Nice post 46er. At 31 years old, Im about a "halfer" with 20 something of the peaks under my belt. Looking to notch a few more off this summer. There's quite a few peaks with unmarked trails that must be bushwacked to the summit, but from what I understand there are some herd paths from other hikers. Those are some of the ones I have not ventured for yet. Another great story is that of Noah Rondeau (sp?), an Adirondack hermit. Good read if anyone likes that kind of stuff. I once had a pick of him for my avatar.
I just used a map and compass, and there were/are worn trails to follow. The record was set by Jan Wellford in 2008; 3 days, 17 hours, and 14 minutes for all 46. When I heard of this I wondered what's the point? It helps to get more than one a day, which is easily done with good planning, but all 46 in 3 1/2 days? I was fortunate when I started the winter set that the winters were not as snowy as they are now. They had so much snow this year a guy that had gone missing in January was just found in someones backyard in Saranac Lake when the snow melted, not more that 20 feet from their backdoor. Whiteface is still open on weekends, this one will be the last.
I read some articles about Rondeau and a few others; Alvah Dunning & French Louie to mention two. Rondeau was the mayor of Cold River City, population 1, kept a daily journal written in code that eventually was broken in 1992. Times have certainly changed up there, and not for the better.