My goal today was to make it to Kirkwood, CA. The Sierra Nevadas stood in my way...and after 57 miles I was spent. What looked good on a map was not so good in reality in terms of mileage and elevation -- which was 6,435ft. I had to stop every 1000 ft to catch my breath and take a drink, then it dropped to every 500 ft then 250 ft once I was over 6,000 ft in elevation. I didn't have any more punch in my legs.
I had to take the long term view rather than just the day and do what was right for my body. We adjusted the plan and found a campground nearby. Pipi campground at 4,100 feet was 8 miles away but what find! It was breath-takingly beautiful with tall redwoods and a lovely cold mountain creek.
