At Creatacor, we like to celebrate the personal achievements of our employees as well as the professional. That’s why we’re all cheering for our very own Jim Dolan, who has recently joined the renowned 46ers Club!
The Adirondack 46ers Club is an important accomplishment for hiking enthusiasts. Jim achieved this coveted status by hiking:
- 46 mountains, with peaks over 4,000 feet
- in 13 months
- in 22 day trips
- for a total of… 320 total miles
WOW!!
Jim has been hiking for 25 years, so a friend of his, who has never hiked before, turned to Jim for help. After their first high peaked, his friend was hooked. And they decided to hike the rest of the Adirondack’s 46 high peaks. The longest hike he completed was the Seward Range, which consists of four mountains. Jim did it in one day, a total of 23 miles!
We sat down with Jim and asked him some questions about his year in the Adirondacks:
Q: What is the most bizarre/weird thing you’ve seen on these trails?
A: While hiking through an avalanche pass, I came to a large debris field where an avalanche had stopped. It was amazing to see how much destruction was caused. Large trees and boulders were all piled up.
Q: Did you ever want to give up? If so, what’s the reason you decided to push through?
A: The thought crossed my mind a few times. I never wanted to spend the night in the woods so the only real option would be to push on. Hiking is very mentally challenging as well as physical. I would just clear my head of negative thoughts and keep walking.
Q: Where you ever lost, or scared?
A: Never been lost but have gotten off the trail few times. I had to backtrack to where we were back on a trail. I was never scared, but definitely nervous at times. You really need to size up your next move and be confident in yourself to make it.
Q: What would be your advice to a novice hiker?
A: Start off easy. Get used to carrying a heavy pack around. Know your limits and never be afraid to turn around or look for another option. most importantly is have fun and enjoy all that nature has to offer.
Jim certainly isn’t hanging up his backpack yet. He’s currently working on his next achievement, which is the Winter 46ers. So that means he’ll be re-hiking the 46 high peaks… but with the added challenge of the upstate New York winter weather!!
Good luck Jim, we’re rooting for you!
Some great photos from Jim’s adventures:
Jim is my nephew and I’m very proud of his accomplishments. He has many fantastic phots. I enjoy looking at all the pictures of his hikes. Keep up the good work.
What a great accomplishment, great motivation and great advice to anyone who is thinking of taking on the same challenge. Having known Jim for 10 + years it doesn’t surprise me as he has always been confident in what he does and very much motivated.
My thoughts and prayers will be with him in his next journey….go Jim!!