Jim Barnett (BHS Class of 1969) is now a member of ADK46R, the select club for mountaineers who have scaled all of the 46 Adirondack Mountain peaks over 4,000 feet high. The club was started in the early 1920s after Robert and George Marshall published a book "The High Peaks of the Adirondacks" recounting their climbs. The pair believed that all the peaks they documented were 4,000 feet and over, but subsequent geological surveys have shown that 4 of the mountains are slightly less. The highest peak of the 46 is Mt. Marcy which is 5,344 feet.
Jim is the son of Bob and Mary Barnett, Bluffton and currently lives in Syracuse, N.Y., with his wife Nancy. He and his family and extended family (parents, brother, sister and their families) have been gathering at Indian Lake in the Adirondack Mountains for 29 years. Jim started climbing during these family vacations and then began documenting the climbs over the past 10 years. He submitted a journal and photos in order to verify his ADK46R club status.
According to Jim, in order to climb a lot of the Adirondack peaks you have to hike in several miles before you start ascending. His longest round trip was 17.5 miles and required an overnight stay.
Jim encountered deer, snakes and bear along the way. One large bear climbed a tree at his campsite to try to capture the food supplies strung up there, but the animal didn't bother rousting Jim from his sleeping bag. Jim often climbed with friends from his office, but on one of the several trips he made alone (not sanctioned by wife or mother) he slipped on a rock, flipped over and dislocated his shoulder. He managed to push the shoulder back into place and continue on.
Jim never got lost on the hundreds of miles of trail. About half the trails are marked. The other half are not marked, but are well-worn. He often carried a GPS, but used it only to check elevations. The only time he gave up and turned around was on a day in May when the temperature was 70 degrees. The stream bed he was following was covered with ice and his foot got repeatedly stuck in freezing water.
What to do when there are no more mountains to climb? Jim is also an accomplished golfer and triathlon racer. He sings bass in the Syracuse Barbershop Gold Chorus as well. Maybe he could reach for higher notes instead of higher mountains.
Submitted by Jayne Barnett McGarrity
