Spectrum of Success

By Spencer Kavanagh, Izzy Kinsella, & Eric Kniple
October 19, 2026

What is success? Our Adirondack Semester dictionary defines it as “the issue or sequence; that which attends or ensues as from a cause, whether favorable or unfavorable; as good or poor.” During our recent backpacking expedition in the High Peaks, we had occasion to reflect more deeply on the meaning of this common concept and how it might shift depending on the circumstances. Consider, for example, these two moments from the trip:

After the first full day of hiking, the Bar Chord group stumbled into camp at the Slate Rock lean-to, utterly exhausted. They had just completed hiking the Lower Great Range of the Adirondacks, including summiting four peaks, traveling over thirteen miles, and ascending over 5,800 feet of elevation, all in one day. Many people who choose to take on this endeavor can complete the hike and then return to their homes, sleep in their own beds, and eat a home-cooked meal. For the Bar Chord, though, the backcountry would be their home for five more days and they would camp out in the cold, in tents and lean-tos.

At their Slate Rock camp, the group managed to scrape together some noodles to make mac-and-cheese for dinner. Sensing that people were moments away from collectively falling asleep, the GIVERS (the leaders for the day), Kyle Gaffney and Eric Kniple, called for community meeting. This was the last activity of the day and provided a space for members of the group to share how they were feeling, provide their thoughts on the day, as well as share feedback and appreciations for each other. During the meeting, Assistant Director Nate Trachte, who accompanied the group and who had been suffering from dehydration-induced headaches and nausea, suddenly trailed off mid-sentence to vomit up the noodles he had just eaten. While vibes and energy had been high at the beginning of the day, by the time the Bar Chord got to camp, they were down in the mud.

That day had brought several firsts: the first full day of the trip, the first peaks the group had ascended together, and for many, their first time in this part of the Adirondacks. Spencer Kavanagh even exclaimed at the peak of Gothics Mountain, “This is the first time I've ever been on top of a mountain!” Although the high of seeing many beautiful views brought excitement and joy, as the group descended and the shadows grew longer, the wear and tear of the day caught up to them. Despite their exhaustion, the group continued on instead of pitching an early camp. Spurred on by dried mango slices and GIVER Eric Kniple misreading the map and announcing that the group was much closer than they actually were, they ended up still on course for what they had planned for the rest of the trip. The last three miles of the day included a long, heavy slog from the Johns Brook Lodge up to the Slant Rock lean-to, gaining over 1,000 feet of elevation right at the end of the day. During this slog, Evie Hopper stopped talking almost entirely, later stating, “I felt that if I talked or ate anything that I wouldn't be able to go on any longer.”

Flash forward to the end of the week when the other hiking group, the Pushin’ P’s, planned to tackle a similar day of hiking the Lower Great Range. The evening prior, the group sat under the cooking tarp to begin the discussion of tomorrow. This was now a regular routine of the week: reroute and replan every night. The RAD (route and description plan) was now a faded memory in its Ziplock bag, only opened to remind the group who was GIVER for each day. This camp was ideal for the hope of sunrise hiking Lower Wolfjaw Mountain and hiking the rest of the Lower Great Range. This was a plan for Krish Gupta's 21st birthday, but for the Pushin’ P’s, every plan was far from concrete until it was time to leave camp. Gathered around Whisperlite stoves, questions of “how are you feeling?” and “what do you want to do?” floated around. Krish Gupta quickly took himself out of any hiking plan. His illness, a bad cold, had left him incapable of much beyond sleeping, so unfortunately, he wouldn't be able to hike on his birthday. Although discouraged, the other group members were still excited for a day hike while Krish rested. Throughout the evening discussions, hesitancies about mileage and elevation came out. Peyton Hunsicker, too, was struggling with her health. She wasn't sure what her knees could handle, so only one peak felt realistic to her. She explained later how deciding what to do was a delicate balance between her own wants and needs as well as every other group members. It seemed the whole Lower Great Range could only be done by three group members, a Lower Wolfjaw sunrise hike could be done by four, and no matter what the Pushin’ P’s would be separated for a time. The back and forth went on until late in the evening. Finally, curled up in sleeping bags, far too late for a 3:00am wake up, a decision was made. Peyton Hunsicker, Luke McChesney, Emily Helterline, and Izzy Kinsella would summit Lower Wolfjaw, while Krish Gupta and Assistant Director Nicole Panek would stay at camp, hoping they wouldn't have to walk Krish out due to sickness.

This wasn't all that different from any other evening during the backpacking trip for the Pushin’ P’s, but because it was one of the final nights, this pivoting and replanning felt even more challenging. The group had reworked so much and no one's ailments were predictable, so flexibility and adaptability were repeatedly necessary for the group.

For the Bar Chord group, “success” meant following the RAD plan as closely as possible and summiting numerous peaks with few detours or problems. Collectively, the group aimed to explore new terrain, push themselves physically, and exit feeling drained, knowing they did the most with their equipment and circumstances. As a full group, a total of ten peaks were bagged, but thirteen were climbed by a smaller subgroup who wanted to go the literal extra mile. Anything from the sharp winds of Wright to the treacherous cable trail of Gothics could have spelled disaster in a number of ways, but up until the third day, all was according to plan. As day 2 concluded on schedule, the only things in the way of the Bar Chord were stamina and time.

On the other side of the “spectrum of success” were the Pushin’ P’s, a group originally aiming for eleven total peaks who instead had to pivot many times and give their all to finish their journey with all six members together. By the last day, things seemed like night and day compared to the start of their journey. Along with sickness and other physical issues, a myriad of equipment malfunctions foiled their plans at every turn. As a result, their RAD plan became wishful thinking at best. Even so, the Pushin’ P’s prospered by summiting multiple peaks and keeping high spirits while making the most of the many curveballs thrown at them. Only three peaks may have been completed by those in good enough health, but undoubtedly their trip was still a success under the circumstances. Although both hiking groups’ outcomes varied, each faced tribulations and emerged triumphant, whether it was bagging as many peaks as possible or finishing with zero emergency evacuations.

While the trip itself spanned a just week in the backcountry, the planning for it took far longer. This backpacking expedition is a student-led and planned trip as part of the Ethical Leadership and Recreation in the Adirondacks (ELRA) class instructed by Assistant Directors Nate Trachte and Nicole Panek. The students were split up into two groups and tasked with planning a route, food, gear and everything else needed for a week-long backpacking trip in the Adirondacks. Group 1, nicknamed the Bar Chord after the musicality and six members (the same number of notes in a guitar bar chord) consisted of students Will Chalfant, Joe Frankenfeld, Eric Kniple, Evie Hopper, Spencer Kavanagh, and Kyle Gaffney, and was accompanied by Nate Trachte. Group 2, nicknamed Pushin’ P’s (because they would be pushing peaks, pain limits, and pain pills throughout the trip) included students Luke McChesney, Krish Gupta, Emily Helterline, Peyton Hunsicker, and Izzy Kinsella, and was accompanied by Nicole Panek.

Before the groups were made, students were asked to write down their expectations and preferred intensity level for the trip, which helped Nate and Nicole form the groups. Those who wished to challenge themselves the most physically formed the Bar Chord, while those who preferred a slower trip so they could enjoy the experience formed the Pushin’ P’s. However, while planning the routes, both groups set very high expectations for their chosen paths. Not long into the trip, the two groups learned that it is far easier to plan a difficult trip than it is to actually complete one. Assistant Director Nate Trachte said during the planning process, “My favorite part of the trip is when students are forced to pivot away from their original plans.”

While Nate and Nicole helped immensely during the early planning stages, teaching lessons on ration planning and RAD plans, they primarily played the role of observers on the actual trip. Route finding, decision making, and day-to-day functioning were all student-led, either by that day's GIVERs or by group consensus. As Evie put it, “Nate was just along for the ride, but it was our trip.” Without Nate and Nicole guiding the trip, students were able to practice decision-making skills and grow as leaders because of it. While leading, students often had to make difficult choices, like completely scrapping their original RAD plan and making a new one partway through the trip, like the Pushin’ P’s. Despite the unfamiliar leadership role for some, both groups knew they could trust and count on the other members of their group and work through difficult decisions together.

Despite such support, even the Bar Chord faced physical limitations when they prepared to ascend Mount Haystack on day 4 of the trip. Because they were worn down from days prior, the climb to the summit proved to be one of the hardest ascents for the party, especially since bags were full and morale was low from the previous day's RAD plan detour. Each step of the rocky, steep path through roots and frigid mud was felt in every fiber of their legs. Following two hours of never-ending rocks, Little Haystack was on the horizon. As beautiful as the sights were, there was more trail left to explore. Knowing that every foot they descended to Big Haystack would need to be reclimbed made it that much tougher. Before long, the trail took a vertical turn and the alpines emerged. Some members, such as Kyle Gaffney, breezed by, scaling the rock with ease. Others, like myself, Spencer Kavanagh, climbed on all fours up the stretch of rock too daunting to look past. The wind nudged us side to side in powerful gusts, causing even more treachery to the scramble. At last the top was in view. All of us in the Bar Chord stepped to the top, claiming the summit before finding a safe spot from the wind. As we took a breath of the cold air and relaxed, we were left with a satisfying view of the path we had triumphed over. Unlike the exhausted stops of our previous peaks, this was a unique experience validating our perseverance, which was a theme that would be showcased throughout the rest of the week. As we ate our most luxurious food of Gatorade bars, cheese, and gummy worms, we were mystified by the tiny specks of white, signaling what may have been the first snow of the high peaks, and by our continued joy of climbing together.

For the Pushin’ P’s, the first High Peaks flurries of the year came on the Van Hoevenberg trail during a critical day in the week's travels. That morning began at a camp just below Phelps trailhead, where night 3 was spent. Nothing yet had gone according to plan. Prior to this day, the Pushin’ P’s were staying close to the Adirondack Loj where the van was left a few days prior. Injuries, most prominently Luke's previously torn ACL and meniscus, an injury from which he had been healing long before the trip, meant that the group wasn't sure they could make it to the Garden parking lot for the van swap. Backtracking to the Loj was a frequently discussed option. From here, any trail that hadn't been hiked before was walking away from the closest exit point. This camp was also convenient for a Phelps sunrise hike, but like many others, this plan did not come to fruition. On night 3, Luke's knee was in a lot of pain and Phelps was out of the picture, and by next morning, it was worse. Emily Helterline helped Luke, unable to put weight on his leg, walk the fifteen feet from his tent to the cooking tarp. The morning was slow because the previous evening’s discussion and rerouting had not been resolved yet. After four hours of weighing options, Luke announced, “It's good enough,” his frequent response to concerns about his knee. So the Pushin’ P’s packed up camp and headed towards the next spot, six miles closer to their day 7 goal. In their travels through the magical snow that day, the Pushin’ P’s committed to making it to their final destination.

As the week came to an end, over near Marcy Dam, the healthier but more exhausted Bar Chord walked out of the woods silently. They were taking time to think after being tasked by Nate to reflect on two questions: “What is one thing about the backcountry that you want to bring back with you to the front country?” and “What is one thing about yourself that you want to leave behind?” Their journey over the past week had pushed them to their limits, both physically and mentally. They had stood on top of some of the highest peaks in the Adirondacks, gone to bed cold, wet, and hungry, shared laughs, and wondered if they would even make it through. After this successful trip, they now stood in the parking lot of the Adirondack Loj ready to rest, recover and face their next adventure.

Meanwhile, plagued by illness and injury, the Pushin’ P’s believed that all six of their members reaching the van in the Garden parking lot would be an achievement in itself. Nicole Panek even promised treats if the group all walked out together. Despite that low bar of a goal, it was barely accomplished. On day 7, more mentally exhausted than physically, having endured so much together, all six Pushin’ P’s survived. We succeeded by our definition of the word. 

Despite their differing journeys, both groups learned that “success” can come in many forms. While neither group was able to follow their original RAD plans, they learned how to be resilient through their struggles and to change directions when needed. At the end of the week, both groups realized that having fun together and growing as leaders constituted a successful trip far more blindly following their intended plans. So, regardless of the different outcomes, the trip was indeed a “success” for all the Arcadians.