Piper, 8, and Archie, 7, celebrate completing all 46 High Peaks at the top of Mount Marcy on Aug. 29. The summit of Mount Marcy is the highest point in New York. (Provided photo)

PAUL SMITHS — If you ask Archie and Piper Marlow, ages 7 and 8, what they did over their summer break, you’ll hear about their most recent adventure — hiking all 46 High Peaks.

Piper, Archie and their father, Josh, didn’t necessarily set out to do all the peaks. Last summer, they hiked Baker and St. Regis since they are close by. Then, in early July 2023, they moved on to Cascade Mountain and Porter Mountain. And then they just kept going.

The family completed 24 peaks last summer, then finished the final 22 this summer. They ended on Mount Marcy, which both kids say was one of their favorites. Archie was a fan of scrambling over rocks at the top. Piper said she loves the views from the top of the mountain.

“It’s very fun, very peaceful,” she said.

Hiking all 46 peaks involved frequent early mornings — often getting up as early as 4 a.m., according to Piper. It also takes a lot of determination. When they were asked what they think about when they feel tired on a hike, Piper’s answer was automatic.

Piper, 8, Archie, 7, and Josh Marlow pose near their Paul Smiths home on Friday, Sept. 6. The Marlows finished hiking all 46 High Peaks this summer. (News photo — Grace McIntyre)

“We keep going,” she said. Josh laughed, saying that’s what he always tells them.

“Snacks are a big thing,” Josh adds. He said they pack their snacks and supplies in their backpacks ahead of time and the kids sleep in their hiking clothes so they can roll out of bed ready to go.

Piper said her advice for climbing all of the high peaks is to be prepared, especially with good shoes. Allen Mountain stands out as one of the harder summits. They hiked the nearly 20-mile trail on an 85-degree day, Piper said, rattling off the stats of their hikes.

Josh is a technology teacher at Saranac Lake High School. He’s lived in the area for 22 years and both kids were born here. Hiking brings out Josh’s inner teacher. On the trail, he likes to talk to the kids about the history of the Adirondacks, or facts about the mountains they are climbing. They learned about a flash flood on Tabletop and a plane crash on Wright, one of the windiest summits in the Adirondacks. They saw deer — a lot of deer — and a rare green frog with blue and white coloring that baffled Marlow’s science teacher colleagues.

And then the kids talk, a lot. Or at least Archie does. He has a catchphrase of sorts: “Dad, you wanna know something?”

“This guy says ‘one more thing'” Piper said, talking about her brother. “And then it’s a million more things.”

As the grand finale of their 46ers run, they crammed the last five peaks into two days. They stayed at the Uphill Lean-to (“sleeping in a lean-to is not easy,” Piper said) after backpacking eight miles. They saved space in their backpacks for some golden “46” balloons from the dollar store. When they hiked back to the car out of the backcountry, Marlow guessed the kids must’ve run the last three miles.

Archie and Piper are certainly abounding with energy and a love for the outdoors. They ride bikes, ski, fish and snowmobile. Piper takes jazz dance lessons and Archie is starting hockey this year. They love playing in the yard with their 1-year-old black lab, Max, and climbing trees. They have a cherry tree that Archie said doesn’t provide very good cherries, but it does provide good climbing.

Max came along on one high peak trail — Seymour Mountain — but he wasn’t cut out for it as much as the kids are. He struggled with the rock faces and Josh had to carry him at times.

“Max has 45 peaks left,” Piper said matter-of-factly.

“(Seymour) was hard for us too,” Archie said. Hiking all 46ers is no easy feat, and the kids know that.

“That’s why it’s special — it’s not easy,” Piper said.