LOL - we should exchange spreadsheets. Mine also have elevations, gain/loss, etc, broken down & subtotaled by day and detailed individual sections. Like you said, if you're really honest with yourself & conservatively pad it on the down side, you can be fairly confident of what you can accomplish and where you should be at the end of the day.Wandering Daisy wrote:I have a spreadsheet that calculates estimated travel time given miles, elevation gain, and my own personal travel rate, based on previous experience with trail, off-trail, etc. )
It's funny when you see/say something like walking out 20 miles on the last day, but it really is true for certain trails. A great case in point is heading north over Donahue with a planned stop by the bridge. If you've already done 10-11 miles, and for some reason blew over the pass and find yourself sitting there @ 2-3pm, the idea of humping it quickly to TM becomes pretty alluring. Easy slight downgrade, maybe get up to 3mph, and you could find yourself back in civilization in under 4 hours.
Shepherd also falls in this category, as does Cottonwood (pass) from Rock Crk: 10-12 miles of down/flat/semi-grade trail with visions of car, food & shower @ the LP hostel beckoning you forward. Even if you roll in around 8-9pm, it's all gravy when you turn the engine over.