Contrary to popular belief, I don't think that descending a ridge closes the loop on the ridgewalking experience.
In fact, perhaps my favorite means of ending a chapter (ridgewalking on a particular ridge) is to climb to the next ridge and view the ridge you just walked.
When I did that back in July, I paid the price: bushwhacking, complicated navigation, and rain. But when I emerged from the treeline and took a gander back to where I'd been, boy was I thrilled.
Yeah, we walked that ridge!
Photo: Ryan Jordan, looking back to the Mid Creek-Silvertip Divide from the Silvertip-Spotted Bear Divide, Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex. Sigma DP2, f/6.3 1/60 sec.