At 6 a.m. Tomorrow, Bethany
Begins Record-Breaking Quest
By JIM KEVLIN • for www.AllOTSEGO.com
PAUL SMITHS – At 6 a.m. Saturday, Cherry Valley native Bethany Garretson departs on a trek with the goal of climbing all 46 of the tallest Adirondack peaks in eight days, which would be a record for a woman.
“We’re going to be in the depth of the back country,” she said a few minutes ago, as she and husband Andrew Johnstone were about to begin laying out her gear to pack for the undertaking.
Bethany is also linking her effort to a cause: Raising $46,000 for sustainable initiatives at Paul Smiths College, where she is a wilderness trainer. Click here to learn more about the cause and how to contribute.
Her first goal: Mount Seward, then the rest of the peaks in the Seward Range – Donaldson, Emmons and Seymour – before moving on to the eight High Peaks by Monday. She has climbed all 46 three times before.
Two men completed all 46 peaks in eight days in 2009, said Bethany, daughter of Cherry Valley Town Supervisor Tom Garretson and his wife Amy, but never a woman.
