Photo Credit: Justin Dalaba ’16
Last Friday at 9:00 a.m., senior Jeff Mogavero ’16 embarked on a 24 hour unsupported trailrunning challenge that took him over 24 of the highest Adirondack peaks. With a running vest stuffed full of energy gels and frozen burritos, Mogavero powered himself up and over 26,000 feet of elevation gain and through 53 miles of rough, rocky Adirondack terrain to complete a goal he had set for himself two years ago.
While hiking in the Adirondacks during his sophomore year, Mogavero began to wonder exactly how many of the 46 high peaks he could summit in one go. His experience in cross-country led him to find success in trail running, a sport that is generally known for long distances and rough terrain. While he began to explore this challenging new activity, the idea of “24 in 24” formed. On a cold, wet, late-September day in 2014 he set out on his first attempt.
Despite being in “relatively good shape,” Jeff quite literally ran into trouble with his route, the weather, and most importantly his mind. Eighteen high peaks and several wrong turns later Jeff stumbled out of the Adirondacks delirious and hypothermic, but not dissuaded.
With an expanded knowledge of the challenges the Adirondack high peaks pose and a critical eye for planning, Jeff decided to scout the tricky portions of his route prior to his second attempt. He moved his start date to earlier in September, and kept a wary eye on the weather. This summer Mogavero also participated in three long-distance trail running races, all of which he won, preparing his body and mind for the grueling challenge he create for himself.
On September 4 at 6:00 a.m., Mogavero and his Green House roommate, Kealey Viglielmo ’17, drove to the Adirondack State Park, and at 8:48 a.m. Jeff hit the trail. Seventeen minutes into what Mogavero describes as a perfectly “flat trail,” he reported “falling on [his] face.” This slip could have been taken as a bad omen; however Mogavero plowed forwards. Just outside the first hour Mogavero had summited Macomb, the first of five high peaks in the Dix range. Generally this sizable range can be tackled by a seasoned hiker within a day or two of hiking and camping; Jeff summited all five peaks in just under three hours. The next four hours brought four more peaks: Dial, Nippletop, Colvin, and Blake. Mogavero was now facing his longest “peakless” stretch. Blake is one of the more isolated of the high peaks, and it took three hours before he was on top of Lower Wolfjaw.
The next leg of this Adirondack odyssey went smoothly, and Mogavero summited Upper Wolf Jaw, Armstrong, and Gothics within two hours. But every runner has a point where he or she “hits the wall.” At 9:00 pm he descended from Sawteeth by the light of his headlamp when this notorious wall came out of the dark forest. He allowed the feeling of exhaustion and self-doubt to wash over him for several seconds as he sat in the middle of the trail with his head cradled in his hands. He had bagged 14 peaks in 12 hours and two minutes, but the prospect of going further in the dark of night was mentally grueling.
Luckily Mogavero is equipped with an undying and infectious positive attitude. He could have quit right then and there, but Mogavero knew that it was still physically possible for him to push on. “I kept going because that’s all you can do.”
Saddleback was next, followed
by Basin. Mogavero counted on finding a stream to replenish his dwindling water supplies before summiting Haystack, but all he found was a dried up creek bed next to a dark dusty trail. Unknown to Jeff until two days before he set foot on the trail, Jan Wellford (a more seasoned Adirondack trailblazer) had prepared to run almost the same route as Jeff on the exact same day, but in the opposite direction! The two met here and briefly discussed how the trail was treating them. But the clock was not waiting on any pleasantries in the middle of the woods on a dark Adirondack night; they carried on in their separate directions with the same goal.
With no water, the only choice was up and over Haystack and onto the highest point in New York State, the legendary Mt. Marcy (5,344ft). Mogavero began to suffer from dehydration as he climbed this legendary mountain. Luckily the flash of “a beautiful 6-inch deep puddle” caught Jeff’s headlamp.
Refueled and rehydrated, Mogavero summited Marcy at 1:30 a.m.. He was now 18 down and had six more to go. Skylight and Gray were knocked out in quick succession, however Cliff ended up living up to its name. This high peak has no official trail, and Mogavero described the bottom third of the mountain as swamp, the middle third an actual cliff, and the final third riddled with “false summits from hell.”
Mogavero stumbled up and over Iroquois, as well as Algonquin; and 23 hours and 14 minutes after hitting the trail he finally reached his 24th and final Adirondack high peak: Wright. His roommate Kealey was there to welcome and guide Mogavero back down to a historic Adirondack lodge. After a pit stop in Lake Placid for a well earned pint of “Happy Camper” ice cream, Jeff slept all the way back home to Saint Lawrence University.
Both Mogavero and Wellford completed the “24 in 24” on Saturday morning in their own respective styles. They are the first people to complete this unique and incredibly challenging goal.
Mogavero plans on running in a 50 mile trail running race in the coming 3 weeks. If you see him around campus give him a high five, or better yet, a pint of Ben and Jerry’s!