Inspired by accounts of Pacific Crest Trail thru hikers, I dreamt of trying a long trail. From what I've read, these hardy folks must travel about 100 miles a week to finish the trip in the 6-month weather window. That's close to 20 miles a day, given that they also need rest and resupply days. To see if I can handle that kind of distance. I planned a weekend trip of about 30 miles, maybe more if I felt up to it.
I have previously hiked up to 21 miles with a day pack and 15 miles with a full backpack, both on hilly but easy trails near sea level. An Emigrant Wilderness trip from Crabtree to Huckleberry Lake and back seemed about suitable for my purpose and experience level. I would have been happy to reach Huckleberry, and there was a real chance I wouldn't get that far.
My related experience included several (easy) solo weekend trips, one moderate cross-country trip where I had to navigate with map and compass and a week-long guided cross country trip. I expected to learn from this experience. Doing this trip solo, with my patience, I was bound to end up off the trail and relying on map and compass again. Given the distance, the altitude, the ruggedness, and being on my own, I was a little nervous but did not think I'd put myself at risk. I thought I was pushing myself, but not by too much. The thru hikers did this this day after day. I just had to do it for a couple of days. That's easy by thru hiker standards, I reasoned.
These pictures are from half of my trip.