The Lake Placid Center for the Arts (LPCA) will present the first public screening of a new documentary film,  The 46ers, on Friday, September 4th at 7 pm. Director Blake Cortright will be on hand to provide a behind the scenes look into making the film.

The 46ers is a about the people who have climbed 46 Adirondack High Peaks over 4,000 feet. The film contains stories, both humorous and heartrending, of individuals who have become 46ers, while providing a bit of history and education about stewardship and environmental conservation.

The first 46ers, Herbert Clark, along with brothers Robert and George Marshall, identified 46 mountains in Upstate New York with an elevation of 4,000 feet or higher. Between 1918 and 1925 they hiked to the summits of all 46 peaks. Since then, over 8,000 people have followed in their footsteps. Although subsequent surveys have found that four of these peaks are less than 4,000 feet, these original 46 remain the basis for becoming a 46er.

The documentary project began over three years ago when Cortright, still in college at the time, was hiking Mount Marcy with his father and brother. In February, 2013, he launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund the film.

The film is expected to show at a limited number of theaters around the state, from New York City to Buffalo, during the months of September and October. Eventually, the documentary is expected to be available on DVD and Blu-ray.

Tickets for the screening are available by calling the LPCA Box Office at (518) 523-2512 or online.

More information about the documentary can be found on the project’s website, the46ersfilm.com.

Photo provided.