As the autumn of 2022 approached, I realized that I had less than 100 miles to complete my end-to-end (E2E) journey on the FLT. Though there was no actual deadline to complete the Trail, suddenly, I really wanted to finish by the end of the year. I had noticed that, at times, my knees were beginning to hurt. What if I had gotten this close and then, suddenly, I was unable to continue. I knew that if that happened, I would be so disappointed.

This realization spurred me to plan lots of hiking days on the western maps with my buddy Robert. Along with friends Barb, Deb and Joyce, I logged 55 miles in September and early October that year. (You can read some of my tales from those hikes in Part I of this series.)