On October 15, 2026, I became the 3rd known person to connect all of these mountains in a continuous thru hike using just my feet. A New England 67 Direttissima. One connected footpath spanning a total distance of 784.72 miles. My total Vertical Gain was 196,747 feet. I began on June 22, 2026 in Maine. I ended on October 15, 2026 in Vermont. I was out for a total of 116 days with 82 total hiking days. I was not the fastest or the first but I believe this is the first documented, verified time on the route.
In 2020, From mid-July to September 2020, Taylor Radigan completed the first continuous traverse of the 115 4000-footers of the Northeast. As a part of that larger project Taylor was the first person and first female to connect all of the 4000 footers in New England, on one connected footpath. The first known New England 67 Direttissima.
In 2023 Will Robinson became the first person and first male to complete a full thru hike of all of the 4000 mountains in the Northeast. As a part of that larger project Will became the first male, second person to connect all of the 4000 footers in New England, on one connected footpath. The second known New England 67 Direttissima.
If you “Google”, “Northeast hiking culture”, you will eventually read about the New England 67 4,000 footers. Spread out across three states, five peaks belong to Vermont's Green Mountains, 48 belong to New Hampshire's White Mountains, and 14 of them are spread across the remote, wild interior of Maine. Initially, I set out to follow in Will and Taylor’s footsteps and become the third person to create a route connecting all of the 4000 foot mountains in the Northeast; 115 of them. The Northeast 115. With 2 prior failed attempts, one in 2024 and one in 2025, I made one last attempt in 2026. My third and final attempt.
Due to bad weather on North Brother, Hamlin and Katahdin, I chose to begin my hike at Shaws hiker Hostel in Monson, Maine and hike northbound for the entire week of bad weather. It paid off! I was able to get my start and clear 100 miles before bagging my first 3 peaks. After I connected my footsteps from the Marston Trailhead at the base of North Brother to Shaw’s Hiker Hostel, I continued southbound from Shaw’s all the way to Mount Mansfield in Vermont. My husband, Eric, provided support thru the 100 mile wilderness in the form of slack packing and having camp set up at the end of the day. Poet and Hippie Chick talked Eric thru the steps to navigate the 100 mile wilderness successfully. Once I flipped back down to Shaw’s I headed southbound towards the Bigelow range. From the Bigelow range I hiked up and over The Crockers, grabbing Redington as a bushwhack out and back. I then went up to Sugarloaf grabbing Spaulding and Abraham before hiking up and over the Saddleback range. From here I hiked to Grafton Notch where I went up and over Old Speck and down the back side to Success Pond Rd. Where I road walked into Berlin, Nh and then continued road walking to the Berlin Fish Hatchery where I hiked up to mount Cabot beginning the White Mountains Direttissima portion of my Northeast 115 thru hike attempt. New Hampshire was tough. I quit the previous 2 years before I ever got to Old Speck. I think it was here that I decided I probably bit off more than I could chew. It was here that I began to rethink how far I would get in this project and that’s when the idea of completing 67 peaks became more realistic. I swallowed my pride, picked up my feet and got back to hiking after quitting for a 3rd time. I did quit for about an hour or so then I got my head together and carried on.
My route thru the White Mountains was not easy. I spent way too long in the Whites. Those were the hardest miles I have ever hiked in my entire life. Sign, sealed, delivered. The only way out was thru and I got thru it alive. Goal achieved.
The rest of New Hampshire and Vermont wasn’t “hard” in the physical sense. It was “HARD” in the mental sense. The ups and downs were wearing me down. I couldn’t stop thinking about home and that can end a hike. I had to reel it in again and push to Mansfield. I did. On October 15, 2026 I sumitted my 67th peak, Mount Mansfield, early in the morning, and connected my footpath to Bolton access rd. Which is where I had left off 2 days earlier. I bushwhacked off Bolton in the dark, got lost and got a little nervous lol. I made it to the Wolf-mobile, my support vehicle and husband, at 7:17 p.m. 82 total hiking days but I was out for 116 days.
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