New York Legionnaire concludes centennial challenge atop 46th mountain

Keith Koster capped off his special celebration of The American Legion’s centennial year atop Saddleback Mountain in the Adirondacks on March 17, a year to the day after he started.

It was the 46th and final climb of a mountain in the eastern New York range for Koster, who started his journey on Mount Basin. More importantly, the three-time cancer survivor and Navy veteran achieved his goal of climbing all the peaks and displaying the Legion’s flag at the summit by the organization’s 100th birthday.

“Wow! It was epic — that’s the only word I can come up with,” said Koster, 58, chaplain of American Legion Post 70 in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. “It was a nice day with some snow some sun. A little breezy at the summit, definitely cool.”

Koster made the final climb with two friends, Dan Moellman and Scott Hayes, also a member of The American Legion. “It meant a lot to me to have them, and I think it meant a lot to them too,” said Koster, who raised The American Legion flag atop Saddleback as he had done on all the other 45 mountains. “It was cool. It was a long day, a steep climb. We had a great day.”

The symbolism was not lost on Koster. “Basin and Saddleback are side-by-side,” he explained. “I could see the summit of the mountain I started on from the mountain I finished on.”

Weather forced Koster to delay his final climb from March 15 to March 17, the final day of the anniversary of the Legion’s founding in Paris in 1919. Challenging weather has been a part of Koster’s challenge almost from the beginning. He has often broken trail through six inches of snow and ice. Some expeditions took 12 hours or longer through gnarly terrain.

“If you love rocks, you love roots and you love mud, you’ll love hiking in the Adirondacks,” Koster told The American Legion Magazine. “The Adirondacks are a very unique area. Unlike a lot of other areas in the country where you’ve got switchbacks and nice, fairly level trails, you’re literally climbing over rocks and roots, through mud that’s sometimes knee-high. You better hope you’ve got your boots tied on tight.”

The finish didn’t come easy for Koster. He was on crutches two days before his 44th and 45th climbs on March 13.

“The hip is doing better,” he said the day after his final climb. “It’s tough sleeping. I’m going to give it a rest before I start training for my half-marathon (this summer in Lake Placid). The two days I spent on crutches did me a lot of good, taking the weight off and letting the healing process begin.”

So what’s next? Koster will be using his achievement to encourage other veterans to get active and join his 4th District American Legion Family Athletic Club. He is planning on involving members of the athletic club in a 5K in every county in the district.

“We’re going to get the 5Ks started and spark interest in The American Legion among our younger veterans,” Koster said. “We’re going to promote the athletic club even more to bring in more members. Now that I am done with all this hiking stuff, I can put more focus into that.”