Interview: James Appleton, Author of ‘The Adirondack 46 in 18 Hikes’

“You know, the Adirondack Park is bigger than Yellowstone, Glacier, the Grand Canyon, the Smokies, and the Everglades National Parks combined. In a sense, it’s a massive almost-secret in terms of the outdoors.”

Author of the new book The Adirondack 46 in 18 Hikes: The Complete Guide to Hiking the High Peaks, James Appleton is intimately familiar with hiking the mountains within the Adirondack Park. The region is located in northeast New York and is filled with more than 100 peaks. Appleton’s new book is just the latest medium he’s used to share his stories exploring the Adirondacks while opening a broader dialogue to other enthusiasts, always keeping the park itself as the primary focus.

The Adirondack Park

Born and raised in the region, Appleton said the Adirondacks are just “part of the culture” for those who live there. After venturing beyond his home, playing in a band and spending ample time on the road, he returned to the Adirondacks with his wife in 2011 to settle down and start a family. As he pressed forward in this new chapter, Appleton gained a new appreciation and love for the area.

“The view outside my high school, you would be like, ‘Oh, my God, that should be in a magazine.’ It’s that ridiculous,” Appleton said. “It’s that same old story, right? ‘You don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone’ sort of thing.”

The Adirondacks cover more than 20% of the state’s land area. There are more than 200 named lakes and other bodies of water, including more than 1,200 miles of river. The park offers year-round outdoor recreation, from paddling, fishing, and camping to skiing, snowboarding, and snowmobiling. One of the biggest highlights of the Adirondacks is the hiking, with the region boasting more than 2,000 miles of hiking trails.

Namely, hiking the 46 Adirondack High Peaks is one of the park’s most famous challenges and highlights.

The Adirondack High Peaks

The Adirondack High Peaks are a group of 46 mountains with a peak of 3,800 feet or higher.  Both locals and visitors alike make it their mission to climb all 46, and anyone who succeeds is considered a “46er.”

Appleton decided he wanted to be a 46er himself back in 2018 after he changed his lifestyle and revisited hiking with a new lens.

“There was a big, dramatic come to Jesus moment — in the sense that I got in shape, I lost a bunch of weight, and all of a sudden, I could go hike a mountain,” he said. “That was basically the catalyst of saying, ‘Man, I should finally try becoming an Adirondack 46er,’ and it eventually snowballed into this book.”

During a month-and-a-half break between his work in the film industry, Appleton forged ahead with his mission and ultimately climbed all 46 High Peaks in one summer. That experience majorly shifted his relationship to the outdoors and the Adirondacks themselves.

‘The 46 of 46 Podcast’

As he relished in his accomplishment, Appleton saw an opportunity to open the conversation for the many others looking to hike the High Peaks. This reflection culminated as The 46 of 46 Podcast, which is still releasing episodes focused on the Adirondack Park.

“I said, ‘Imagine if they could listen to a podcast as they drive up, listen to the episode covering the mountains that they’re going to hike on,'” Appleton recalled. “I decided to embark on this journey of creating a documentary series/audio podcast about climbing the 46 High Peaks.”

Mountain by mountain, he meticulously recorded and edited over a dozen episodes retelling his story. After five months of work, he released the podcast in March 2019 — every episode at once. Envisioning it as a standalone, long-form media project, he had no intention of creating more episodes beyond that original series.

Sure enough, he “just kept podcasting.” The episodes eventually expanded in scope, focusing on seasonal treks to specific sequences of Adirondack hikes. The 46 of 46 Podcast also includes special Adirondack Pioneers episodes, which focus on the Adirondack Park’s history and key historical players, along with Summit Sessions, or interview-style episodes where he invites others to share their own Adirondack adventures.

“I see myself as just the person, the vessel, bringing the story to you,” Appleton said. “It’s about the park, the trails, the mountains, the rivers, the lakes, the people climbing it, the people who helped build this park to be what it is.”

‘The Adirondack 46 in 18 Hikes’

In the early days of The 46 of 46 Podcast, Appleton’s audience grew and began asking more detailed questions about his climbs. This prompted him to start writing about his experiences, leading to the 2021 release of his eBook about climbing the 46 High Peaks.

Appleton became increasingly recognized as an expert source tied to the Adirondacks. He worked with a publisher to release his book, Adirondack Campfire Stories: Tales and Folklore from Inside the Blue Line, in 2024 — a collection of scary, supernatural stories both fiction and non-fiction set in the Adirondacks. Stories are based on town and park lore, and some elements were adapted from The 46 of 46 Podcast and its Summit Sessions interviews.

The same publisher asked Appleton to write another book in 2022, taking a fresh approach to the stories he shared in his eBook and podcast. Appleton blended stylistic elements of his podcast into the new release, embracing personal storytelling while sharing practical knowledge about the region.

Appleton officially released The Adirondack 46 in 18 Hikes: The Complete Guide to Hiking the High Peaks on March 4, 2025.

“It just reads like a book, and that’s what I wanted,” Appleton said, referencing that standard guidebooks are more like encyclopedias than embracing a narrative. “That’s what separates it from normal guide books.”

He wanted to entertain and share his story, but he also wanted readers to know their way around the High Peak hikes after reading. The book represents a culmination of six years building this platform. An “outdoors adventure story,” Appleton said that readers will enjoy the book whether or not they have any intention of hiking the 46 High Peaks themselves.

“It’s what I’m most proud of about this book, because there are plenty of books on the Adirondack 46 High Peaks. There weren’t any where a person’s story was laid out start to finish. It’s weird that that didn’t exist, but now it does.”

Family Life in the Adirondacks

Appleton and his wife are currently living in the Adirondack region with their three daughters. Appleton said it’s a great place to raise a family because anything outdoors is readily available. When the family is out and about, his kids have a variety of options — from hiking to swimming or just taking a walk around the woods.

While Appleton has shared his love for nature with his daughters over the years, they’ve since introduced him to some of their budding interests, like the world of ballet. All to say, Appleton makes a point to foster their unique passions, too. Even if his daughters don’t end up with the same admiration for hiking and the outdoors that he has, he knows they’ll always have the Adirondacks as a normal part of their lives, where going outside is just something you do.

“Our kids are watching us, and I think that’s ultimately what we need to remember,” Appleton said. “They’re going to do what we do. They watch us staring at screens all day, they’re going to stare at screens all day too. If we want them to go outdoors and we go outdoors, they’re going to just go outdoors, too.”

James Appleton’s Recommendations for Families in the Adirondacks

• Mt. Jo — “A great short hike in Lake Placid that offers a taste of the Adirondack High Peaks hiking in a short 0.9 mile climb, with High Peaks-caliber views.”
• Mt. Van Hoevenberg — “Hiking from the Olympic Bobsled and Luge track, this family-friendly hike offers a unique Lake Placid Olympic experience on a gentle trail for the family with summit views you’ll want to stare at for hours.”
• Cobble Hill — “A family-friendly mountain trail, great for the kids, right off Main Street Lake Placid. A great place to share a snack with views.”
• Cobble Lookout (Wilmington) — “A flat trail that walks out to an open rock lookout as good as any summit view in the ADK for minimal effort.”

‘What Makes Adirondack Park So Special?’

After hearing this question, Appleton quickly replied with a unique profile of the region:

“It’s unlike anywhere else in the country, in the sense that it’s technically a state park of public and private land,” he said. “It’s basically like having towns in national parks.”

He also called the park the Northeast’s best kept outdoor secret, saying, “If you’re not from the Northeast, you’ve probably never heard of it, but it’s a day’s drive from 60 million Americans and Canadians.”

Appleton shared a common sentiment he hears from visitors from all over. To them, the Adirondack Park “feels like home.” Growing up and currently living in the region, it’s a hard thought to relate to, but he recognized the magic of the region that could prompt this shared feeling.

“They can’t articulate it. But there’s this mysterious quality to the mountains, and it’s hard to describe. People take ownership of this park. So that’s what makes it so unique. Even if you don’t live here, you feel like it’s your park, but it’s not your park and not someone else’s — it’s ours.”

In addition to his work in film, podcasting, and writing, Appleton has his own business as a fitness coach, Seek To Do More, where he teaches clients how to get in better shape to embark on their own outdoor adventures. Today, Appleton coaches people all over the country to help them realize their full potential — mirroring those new paths he once paved in his own life.

The Adirondack 46 in 18 Hikes: The Complete Guide to Hiking the High Peaks is out now and can be purchased on Amazon.

Episodes of The 46 of 46 Podcast are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and iHeartRadio. For even more, check out the podcast on YouTube, Instagram, and its official website.

Find James Appleton on Instagram, Facebook, and at Seek To Do More Coaching.
Photos courtesy of James Appleton

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About the Author: Keegan Williams is a freelance editor and writer based in Los Angeles. They have written for publications including HuffPost, LGBTQ Nation, and High Times. Keegan has a passion for fitness, and they are heavily immersed in LA’s underground dance scene with a love for techno and other high-energy electronic music genres.

You can find them at keeganmwilliams.com or on Instagram @promwitch.