On the Trail: Lake George 12sters

Hiking challenges and patch collecting have become a popular pastime in recent years, and they’re a great way to explore lesser known trails and peaks. From fire towers to breweries, challenges are popping up all over the area, including the Lake George 12sters, right in our own backyard.

View of Lake George • Photo: Bri Lyons

“Anyone can go out and do 30 miles on their own, but you kind of lose interest if it’s not for a goal,” says Matt Haley, who founded the challenge in 2016. “Everyone knows about the 46ers, who’ve been around for 100 years, but I believe people have been looking for smaller things, and that was the intent of this challenge,” he says. “It’s nice for people who want to chase patches or just look up a challenge that’s local.” 

Originally from New Hampshire, Matt moved to Lake George around 10 years ago, and has been running since he was in college. “I’ve always been trying to stay fit that way, and I just happened to get into trail running around 2014,” he says. “I did a lot at Moreau State Park, and I was looking for some slightly harder trails, and that led me to places like Buck Mountain and the Tongue Mountain Range.” 

After completing the Saranac 6er, Matt began looking for a local challenge but realized there wasn’t one. “I figured someone must have come up with a similar challenge for the area, and saw that nobody had,” he says. “So, I looked at all of the trails and the views, and I ran them myself and just had fun with it. I decided that these are the 12 places that I like to go, and it just came to be.”

The 12 peaks Matt chose are Black Mountain, Erebus Mountain, Sleeping Beauty, and Buck Mountain on the east side of Lake George, and Cat and Thomas Mountains, and the Tongue Mountain Range to the west. The Tongue Mountain Range, which accounts for half of the challenge itself, includes Brown, Huckleberry, Five Mile, Fifth Peak, French Point and First Peak.

Now in its fifth year, the 30-plus mile challenge has added more than 1,000 people to it’s roster. Completing the 12ster earns you more than just bragging rights and your name on their website, though - you will also receive stickers, a certificate with your completion number, and of course, the coveted patch. “It’s a nice reward for working towards a goal,” Matt says. “A lot of people have given me feedback on how much it’s been appreciated having something to work toward throughout Covid.”

While the vast majority of people have earned their 12ster patch by hiking the peaks, nearly 50 people have completed the Ultra, which requires summiting all 12 peaks in a 24-hour period. Another dozen have finished the Winter Ultra, including Matt’s wife, Sarah, who was one of the first to do so.

“Two friends of mine and I wanted to be the first ones to attempt it in the winter,” Sarah says. “I’ve always been a runner and a hiker, and I’m a trainer and health coach by profession, but even at that point, it was above what I was sure I could do; but we gave it a shot, and we were the first ones to finish it.”

Sarah found more than glory on the tops of those peaks - she also found her future husband. “My friends and I were in the midst of doing it, and my friend Josh was posting updates on our social media,” she says. “ Matt saw them and came out and started hiking up Sleeping Beauty, knowing that we were heading out there, so that’s actually how I met him.”

Matt and Sarah Haley • Photo provided

Since then, they’ve completed a number of other ultras together, including the Lake Placid 9. “We were the first ones to ultra that,” Sarah says. “Matt introduced me to a world of ultra running that I didn’t even know existed.”

While people can take as long as they need to finish the regular 12ster, the ultras must be completed within 24 hours, which requires a bit more planning, strategy and conditioning - and the right state of mind. “It’s really more mental than anything else” Sarah says. “You have to have appropriate physical strength and conditioning to do it, but really, a lot of it is your mind trying to talk you out of it, so you need to stay positive and stay focused.”

Regardless of how you complete the 12ster, summiting each peak makes it worth the effort, particularly the Tongue Mountain Range. “From the feedback that I get, that’s everyone’s favorite,” Matt says. “Although, it’s the most daunting of the trails, because of the rattlesnakes and the overall distance, which is close to a half marathon.”

“It’s just a spectacular spot,” Sarah says. “It’s got a lot of ups and downs, and opens up to this unprecedented view that rivals anything you’d see in the High Peaks.”

From its inception, Matt’s goal has been to get people out to experience the wonderful views this area has to offer, as well as reduce the burden on the more popular trails. “I don’t think you can really beat those views until you go well into the high peaks,” he says. “And, I’m happy that it does help spread out the load of traffic on the trails.” 

Interested hikers can find more information, including maps, rules and registration forms on the Lake George 12ster website, www.lakegeorge12ster.com.