The Adirondack Forty-Sixers are an organization of hikers who have climbed all forty-six of the traditionally recognized High Peaks of the Adirondack Mountains. They are often referred to just as 46ers. As of 2021, there were nearly 14,000 registered forty-sixers. The organization primarily supports efforts to maintain the Adirondack High Peaks Wilderness, and encourages aspiring members through a correspondents program. History Origins The first 46ers were brothers Robert and George Marshall, along with their guide and family friend Herbert Clark. The Marshalls spent much of their childhood in the Adirondacks, obsessing over the collection of Verplanck Colvin maps owned by their father, Louis Marshall. They devised criteria for the high peaks they would climb—every summit rising over above sea level was considered, and those with at least of vertical rise on all sides or separated from the next closest summit by were added to their list. They chose forty-two summits, and climbed them all between 1918 and 1924. While they initially planned to climb only the summits above , they later climbed the four mountains as well on the suggestion of friends. At the time that they undertook this goal, there were no trails up many of the peaks. This made summiting all forty-six a particularly formidable accomplishment. The trio first climbed Whiteface Mountain on August 1, 1918, and finished the 46 with Mount Emmons on June 10, 1925. One of the peaks, Mount Marshall in the MacIntyre Range has since been named in honor of Robert, and Herbert Brook (the most popular approach up Marshall) was named after their guide Herbert Clark. Founding As an organization, the Adirondack Forty-Sixers dates back to 1936. Ernest R. Ryder and Edward L. Hudowalski formed a social club originally known as the Troy Forty-Sixers for people who had successfully climbed all 46 of the Adirondack high peaks on the Marshalls' list. The club later expanded its membership, and was formally incorporated by the State of New York as the Adirondack Forty-Sixers in 1948. Grace Hudowalski In 1937, Grace Hudowalski became the ninth person and first woman to climb all 46 of the Adirondack High Peaks. In 2014, the mountain formerly known as East Dix was renamed Grace Peak after her due to this accomplishment. She would later go on to become the matriarch of the 46ers family, serving as club historian for over sixty years until she retired at age 90 in 1996.