Holy F.

26k accent over 243 mi?

Something I did not do on my first over-night trip that I should have was analyze the elevation of the trip more. There was a very steep switch back grade up about 400ft over very short distance, maybe a 1/2 mile. Then from there it was rolling hills the last handful of miles to my destination. With very mild elevation through the whole rest of the trip I had some taste of dealing with hills loaded, but not taking in to account that 400ft climb towards the end of the trek - and the rolling hills afterwards - was a major lesson learned.

Granted, when I am traveling I am heavier than most. So if you are a super light packer that will certainly give you an advantage.

However, the lesson should be very much the same. And that lesson is - understand what elevation means, in numbers - elevation gain and miles traveled - so that you have a personal idea of what "your numbers are". Only you can figure that out. Though, one thing is for sure - when traveling under human power elevation is MOST CERTAINLY a metric to determine a trip by - in no way should you look solely at miles.

That 22 miles to your "first camp" might be fine with about 300ft elevation gain. What happens when that turns in to 2,000ft of elevation gain? Now that 22 miles is a ton more grueling to travel.

So please keep tabs on your elevation and mileage.

If you have a lot of time for this trip and you have resources (food, water) available - I say pace yourself and have at it. If you make it 1/3 of the miles you expected on a particular part of the trip in a day because of the elevation - so be it. Lay low and don't bust yourself. It is far better to know where to toss the towel in than to over-do it on a particular day. If you over-do it your trip is likely done for. If you throw the towel in and recuperate overnight you can ride again the next day. Overdoing it could put you out of commission for a couple weeks. Been there, done that.

If you don't have a lot of time for the trip and are down to the wire on trip planning against the time you have available - I say can the trip and save it for later. What you should do instead is figure out "your numbers". Pace yourself on some rides dealing with the elevation and miles you are looking at on your planned trip. Load up the bike and do a few day rides to see what the elevation and miles really feels like and what it does to you.

Training rides in-season are only so helpful. Yes, the more miles you can pack in an exercise ride the better. However, a 45 mile fitness ride over little elevation with no gear is going to be a much different amount of physical exertion than a 20 mile ride with a lot of elevation gain with a touring load.

Best of luck to you and what ever you end up with - enjoy what you are out doing and what you get. Sometimes the best attitude is leaving the journey to be the destination in and of itself. Then no matter where you end up on a given day doesn't really matter. Every experience is just that - an experience. Get up the next day and go at it again. If ya want to stop in town to resupply - stop in town to resupply. If you want to check out a waterfall and cook up lunch for a bit - do so. Don't just go for the miles to say you did it, enjoy your time there.