The Marshall brothers named the shortest High Peak, which stands at 3,820 feet in elevation, after they recorded the first known ascent of the peak with Herbert Clark in June of 1924. The Marshalls suggested the name “Couchsachraga” to pay homage to the Native Americans who once roamed the region. The word means “dismal wilderness” or “beaver hunting grounds,” and once referred to the entire Adirondack wilderness. A 1766 map is the first to label the Adirondacks as “Couchsachraga” to refer to Iroquois hunting grounds. Later, Couchsachraga was applied to the wilderness surrounding Mount Seward, so it’s fitting that this mountain directly southwest of the Seward Range now bears the name.

Today, many hikers agree that this westernmost peak of the Santanoni Range lives up to its title of “dismal wilderness.” Despite Couchsachraga Peak’s small size, this remote mountain requires a fifteen-mile round trip and two muddy treks through the infamous “Couch Bog.” The lack of marked trails and summit views mean that this peak is typically only climbed by current and aspiring forty-sixers.

---

_{“Couchsachraga Peak.” Adirondack.net, www.adirondack.net/business/couchsachraga-peak-11124/.}