Hiking the 46 High Peaks as a Family

By Emily Chromczak

It was my husband’s crazy idea and I can’t believe we actually did it. It all started in 2015 when we hiked up Cascade Mountain (#1) with our four-year-old daughter, Sophie, our two-year-old son, Eddie, and our three-year-old nephew, Jacob. Sophie and Jacob were clearly very proud of themselves for making it all the way without having to be carried (Eddie was in a backpack carried by Chris). It was such a wonderful feeling to see these tiny kids accomplish something difficult all by themselves. On the way down Chris excitedly talked about how great it would be if we could do all of the peaks as a family.

In September 2016, three-year-old Eddie hiked Giant Mountain (#2) on his own two feet. To be honest, I didn’t think he could do it. He was still so little and Giant Mountain is not easy. When we made it to the top he exclaimed “Wow! Holy cow!” and on the car ride home he kept saying “We did it!” and “You are so proud at [sic] me!” 

In 2017, my dad, Ed Gravelle, joined us for Wright Peak (#3) and we did Porter (#4) on our own. In 2018, we were more serious about getting them done – made easier by the kids getting older – and completed Big Slide (#5), Street (#6), Nye (#7), Esther (#8) and Phelps (#9). Big Slide was one of my personal favorites because it wasn’t too difficult and there were gorgeous views along the way. My dad joined us when we hiked Esther and we were treated to a great view of Whiteface, which we excitedly pointed out to the kids. We decided early on that we wanted Whiteface to be our final peak so that non-hiking family members could meet us at the top for a celebration.

We camped for two nights in a lean-to at Marcy Dam in 2019, when we hiked Iroquois (#10) and Algonquin (#11). We were on the fence about whether or not we should bring our aging dog, Schatzi, with us. She had joined us for most of the hikes we had done so far and she was a big, furry, important member of our family; but she was 10 years old and had been slowing down. She quit on the top of Algonquin and Chris ended up having to carry her down on his shoulders – she was 80 pounds so this was no easy task! We did enjoy a few more years with her before she passed away but this was her final Adirondack adventure with us.

The other peaks we did in 2019 were Upper Wolfjaw (#12), Lower Wolfjaw (#13) and Armstrong (#14) on the same day. This was a long day for young kids – they were eight and six years old – but they did it! Our final peak of 2019 was Cascade (again) so that Eddie could be official, since he was carried the first time!

We only completed two peaks in 2020: Rocky Ridge (#15) and Marcy (#16), but we did a lot of other hiking that year. My dad was thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail and we tried to meet him along the way whenever he was within driving distance. We hiked the highest peaks in Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts with him. 

In 2021 we hiked the entire Dix range – Macomb (#17), South Dix (#18), Grace Peak (#19), Hough (#20) and Dix (#21). I don’t remember the name of the trail we took, but parts of it felt like it was a playground built for us by God. 

By the end of 2021 we had completed 21 High Peaks together and it started to feel like we might actually achieve our goal. We had already gotten the “easy” ones out of the way so the remaining peaks would be a challenge. In 2022 we did Colden (#22) and Tabletop (#23) in June and the Santanoni range – Santanoni (#24), Panther (#25) and Couchsachraga (#26) – in August. The kids had so much fun in the mud bogs on the Santanoni range. They made no attempt to avoid them and we shared a lot of laughs that day. My dad joined us for Marshall (#27), Gray (#28), and Skylight (#29), and we camped at a lean-to near Lake Colden. We hiked Allen Mountain (#30) in November of 2022.

That brings us to our final year. Sophie and Eddie are now 12 and 10 years old, and Chris mentioned at the beginning of the summer that it could be possible to finish them this year, if we did several peaks each time. It was exciting to see that our goal was within reach and we all felt motivated. 

We started off the summer with the Seward range: Seymour (#31), Seward (#32), Donaldson (#33) and Emmons (#34). This was a very long day and our most difficult hike. The kids really impressed me on this one. The last few miles were grueling, especially because by Chris’s estimation we should have already been done, but everyone kept a positive attitude – and Eddie reminded me that “every step is one step closer.”

In July we did Dial (#35), Nippletop (#36), Colvin (#37) and Blake (#38). On this hike, I realized the hard truth that my kids are now much better hikers than me! They were gracious about having to wait for me, but it was strange to think about how when we started this journey, I was the one waiting for them.

We did Haystack (#39), Basin (#40), and Saddleback (#41) – aka “HaBaSa” – in August. While Chris was planning this one, he saw a post on Facebook that someone was gifting a reservation at Adirondack Mountain Club’s Grace Camp for the following day because they could no longer use it. We couldn’t pass up the opportunity to play a trick on the kids so we didn’t tell them we had a cabin for the night.

When we were in the parking lot getting our packs ready to hike in, Chris and I pretended that we both forgot to pack our tents and sleeping pads. We told the kids we’d just find a soft spot with lots of leaves to use as our sleeping pads and we’d build a quick shelter. It was also starting to rain and there were rumbles of thunder in the distance. Sophie tried hard to convince us to sleep in the car and Eddie suggested that we just hike through the night since we didn’t have a place to sleep. You can imagine their relief when we opened the cabin door and revealed they’d have a real bed to sleep in! Compared to what we were used to it was like staying at The Ritz. If the person that gifted the reservation happens to be reading this article, THANK YOU! 

A few days later we did Sawteeth (#42) and Gothics (#43) – the views on this hike were some of the best! We finished off our summer with Cliff (#44) and Redfield (#45). Cliff was super boggy but once again the kids had a ball playing in the mud. I tried to balance on logs where I could but ended up slipping off and landing in mud so deep it reached the middle of my thigh – the kids thought this was hilarious! This was Chris’s favorite hike because of the waterfalls. On our way down the kids and Chris jumped off the suspension bridge into the Opalescent River.

All of the sudden we had just one peak left! It took many years for us to get to this point but it also went by so quickly. We wanted to wait for my dad to return from his great adventure – he was bikepacking the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route (see Community in the December 2023 issue) and he was due to return at the end of September. We marked our calendar for our final peak, Whiteface (#46), on October 1st. 

When we got to the top to take our picture next to the sign marking the summit, we unrolled a banner Chris painted for the occasion. People cheered and congratulated us. My wonderful mom, Chirstine Gravelle, met us at the top with a picnic lunch, champagne, cake and ice cream. It was a really special day!

The High Peaks provided a unique opportunity for our family to grow together as we shared a common long-term goal that wasn’t easy to achieve. It made me so happy to spend entire days with just each other as company and without the distraction of screens.

We learned a lot about each other and about ourselves. I think the coolest thing my kids learned was how to be comfortable being uncomfortable. The peaks gave them grit. The peaks also gave us peace. On one of the hikes, Eddie said, “Some people think hiking is boring but I think it’s peaceful.” What a gift it is to find solace in nature. I’m so thankful my kids learned this so early in life!