Miles: 1,978.6 — Bluebird-but-chilly ridge day over Saddleback and The Horn. We ate a hot lunch in the alpine, met a guy who’d finished the NE 4,000‑footers in all seasons, and I felt it hit for the first time: this is the beginning of the end. Bittersweet, beautiful, and exactly why I came out here. Camped at Reddington Stream.
This day we hiked Saddleback and The Horn. We met a guy up there who just finished doing all of the 4,000 Footers of New England in every season. The sunny day was beautiful but chilly. We glided through the alpine zone and ate a hot lunch at the top, our favorite thing during those days. This was the day that it first hit me, this was the beginning of the end. My time on the trail was nearing a close, and I wasn’t sure if I was ready. But I also really really was.
