Monadnock-Sunapee Greenway Trail: Day Four (NOBO, Late April 2026)

There was a barred owl hooting so loudly in the middle of the night that I felt like it was perched on my rain fly, but I’m always grateful for the company of owls: I woke up just before dawn, having slept soundly in all my layers and rain gear; I watched the sunrise from the outhouse, grabbed my bear bag, and started packing my hammock.

I made breakfast and had a quick chat with one of my campmates who had gotten up early and then hit the trail. After spending so much time alone on this hike, I felt a little socially awkward around other people, but that didn’t matter: Only 5.2 miles separated me from the summit of Sunapee, where I would meet my wife and our dog at 10 a.m.

Prepare breakfast and pack

Last day on the road

Today was another four mile trip by water; I filled my bottles in a stream just north of the shelter and they should last me to Lake Solitude, no problem. I was feeling excited about the relatively short and easy day ahead, and soon after I was standing at Lucia’s Lookout, happily eating some Oreos while taking in the view of Monadnock, more than forty miles away in the blue distance.

Feeling happy at the Mirador de Lucía

After the overlook, the trail descended and ascended along a ridge with occasional views from open ledges until it made its final descent to the shores of Lake Solitude. This morning I saw more moose poop than I have ever seen in my entire life, but still no moose.

View from an open ledge along the ridge.

The trail skirted just a few inches from the edge of Lake Solitude, and I stopped to fill a water bottle while taking in a view of the pine trees on the other side of the lake, then continued on. I was very encouraged when I saw a sign indicating the distance to the end of MSG: 1.2 miles.

Looking across Lake Soledad

Very encouraging signage.

Mount Sunapee

Fortunately, the climb up Mount Sunapee was very gentle, as the prospect of being so close to the finish line seemed to give my muscles permission to shut down. Just before reaching the top, the trail turned onto a gravel ski slope with some late-season snow still on its side. There was a nice view of Lake Sunapee to the north before a very short, steep push to the summit and the official end of MSG.

Approaching the summit on a ski slope

View of Lake Sunapee just before the summit.

When I reached the top of the ski slope, I could see my dog, Wiley, resting in the grass near the top. I called out to him, and he ran towards me and ran between my legs, almost knocking me over. It was great to see and I was so happy to give my wife a big hug and kiss.

Look who came to meet me!

Wiley smiling

After catching up, taking some photos and spending some time at the top, we began the current End of the hike: the 2.2 mile descent to our car. The trail was pretty smooth, but the last two miles felt like five. I pressed on, hoping to sit in a padded seat and maybe get some sleep on our way to Monadnock State Park, where I would pick up our other car and drive home to western Massachusetts. I saw more people on the descent from Sunapee than I did during the entire hike.

The official end of MSG

Heading home

Getting to the parking lot was a little anticlimactic as the trail «officially» ends at the summit and sure enough, after getting in the car and eating some snacks, I fell asleep until we reached the Monadnock State Park headquarters.

I got into the other car and began the two-hour drive home. As we left the park, there were some guys walking down the driveway and one of them stuck out his thumb. I stopped.

As it turned out, they had walked on the wrong side of Monadnock and were walking back to the trailhead where their car was parked. I threw my backpack in the trunk and took them. It was kind of hiker’s karma: I’d been in exactly the same situation in the Adirondacks a few years earlier. My wife and I had hiked on the wrong side of Gothics and found a 4000′ mountain between us and the correct six miles of trail back to our car. It was getting late and starting to snow, so we opted to hike to a different trailhead instead of heading back up the mountain. Once we made it out, a good Samaritan drove us to the trailhead where we had parked.

After dropping off the boys, my two-hour drive through southern Vermont and northwestern Massachusetts flew by. I couldn’t wait to take a bath with Epsom salts, something I don’t do often, but I had it on my mind for a couple of days.

A hot bath and a home-cooked meal was just what the doctor ordered. I was back home with a full belly, in my pajamas and ready to crawl into my warm bed for the night. Maybe a couple of owls would hoot at me in my dreams?

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