylight Gray called in another day. Yeah,
like a like a normal hiker exactly. But as anyone
who's actually hiked in the spring before all will no
spring is tough. Yeah, that's land. So it ends up
actually being one of my hardest rounds.
Speaker 1 (03:43):
Right, so you have done three round No, this was
your fourth round of a single season fifteen. So now
people you all recognize people do the single season winter
forty six or you know you might hike them all
in one season at some point. That's just the forty
he's also doing the New Hampshire forty eight. He's doing
(04:04):
the mountains in main like, he's not just hiking the
forty six in one single season, which is what makes
this such an absurd feat that you've done. But this
is your correct me if I'm wrong. We were talking
about the statistics beforehand. This is your third single season
one fifteen in the last calendar year, but your fifth period,
(04:25):
is that correct?
Speaker 2 (04:25):
I think technically would be the last three rounds in
the last twelve months, Okay, and I'm sure if that, Yeah,
it might be a different technicality than calendar year, but
then it's technically my fourth unique single season of like
the different seasons. But I've done five single seasons of
(04:46):
the Northeast Blue fifteen because I've done summer twice. Bonkers,
absolutely bonkers.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
So let's talk a little bit about the beginning, so
you went there must have been a point where you said, okay,
well now I have to do them in every season.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
What was that? When did that happen first? Is my
first question. Let's see, so I did the winter one first,
which might seem weird, is it's probably the one of
the hardest one.
Speaker 1 (05:16):
It's the hardest one, but that's also the one that,
like draws the has the allure for that sort of
speed hiker question.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
Exactly, there's most people who do single season things, either
it's a single season summer or a single season winter,
those which seems like the big ones be able to do.
So I did that, and I just started dreaming up
what are other unique ways that I could do the
one fifteen. That's why I came up with what I
called or called or call the one fifteen Grand Slam,
(05:45):
which consisted of, in my mind, the one fifteen in
every single season, the one fifteenth through like the one
fifteen speed Effort, which at the time I was considering
anything under thirty days. I was able to manage it
in under twenty days, and then the last part of
the Grand Slam, which I have yet to do and
(06:06):
currently I have no real aspirations for is the one
to fifteen grid. And for those not familiar with what
a grid in hiking terms is, is hiking all of
the mountains every month of the year doesn't need to
be in one year over a lifetime. So maybe someday
I'll get the it's to actually go for that. Technically,
(06:28):
right now it is legally impossible because Baxter State Park
closes above tree line for one monthly. I can't remember
which one it is, but it's like, yeah, maybe it's sure,
it doesn't matter, absolutely wild.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
So for context people to do the grid of just
the forty six Aronic high peaks, that's five hundred and
fifty two mountains, I believe is what that comes to.
So now add New Hampshire, Vermont, and add all the
other mountains to the mix. Absolutely crazy. What an impressive
feat and pressive resume. I look forward to reading your
book one day. I think I said that on the
last podcast, but I look forward to eventually reading that
(07:06):
book one day that you're going to write about the
Northeast Mountains and why hiking here in the Northeast is
its own animal altogether. No one would be more more
fitting to tell that story than you after what you've accomplished. Okay,
so talk to us about talk to us about this
last round the spring one point fifteen. Take us through
the journey, tell us how to go. Let's start at
(07:26):
the beginning in less rock and roll.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
So I started out with I think like, I'm having
a lot of flexibility of where I can hike because
I had all of the Northeast to work with. So
I thought to myself, if I have this flexibility, I
might as well take floo advantage of it, and like,
look at trip reports, look at where the weather just
made best, and not necessarily say I'm going to start
(07:50):
with one region and just knock that out, which is
what I did in the winter. When I did it,
as I was like, I want to knock out the
Adirondacks right away, and I'm going to go on to
the next region. I feel like that wasn't the best
way for me to do it, and so I got
smarter and so I was able to look at trip
reports on the New England has a website Newland Trail Conditions,
(08:13):
which is wonderful of Unfortunately, with New York, Madirandecks not
technically being in New England, they're not on that website,
and so for most people who hike them at Airondecks,
they probably are familiar with the Facebook page, the Adirondack
Trail Conditions page, which is very helpful. It's definitely not
(08:37):
as user friendly and easy to find what you're looking
for on there as it is on the New England page.
But I was on that page a lot, scouring new posts,
searching for the most recent post, trying trails that seem doable,
and then I would just something was broken out because
(08:57):
early in the spring still have a lot of snow.
So I was in vir trails that was like it
was broken out, didn't have major river crossings, was at
that point all like ice bridges were melting or unstable,
and just that's kind of how I started the planning,
was trying to find areas that were going to be
(09:19):
the best conditions for the snow, and I found New
Hampshire to be my best bet for that. As much
as I feel like that around Necks are well traveled,
the White Mountains, they like super highways, it feels like,
and so there was so much more broken out. My
wonderful part of that is because I feel there is
(09:41):
like a gridding culture in that are on decks. But
and maybe this is my bias, who I spend more
time in the White mountains, but I know so many
more people who are gritting in the Whites, so that
the trails yet traveled year round. I find that in
the Adrondic is more summer and winter that get the
biggest trafficking. Once that winter calendar stops and you're knotting
(10:04):
your winter credit anymore. Her you're yeah, a lot of
like I'm not going to do the santanonis now. Yeah, yeah,
I know you're You're not wrong.
Speaker 1 (10:11):
And you also get like, obviously we all know the
the you know, the messaging that comes out from places
like the DC, the Mountain Club about like don't hike
in the spring, all these things, So I think I
think that actually goes a long way with with various people.
And yeah, the gritting culture here is significantly smaller. I know,
I know a handful of people that that's like part
(10:32):
of their part of their thing that they're going after.
But yeah, spring hiking here die. I mean it does
straight dies like it dies asquickly, for sure, no doubt
about that. So basically from what I'm hearing you instead
of doing like the forty six and the forty eight,
you decided to whatever mountains make sense this week or
basically is where you went. So you're that must have
(10:54):
been quite a lot to manage it your head and
you're you live in Vermont, correct if I remember correctly? Yes,
a year you know, hop skip and a jump from
both so or ranges there. So talk to me about
the actual keeping track of all these mountains that you've done.
And also too, there must have been well you're waiting
to see what mountains make sense next. There's also like
(11:17):
there's a time crunch, there's urgency because there's dates involved
that these have to be completed by. So how did
that kind of play into play into the whole thing?
Speaker 2 (11:29):
I started out the season in a sense of false
security with as I mentioned, for all this vacation time
that I had to use, and so I was comforted
by the fact that like, oh, I have thirty skip days,
something I can use. I can't remember exactually the number
of days I had available to me, but I would
(11:50):
keep track of it as like, Okay, I need to
hike for forty days. Let's say I can skip twenty
five of those twenty five days, twenty five days and
still be on track. But that might not be making
sense to any funny else but I'm not sure hell
is to put it. Unfortunately, But so I had some
(12:11):
flex days. I was calling them, and because I had
so many of those, I was like, Oh, it's raining today,
I don't really want to hike in the rain. So
I would like, I have plenty of skip days left.
Speaker 1 (12:27):
And unfortunately oppressive though, given the fact that like, there
is that urgency. So I would imagine it would be
one of those things where you would front load so
much hiking so that you, you know, you have a
good base for you know, then maybe you would do
the skip days later on, later on during the jur party,
(12:48):
handle a lot of the mountains.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
But but no, okay. Another another thought process that I
had had was that the trail conditions were only going
to get better. Like when I started, there was still
soveral feet of snow out there, and knowing that later
in the spring I was gonna have bear trails. That's
why would I want to break trail for eighteen miles
(13:10):
and two feet of snow when I can do that
in the dirt. But I could, I could totally see
how someone would want to do the majority of it
early on. Yeah, load for you know, mental sape, But
it's a good point.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
Like hiking March twenty second and hiking June nineteenth, very
deep situation. So it's a good point that you bring up.
I forget that, Like, yeah, technically, I mean we're we're
in a few days into summer, but in my mind,
like in my mind, summer begins in the Atironic Park
on May first, once first, even though it's technically spring,
(13:44):
the seasons here are so short to me, it's just
like it's just like summer ish is what I basically called,
because come October it could be winter. Where I live,
It's just like summer ish and then winter. Those are
the two seasons we have. So okay, that makes sense,
That makes sense that that would be that would be
your Okay, So you started knocking out a lot of
the whites because of the trails just being more traveled
(14:06):
and more information on trail conditions. So continue, so continue
onto the journey here.
Speaker 2 (14:11):
I think one thing I definitely wanted to bring up
is just one anecdote of hiking the Santinons. That was
one where I I don't know what I was thinking
until we left one early into the spring, and I
hadn't seen a shrip report for a while. I should
have known it was going to be horrible out there,
(14:34):
but I could have never guessed how about it was
going to be. It was one of my worst hikes
I've ever had, right and i've in so I as
a being early spring, is still much snow there. Obviously,
I have my snow shoes with me, and I think
that I was delusional on someone. I was like, I'm
probably not gonna need them, But like within ten steps
of even that first little bit of like the roadwalk, ye,
(14:57):
I'm already tossing snowshoes on and on the road. I
was able to stay aflow. But once I got onto
the actual trail, someone had broken out a portion of
it going up to Times Square, but they bailed very
early on, and after that it was just me and
(15:19):
bare snow in front of me, like no tracks whatsoever.
And for those of a hike that rains, it's just
herd path trails. There's no trail markings. And I was
one trying to find the trail trail just having my
phone out a bunch which I don't like having to do.
(15:40):
And I was sinking in every single step and just wet,
slushy snow. Even when the snowshoes on, I could not
stay aflow at all, and being a warmish day and
there was some fresh snow that came recently, I was
being dripped on from the trees above, which is just
(16:00):
as bad as being rained on, yeah, even worse because
you know, like like there's blue sky above you and
you're still getting just soaked to the bone. And so
that was almost all day of just being wet, being miserable,
having my phone out, trying to find some semblance of trail.
(16:20):
And then thankfully I got to Santennonia nearing the end
of my time on the Ridge area, and I saw
a large group of people coming up the Santennoni Express
and I'm just so relieved knowing that I wasn't going
to need to break out that trail going down and
(16:41):
do trail finding all the way down to the end.
At that point, I was really convinced I was going
to end in the dark, which isn't end of the world.
I always have a head lamber two with me, but
just not what I was wanting.
Speaker 1 (16:55):
It's a long days in Spumber, by your long day
even in the summer, by yourself on the sand Nony Range,
a perfect day, let alone in that situation when you're
going through that much stuff, And there must have been
a moment while you were climbing up Santinoni that day
where you.
Speaker 2 (17:09):
Were like, what am I doing? I don't have to
be right now. There were so many points this spring
where I was like, I don't need to be here.
But then I remind myself that if I wasn't here
right now, I would be I'm not hiking the one
fifteen of the spring, and then regretting that later, knowing
(17:29):
that because I knew that eventually I wanted to do
this last I'm three. You can't just leave it at that.
You mean to do the fourth ones, and so knowing
that if I didn't do it this spring, I would
have to do it next spring, and just get it
out of the way now because I don't need to
do it again later. M Yeah, you're saying you're think
I think that was what pushed me through a lot
(17:50):
of the spring. You're thinking about future you and how
would future you think as opposed to current you, which
would love to be sold right now, not you know,
trying their way over to Coopxicraga right now by myself.
Speaker 1 (18:03):
So did you so you must have? Did you beat
the crowd over to Coo Cicraga, then you had to
break break trail over there too.
Speaker 2 (18:09):
So I had started going up to Panther catch esagraa
and then went over to Santoni after. So I had
broken the rest of the range out and then it
was just my descent down where I had the broken trail,
and it was just that was so nice to mindless,
(18:29):
be mindlessly, be able to hike without a fear of
getting lost. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (18:33):
Absolutely, So do you think about this this season in particular,
because you know, you bring up a really good point
about you know, how it's so different on March twenty
second than it is on June nineteenth, where it must
feel it must feel like March twenty second was like
(18:53):
like right now with you, it probably feels like it
was years ago that you started a set, whereas it
was like, no, it's just like past season, whereas like
summer obviously you know, June twenty first and September twenty
first like look exactly the same.
Speaker 2 (19:07):
Does it feel like it was years ago.
Speaker 1 (19:09):
At what what do you think about in your brain
when you compare like the last few mountains compared to
the first few mountains.
Speaker 2 (19:15):
Yeah, this spring felt like a very long season. Even
the last few weeks just felt like they were going
to drag on, Like is this ever gonna end? Am
I going to be able to finish this?
Speaker 3 (19:26):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (19:26):
Looking back on my pictures of the mountains from March
and then the mountains from last week or two weeks ago, Yeah,
last week, I think it was totally different worlds and
I'm just glad.
Speaker 1 (19:41):
So for yeah, sure, sure, it's always it's fun in
the moment to talk it's fun. It's fun to talk
about it later once it's been accomplished. It's not fun
in the moment. This is This is hiking as fact,
and what you're doing isn't type too fun. It's it's
beyond that. It's deeper than.
Speaker 2 (19:58):
You for sure. Something I need to try to get
back to. Like when I started hiking, I was hiking
because I enjoyed it, and now it's become like a
chore or a job. I never used to put in
headphones when I was hiking this past spring. There might
have been like a couple of minutes where I didn't
have headphones. Oh, I get it, and like that's a problem.
(20:20):
I want to be able to enjoy it again. So
I'm hoping to like I've done my big goals for now.
I hope I'll probably find something else, but for the
time being, I just want to kind of try to
enjoy hiking again.
Speaker 1 (20:34):
Sure, get back to just going out and allowing yourself
to just hike one mountain.
Speaker 2 (20:39):
I'm just gonna go up this one.
Speaker 1 (20:41):
I always say that once you finish the forty six,
you free yourself to not feel the obligation to do
you know Marcy Skylight and Gray, or to do the
whole bac entire range. You can just go do right
and that's it and go home, Like you free yourself
from feeling that obligation. But at the same time, will
like I'm maybe I can relate to it because I
(21:03):
go into the mountains to enjoy the the challenge of it,
the push of it, the physical nature of it. Like
that's why I go out there. And you're not gonna
you It's almost like you like you clearly like pushing
yourself from both a physical and a mental standpoint, and
you do it in the back drop of the mountains,
(21:25):
whereas like, it's not that hiking is a chore now,
it's like the it's the the physical pursuit of these big, big,
lofty challenges just happen to take place in the mountains
because that's where you actually like to be. So now
going back and just climbing a single mountain like you're going,
I mean you'll you obviously enjoy it, But I do
think that there's slightly a different sort of not vibe,
(21:48):
but a different there's a different goal at hand, where
whereas like hike it fun for the joy of the
mountain and then pushing yourself, they just happen to take
place in the same the same place.
Speaker 2 (21:59):
Am I right there? Am I? I think you are
actually because like I do find some weird joy in
pushing my body and seeing what I'm capable of. But
so it's just like what joy am I looking for
in the moment? Am I looking to push myself? Am
I looking to just enjoy hike? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (22:15):
Well, think about the satisfact? So what to talk to
us about the satisfaction you feel right now having persevered,
having pushed through, You didn't quit, You didn't go home
during this Antononi range and saying, you know what this
thing like maybe next spring. No, you did it, So
I think you're really working towards that feeling that you
feel right now of talking about this this big adventure.
Speaker 2 (22:36):
I've always said to people that I never feel a
giant feeling of accomplishment after these projects, like I expect
to feel and I feel like that's true again this time.
But I think I finally came to the realization I
can't expect the final hike to feel like this magical
(22:57):
thing and feel like this flow of accomplishment just wash
over me. It's just one other hike. I need to
think about how the whole spring led up to this,
and how each hard hike that I did brought in
a little bit of accomplishment, Like I got trickles of
(23:19):
accomplishment all throughout the season, whereas I this feeling I
crave is just like one wave of the accomplishment at
the end of the season that never happens, Like I'm
proud of what I did, I'm super happy I did it,
but there was never any feeling of just like huge
feeling of accomplishment. Okay, that makes it make sense.
Speaker 1 (23:38):
No, it does make sense, and I remember us talking
about this on the first podcast that you did. So
let me ask you, is there a hike that you
can think back to where you have felt that sense
of accomplishment upon getting to the summit or like getting
back to the trail and that gave you that fulfillment
that you were searching for.
Speaker 2 (23:57):
Or maybe you did expect. I don't say think that
it was a hike necessarily, but I've dabbled in the
ultra marathon world a little bit, and the i'd say
the finish of like set races like the I never
felt it at the end, like backer all shows where
there is no real and it's going to tap out
(24:19):
when you're done, or like timed like twenty four thirty
six hour races. But when I finished the Eastern States
one hundred, which is one hundred mile race, like there's
an actual finish line, there's you're working towards that all day,
actually think a day and a half, and then finally
(24:40):
getting into that I really felt that wave of just wow.
I think it's because it was a shorter term push
and it all happened in one short period of time,
Whereas it's like I wasn't getting that trickle accomplishment throughout
the smaller journeys. It was just all I did this
one really big thing and wow does that feel good?
(25:03):
And this I've been visualizing this finish line for the last.
Speaker 1 (25:07):
Thirty three hours. Okay, that's good. At at least you're
getting that. You're getting that in some capacity you've experienced before.
Because I was gonna ask, I was like, man, I've
not experienced that like that, you know, kid on Christmas
moment in the mountains.
Speaker 2 (25:21):
Then I would say, Okay, I'm willing you better talk.
We got to talk.
Speaker 1 (25:23):
We got to we got to get to the the
bottom of why you're going out there. But no, I
really appreciate the pushing yourself in the mountains. I always
ask people in this podcast like why do you hike?
Why do you do it? And for me that's actually
the answer is I like that. I like the physical
pursuit and like what better backdrop than to do it
in like the mountains.
Speaker 2 (25:42):
It's it's just a great spot.
Speaker 3 (25:45):
My name is Sheene Kayshek and I came across James
through his forty six of forty six podcasts and I
joined the Seek to Do More program in June of
twenty twenty two, after watching James on Instagram with the
program and seeing people be sixcessful with it, I needed
to get myself out of a rut, and with the program,
I was able to break free from old habits and
(26:06):
really reclaim my life and my confidence. I found such
a fulfillment in myself and I'm stronger both physically and mentally,
and more confident in the choices that I make. My
adventures have become unstoppable with what I'm determined to do.
I've hiked multiple peaks by myself, I've backpacked by myself,
I've started doing ultras, and I really found myself also
(26:26):
dealing with unexpected things in everyday task in a more
confident way. I highly suggest this program if that's what
you're looking for in your life and if you're just
ready to start making changes both mentally and physically, this
is where you want to be.
Speaker 1 (26:40):
It's a new year and another opportunity to become the strong,
the confident, and the unstoppable person that you know inside
you're capable of becoming. You know, sometimes we find ourselves
in a rut, just like Shane was, but it takes
three things to break out of that rut. One making
a choice to put a stop to it too, having
(27:00):
a plan of action to take you from where you
are in life to where you want to go, and
three following through with that choice by putting in the
effort to execute the plan. You see, Shane is a
prime example of going from being in a rut to
becoming an absolutely unstoppable woman both in the mountains and
in her mindset. On how Shane approaches challenge and how
(27:23):
she approaches life, how she shows up.
Speaker 2 (27:26):
For herself and for those around her.
Speaker 1 (27:29):
So if you find yourself in a rut just like
Shane was, and you are ready to break out of
it and improve not just your strength and conditioning for
climbing mountains, because you know we all want to do that,
but if you also want to improve your mindset and
how you show up in the world every day beyond
the back country, then my seek to do more one
on one coaching program might be the trail map that
you've been looking for to take you to the top
(27:50):
of that mountain. You know, if you've had enough and
you're ready to make twenty twenty five, the year that
everything changed, book a call with me over at Seek
to Do More dot Com and let's get you moving
up that mountain. Because new summits are indeed within your grasp,
you just have to go get them. So if you
want to become the strongest version of yourself on the
trail and off the trail, head over to Seat to
(28:13):
Do More dot Com.
Speaker 2 (28:14):
Book a call with me and I'll see you on
the call.
Speaker 1 (28:20):
Best day during this recent spring quest and worst day?
Speaker 2 (28:27):
Okay, best day is almost always the Presidential Traverse and
new I'm sure have you done them before? No? I
have not, Okay, it is just absolutely phenomenal. You're above
tree line basically the entire day views of the Presidential Range,
which in my opinion is just the prettiest range in
the entire Northeast. And I always try to choose the
(28:51):
best weather window possible, obviously, because it's very dangerous up
there in poor weather. Now Washington is home of the
worst worst weather in the world, the highest recorded windspeed ever.
And I got a great weather window for this year.
I hike with some great people, and I just love
(29:11):
a good Presidential shore. So that was definitely my best day.
And why did you do there? Was last day? What
days did you do that or what month? I should
say month days? What do you remember? So unfortunately all
this kind of blends together. I know that I had
micro spikes on for the ascent up the initial ascent
(29:32):
up into onto the ridge, so there was still some
snow and ice out there, but once I was above
tree line, there was no sign of snow rice. It
was just bare rock. So it was yeah, So that
was my best day for sure. And then the worst
day was that one on sant To that I was
mentioning Senteny range. I was early on the spring and
(29:57):
it was just super tough.
Speaker 1 (29:59):
How fitting that it that the Santinoni range gave you
gave you the worst day of the of the bunch?
Very cool, very cool, classic Santononi range, Classic Santononi range.
There's a reason it has the reputation it has, and
that is it lived up to its reputation.
Speaker 2 (30:14):
Very good.
Speaker 1 (30:15):
So how many days in total did it take you
to complete all of this? What do you have account?
Speaker 2 (30:20):
I want to say that was I don't. I want
to say it was like eighty eight days. I should
be able to find that just one moment. It took
me eighty eight and a half days. We're going to
call it that. So, and yes, spring lasts for ninety
two point eight days, which I always thought it was
just ninety days when I googled it, that's what I found.
(30:42):
And I did just for some fun stats. I did
forty four hikes this round. Within my I hiked thirty
five individual days. Of those eighty eight point five days
that I had, the lapse time of it was five
hundred and thirty three of hiking one hundred and ninety
thousand pree V elevation game. Yeah, I suppose are some funnel
(31:05):
stats I have on that page.
Speaker 1 (31:06):
So I pulled up and thousands of minutes of fun
all in one adventure. Why as you hear it? So
when you are doing these big, these big adventures, let's say,
and I know this just from my own, my own,
like like when I did the forty six the first time,
I did it in the summer, and it was all
that I thought about. When I did the Northfield Plastid Trail,
(31:28):
it was all I thought about. I had the map
on the on the kitchen table. Does it does it
take over your life a little bit? Or are you
so familiar with these mountains at this point that maybe
you don't have to focus on it, on the actual
like details of it so much.
Speaker 2 (31:43):
Yeah, I don't think I focused on the details too
too much, other than I found myself checking the weather
app just about every half an hour throughout since fire spring.
It felt. I obviously I was working, I wouldn't be
checking a while wrapp, but if I had free time,
it might be more often than that. It's like the
weather in New York right now, what about New Hampshire?
(32:05):
Like what about Vermont? Where am I gonna be hiking? Oh,
it's changed because the weather change so frequently this spring
probably just always does. I don't notice as much, so
don't check the weather app as frequently. But I had
to pivot so much this spring. Like I was talking
to somebody recently, I was like, as much as it
would have been kind of nice to hike with somebody,
more like they would need to be the most flexible
(32:27):
person in the world. So I'd be like, Okay, let's
hike in New Hampshire and then the weather would change,
so you're absolutely sorry, I'm going to go to New York.
Speaker 4 (32:33):
Now.
Speaker 2 (32:35):
There's a lot of pivoting this spring due to weather.
Got it.
Speaker 1 (32:38):
I noticed on that list that you that you just gave.
You didn't list the miles driven during your.
Speaker 2 (32:46):
Oh gosh, that might be a depressing one for me
to figure out. I did think about trying to find
that find that out, but it's not a stat that
I tracked through a wout, and so it would be
very hard to go back and try to figure that out.
But it was definitely a lot of driving, and I
think I felt that more this season than I had
(33:07):
in previous seasons. I just moved in with my partner recently,
and so I was wanting to do less overnights in
the mountains and more day trips, and so that meant
driving in the morning three hours and then driving in
the evening or night three hours. That's like. Whereas I
(33:32):
still did a lot of overnight trips where I'd like
go out in car camp somewhere, just because it's impossible
to always do day trips, but I found myself doing
more day trips than I would have previously. So this
season had extra driving sure.
Speaker 1 (33:47):
Now, besides for the weather, obviously, the weather plays its
own it as its own is its own factor. What
made this round of the Northeast one fifteen unique and
different from previous ones.
Speaker 2 (34:01):
So I don't know if I have a great answer
to this people. Obviously with the different weather, you have
the different views because you have different like conditions on
the ground, there's different like vegetation out or lack thereof.
Speaker 1 (34:18):
You feel like you experienced the mountains in a different way?
Do you feel like you learned something different about yourself
them the adventure, anything that maybe stands out that that
made it unique compared to It's been up there so
many times on other nowas, and you've done them all
so often. Anything in particular that makes it unique, because
there might not be there, It might not be answer,
(34:39):
it might.
Speaker 2 (34:39):
Not be Unfortunately, I don't think I have a good
answer for you here. I love these mountains and all
the seasons, but they're pretty like the mountains stay pretty
similar throughout.
Speaker 1 (34:54):
Where does the spring? Where does this spring one rank
amongst the other rounds? Through the one fifteen?
Speaker 2 (35:03):
So I think it's kind of I'll give the best
answer I can, But I think that's kind of complicated
of an answer, because like my summer rounds, they were
unique in the ways I did them. Sure, like the
through hike, that's gonna be much harder than a regular round,
Like say, I was just trying to do like a
(35:24):
regular round of the summer that would be easy, breezy,
but I went the route of trying to doing the
through hike and also doing the speed effort. So those
were very hard in their own unique ways. Let's see,
I would say, and I might just be saying this
because the spring is the most recent one of my
memory that I'm gonna say the spring was my hardest
(35:47):
single season. But I guess that just because it's the
most recent, and.
Speaker 1 (35:53):
Obviously there's no improve which is the hardest for you,
but it's not, you know, it's good that it's it's
naturally it's in your it's in your brain. But also again, dude,
spring spring hiking is harder. It does bring so many
different challenges. You got multiple seasons you're dealing with on
the daily.
Speaker 2 (36:09):
And then the through hike in the summer that one
actually could could possibly surpass the spring and difficulty. I
just had so many, so not so many, but I
had injuries that I was dealing with which I don't
usually have on trail, and I was so lonely that summer,
(36:34):
like those were, so that was really tough. And then
I would say the winter, and then the twenty day
speed effort in the summer, and then the fall. I
think that should cover all. The fall was easy, breeze,
it was really simple. I think that covers all of
(36:55):
the rounds and sure some sort of an order. Now
let's talk about this speed effort. I want to hear
more about this. So you said twenty days to do
the northeast one fifteen. Yeah, it was like nineteen days,
eighteen hours probably something like that, like really cutting the clothes,
like just barely under twenty days. Okay, got it?
Speaker 1 (37:14):
So tell us that adventure that's en up of a
story where we could start from the shot from the beginning.
Do you remember it? Do you have that pretty fresh
in your mind? I happen to now you could.
Speaker 2 (37:23):
I haven't looked back up recently, Like I was more
thinking about this spring when we when I was prepping
for this. But I'm gonna do my best to go
back here. So for the.
Speaker 1 (37:31):
Wrong answer, it's just so interesting, like twenty days, you
sell someone you do twenty days through the high peaks,
they're gonna be like holy caps.
Speaker 2 (37:38):
Let alone the one fifteen. So I started out up
in Maine because Baxter State Park needs it's a little
bit of finessing to get into it, like you need
either a park pass, a parking pass, or like a
camping pass to use some sort of and it fills
(37:58):
up pretty quickly, And so I didn't want to have
to be scrambling that at the end, like if I
wasn't on the exact pace side. I say it started,
and I knew that twenty days out I had my
reserve reservation to Baxter. If everything didn't go to plan,
I would be kind of out of luck. So I
(38:18):
know if I started there, I would get that out
of the way and won't have to word about that again.
So I did Baxter State Park in a day, which
is North Brother, Baxter and Hamelin. No, actually I didn't
do it. Sorry, I always do those in a day,
but this time I started the clock late on the day.
(38:39):
I'm probably do a poor job of explaining why I
did this, but I started the speed effort at probably
four pm, and I hiked Baxter and a Hamelin, which
to most people is they're going to call that call
Baxter Catadam, but the actual peak name is Baxter, and
then slept the next day North Brother, and the reason
I did it this way is because the second day
(39:02):
I had a long drive from Bachelor State Park to
the next peak, next set of peaks, and so I
drove a good chunk of that next day and then
did either hike or two that day. So maybe got
done in like two and a half days. I think
it was maybe three, I can't remember exactly. And then
(39:23):
I made my way over to New Hampshire. And I'm
not gonna be precise on my time frame here, but
that probably took me seven days maybe, And New Hampshire
was pretty chill. Other than I think I need to
(39:46):
just scramble a little bit for my My presy traverse
had some issues because I was doing this self supported,
and the format for that is like you can't coordinate
special help for yourself, you can receive help from the
(40:07):
general public that would be available to everybody. And so
my car. I was using a bike for some of
these things where i'd like bike from trailhead to trailhead
if I needed to, And this time I dropped my
bike and I got back to after the hike started
biking back to my car got a flat tire and
(40:28):
then I had to frantically look up online what the
rules are for supported my self supported fast known times.
It's like, am I allowed to hitch hike or am
I walking back to my car? Now, thankfully I was
able to hitchhike back to my car that was allowed,
and then went back to my bike and Hamphia went
pretty smoothly because I's just like I'm really familiar with
(40:50):
that area. That's where I spend the most time hiking.
And after that, I did Vermont in a day, which
is my first time ever doing that. People do it
pretty frequently, but it was It's something I'd wanted to
do for a while, it never gotten around to it,
and so I did for mountin a day, and by
the end of that day, technically I had set the
fast known time for the New England sixty seven self supported.
(41:14):
I say technically, but I haven't actually submitted for that one,
because it's just I don't know.
Speaker 1 (41:19):
It wasn't worry, that wasn't my goal. Sure, but hey,
you did it, though, I tell you to submit, submit,
submit person.
Speaker 2 (41:28):
And then I made my way over to the Adirondacks,
which on all of my efforts I've done that. Adirondecks
is always the crux of the project. It is the hardest,
and I was still true on the speed effort. Those
miles for me are so slow, but I got those done.
It again probably around seven ish days, and then my
(41:52):
last day I pushed from I did the Santinoni Range
and Alan in a day, and then drove without sleeping
down to the cat Skills, which like a three and
a half four hour drive from there, and then finished
again without sleeping on Hunter and Slide. But so that
(42:14):
was a very brief and not very well put together
presentation of what the speed effort looks.
Speaker 1 (42:21):
No, it's good, it's good. Good to see how it
unfolded in like how it all worked. You just made
your way, made your way west ultimately, and just I'm
gonna carry it on. So tell me, why do you
feel the Adirondacks is always the crux of your of
these endeavors that you go.
Speaker 2 (42:36):
What makes it so difficult? And it's just rockier, routier,
and mentally it's more remote than anywhere else. So it's
those places where I'm most like I am in the
wilderness right now. If something happens that I could be
in trouble, like you have situations like that elsewhere. But
I feel that most consistently that are on backs. It's
(42:57):
just feel like as my which the trails are well
taken care of for what they are like, they're they're rugged,
like I mentioned the rocks and the roots, like it's
slow going, they're steep all out of the times. My
most reson I can utter on Dex was I finished
better on nex in the seward range, Like you have
(43:20):
some steep stuff there.
Speaker 1 (43:21):
Absolutely, Wow. Yeah, it's gonna challenge It's going to challenge you,
that's for sure. The seward range is not going to
make a simple, simple day, that's for sure.
Speaker 2 (43:32):
Those some of my reasons behind why I think that
her index are the toughest in my opinion. Okay, yeh.
Speaker 1 (43:36):
I just love to hear, love to hear from someone
like yourself who's all over the place constantly. And when
you said that, was like, oh, I got to know
why what makes it so interesting and so so difficult
for these for these endeavors for you? So as before
as we start to wrap things up, do you have
something that's next? When your mind are way too soon,
we don't.
Speaker 2 (43:55):
Really have something that's next. I feel like I have
a pattern lately of like take the majority of a
season off after something like, so I did the summer
speed effort this past summer. I did that pretty early
on the summer. So then I took the rest of
the summer off, and then I did my fall single season,
(44:16):
and then I took all of the winter off, and
then I did the spring s lingle season, and so
in my eyes, I deserve summer off now. And so
I have no real plans. I told myself near the
end that of the spring single season, maybe I'll try
to become a runner. Now I don't know, but I've
never been good at sticking with that. I've told myself
(44:37):
that a few times now, like I'm gonna try running again,
and then I get burnt out of that. But I'm
looking forward to spend some time by the lake and
they are chill in this summer.
Speaker 1 (44:46):
Now, when you do take these times off, these seasons off,
are these like seasons that you're like not hiking at all,
or you just you're not doing a thing, You're just
maybe you might go up here, go up there, You're
or you just completely off.
Speaker 2 (44:59):
I'll still like socially okay, but not nearly as much.
It's hard to motivate myself after some at big to
want to drive the several hours to the mountains. Sure,
but loves some stuff.
Speaker 1 (45:13):
Probably you don't want to lose those those mountain legs
that you work so hard to build, you know, the
the ability to climb up.
Speaker 2 (45:20):
Over only feel that loss at the beginning of each
project is like I try to train some before them,
but I never do a good job of training. So
it's usually just me training on trail at the beginning
of my project. No understood understood. Fortunately we have we
have ways to fix that. That them wearing a T shirt.
That is why how we do that? Dow but good
(45:42):
glad to hear.
Speaker 1 (45:42):
So as we start to wrap these things up, wrap
up this podcast. I always like to ask people this question,
and we'll ask you again so you know, I'm I'm
gonna mold it to yourself. So the first question is
always like, what's something that's unique to you that you
always have with you when you're hiking, whether it's in
your backpack, whether it's something you like to eat, what's
something you need to you?
Speaker 2 (46:00):
They like, gotta have it, got to have it with me.
I'm I don't know, this might be too boring of
an answer, But I'm an absolute crutch of my crutches
trekking poles, which is a kind of interesting pole that
ar crutches, but I cannot hike without them. They take
(46:23):
off so much strain from the rest of my body.
So that's one of my definite answers. And when I
did my Heemi loop this spring, which I do what
I always liked to just an air quote because I
feel silly, but they call it a super extended Pemmy
loop where certain add ons to it. But when I
was coming off of a zeal and my trekking pole
(46:45):
just fell apart on me. It was a black diamond
trekking pole I had for a while, and I just
there's no way to repair it. So I strapped at
my pack and I was walking around with one pole.
It felt so awkward, you know what, But I feel
like another one I need to and I have two
more afters. I would love to give quick close shout
(47:06):
outs to no sponsorships at all here, but I love
my welches, fruit snacks. Anyone who follows me knows that
have fun sure, but one that I deserved recently was
seal skin socks. I really need to just give them
a shout out because without this, without them the spring,
I don't think I would have been able to do it,
or at least do it and stay sane and keep
(47:27):
my feet from falling apart. But they are waterproof socks
and I didn't get a single blister all season long.
I wore darn tough socks on the like as my
initial air, and then put the seal skins over them.
It was phenomenal and I couldn't recommend them highly enough
for spring conditions.
Speaker 1 (47:45):
Very cool, all right, So we got darn tough socks
and then seal skin socks over the darn tough sock.
Speaker 2 (47:51):
And then what am I hearing you correctly that yes
you are?
Speaker 1 (47:55):
Yeah, what's the reason for that over the other sockarticular?
Speaker 2 (48:01):
It's just to have my so my friend Joe who
suggested it to me. That's how they did it, and
I didn't try it any other way. I guess you
probably could get away with just doing the sealskin sock,
but I think it probably has to do something with
like wicking moisture away from your body or something else.
I'm not going to end meton.
Speaker 1 (48:22):
I don't understand and sod my brain immediately would kind
of went to like, well, I could understand like a
sock liner and then the sock on top.
Speaker 2 (48:29):
But hey, whatever, whatever works, it worked for you. So
glad to hear.
Speaker 1 (48:33):
And I'm also right there with you with trekking polls,
I will legit go home. If I've forgotten in my car.
I get to the trailhead, I don't have my I'm
gonna I'm not hiking. I'm going home. That's how much
I need them. And you're right they people so many
people don't hike with them and think like, oh, they're clunky,
they feel weird, they take so much wear and tear
(48:53):
off your body going and going down. They are just
to me, they are an absolute muscle. It's as important
as my backpack. In fact, I'll go climb like small
mountains here all the time with nothing but the tracking polls.
So in fact, if you think about it that way,
I take my poles more than I take a backpack.
That's how I feel about them. So very cool. Next
(49:15):
question for you, will I always ask what makes the
Adirondacks a unique place, but I'm going to switch it
for you. What makes Northeast hiking a unique place? In
terms of the whole world of hiking. Why is the
Northeast so unique?
Speaker 2 (49:31):
So I grew up here, So this is these a
mountains that I grew up knowing. I think my best
answer will be so I went out to Colorado a
few summers ago and hiked to the fourteen Yers out there,
and I met some cool people. But the hiking community
(49:52):
out there was nothing like what it is in the Northeast.
Maybe that's only because I spent just just over like
maybe I missed every a month and a half over there,
so maybe I didn't give it enough time of chance.
But just the hiking community over here is phenomenal. I
don't know, I've met so many great people and just
(50:12):
it's such a tight knit group, like everyone seems to
know each other, or if they don't know what show,
it's something they know someone that knows the other person.
So I just love the community here.
Speaker 1 (50:23):
Sure, I think there's a real depth to the love
for this area. You know, it's kind of like an
it's if you know, you know sort of mentality. But
I think that's what you get here because whereas like
you think, you ask anybody in the country, like where
are you going to go?
Speaker 2 (50:39):
Hiking.
Speaker 1 (50:40):
Every person's answer is going to be out west Rocky Mouth,
so it's like it's it's the obvious answer, but in
the Northeast it's not the obvious answer. So it creates
a cult following. And as you all, you know, like
any sort time there's a cult following, there's like real
depth to the love for it. So I think that's
really what what attracts the people in the Northeast to
(51:02):
They take ownership over the mountains, like these are our mountains,
and you know, there's that sense of pride with them.
Ultimately very cool. So now final question is always why
do you hike? But for you, you don't just hike.
As we talked at the beginning of the episode, why
do you continue to set these monster challenges for yourself
that a no one's making you do. You could quit
(51:25):
at any freaking time you want and go home, but
yet you keep you finish and you keep coming back
for more.
Speaker 2 (51:32):
Why As I touched on a little bit before, I
do very much enjoy pushing my body, seeing what I'm
capable of. But I also do love the idea of
knowing that some of these things I've done nobody has
done before. That's just baffling to me, like how there's
so many people out here in this world and it's
(51:56):
it's hard for people to say, like I've done something
no one else has ever done before, and it feels
good to me to know, like hat it's something that
said before. There's there's a quote the long lines of
like either write something worth reading or do something worth
writing about, and that kind of Drew Manfan first heard
it in a song by the Ballroom Thieves, I think
(52:18):
it was, but I think they were quoting somebody else
who was now unfortunately, but I've kind of drawn some
inspiration from that. Yes, mostly to push myself and just
do something that nobody else has done before and be
out in a cool place, like mountains are beautiful. Sometimes
(52:38):
I forget to look around and then joy it as
much as I should. But where you live a we're
lucky to live where we do. Absolutely, you know, you
know you hear so often. You know anytime you post,
I mean you probably know more than anyone. Anytime you
post anything like this in pages, you're gonna get people
who say, like, why do you need to hike so fast?
Why do you need to see it?
Speaker 1 (52:59):
But like you just said, like, maybe you need to
look around and enjoy it more, but I think that
you're enjoying it in the way that is unique to you,
and that's really what it's about. It's kind of like
the same, the same old like hike your own hike
sort of mentality, but like you are enjoying it in
that way.
Speaker 2 (53:15):
But I would also I do.
Speaker 1 (53:16):
I can also relate to the idea of like, sometimes
you need to look up and look around a little
bit more instead of just at the few steps in
front of you, And I catch myself having to do
that as well. That way we don't miss the trail
around us, because the trail is equally as enjoyable as
the summit, just in different ways.
Speaker 2 (53:33):
Very cool, Will Well.
Speaker 1 (53:33):
I appreciate you coming back on the podcast to share
your story.
Speaker 2 (53:37):
Where can people find you online if they want to
learn more?
Speaker 4 (53:40):
Mostly I'm active on Instagram at Will's Underscore Wanderings, but
lately I haven't been posting some stories during the spring.
Speaker 2 (53:51):
But yeah, let's LEAs follow me for if I'm doing
a project, I'll be doing some story updates throughout it, all.
Speaker 1 (53:58):
Right, Very cool, Will Rob the most impressive hiker who
never documents or posts anything on social media about these
adventures that he's having. But man, the stuff that you're
doing out there inspirational and absolutely legendary.
Speaker 2 (54:13):
And the fact that you are.
Speaker 1 (54:14):
Indeed doing things that no one else is doing is
absolutely true and is incredible to watch. So thanks for
coming on the podcast, Will and that's going to wrap
up this episode of the forty six to forty six podcast.
Speaker 2 (54:25):
Head over to forty six Outdoors.
Speaker 1 (54:27):
Dot com to check out when I have some guided
grouphikes this summer. Pick up my new book, The Adirondack
forty six and eighteen Hikes. If you're about to hike
the forty six High Peaks, or you've already hiked it
and you want to hear someone else's story, reread REGOs
through that adventure that books for you, whether you're just
starting or your season. Forty six or the next Great
Range Athlete team is unfortunately sold out for July. June
(54:48):
and July both sold out, so if you do want
to catch on get on that for a future team,
go to forty six Outdoors dot com and sign up
for the next team. Not sure when it's going to
drop yet, but be on the lookout for that if
you do want want help getting in mountain shape so
you can go enjoy your adventures instead of feeling like
you're suffering through them. But that's going to wrap up
this episode of the podcast. Check back on Fridays for
(55:09):
new mountains, new stories, new guests, and new episodes right
here on the forty six to forty six Podcast. Remember
I always leave no trace. Do the rock walk and
if you carry it in, carry it out. See you
on the trails.
Speaker 2 (55:20):
Everybody
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