The Mountains Will Wait For You

Fredrick T. Schwoebel's new documentary is actually a long-overdue completion of a project begun two decades ago that focuses on Grace Hudowalski, the first woman to climb the 46 High Peaks of New York's Adirondack Mountains and a co-founder of the Adirondack 46ers, a climbing organization whose members duplicated her remarkable feat. However, membership in the Adirondack 46ers required more than an indefatigable drive for climbing in the Empire State—Hudowalski demanded that aspirants document their accomplishment via in-depth letters. “We want to know what happened on the mountain,” she insisted. “We just don't want a list of peaks and dates—that's very boring. And climbing the mountains is not boring.” And Hudowalski herself was certainly no bore, as witnessed in the wonderful interviews featured here. Indeed, she had a rare gift as both a charming raconteur and a connoisseur of engaging correspondence, and this production is a tribute to her love of the outdoors and her passion for person-to-person communications. Hudowalski died at age 98 in 2004; according to the film's website, Schwoebel shot this work in 1994, which also helps explain the presence of Johnny Cash as narrator; with his thundering, Arkansas-accented voice, Cash seems a curious choice—except for the fact that he was Schwoebel's father-in-law. An entertaining portrait of a unique and inspiring figure, this is recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)