Jonathan Zaharek is a YouTuber, landscape photographer, Peakbagger, and trail runner from Ohio. His following grew out of his YouTube channel and Instagram account where he documented his hikes of the Adirondack High Peaks. His videos are a vlog style in which he documents his hikes while talking to the camera, explaining the terrain and logistics of the hike itself interspersed with landscape shots and b-roll. Zaharek has dabbled in rock climbing, trail running, and back-country skiing, also expanding his explorations out into other regions such as 14ers in Colorado. He has since moved out of Lake Placid and back to Ohio to pursue further education, putting his YouTube channel on hiatus.
The Winter 46 Photo Exhibition
Shortly after becoming a 46er, Zaharek went on to become a Single Season Winter 46er, taking a photo of each summit in a single season. The series of photographs went on to become an exhibition at the Lake Placid Center for the Arts, though the exhibition was delayed a year due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Controversy
Zaharek is both loved and loathed by enthusiasts of the Adirondack Park. Some agree that his content is some of the best out there in terms of quality and educational value regarding bagging the ADK High Peaks, however, others would prefer that he not put the mountains in the limelight via the internet. Some accuse him of creating an over-crowding issue in the High Peaks (though many debate that issue does not exist at all) by broadcasting the area on social media, while others have claimed that his vlog depiction a climb of the Trap Dyke route up Mt. Colden was a dangerous example to set, as people are constantly getting injured or needing rescue out of that area. Zaharek has since removed the video of him ascending the Trap Dyke altogether.
Hiking Achievements:
