Coming up on Klapatche Park Campsites. I had initially wanted to camp here after hiking in from Devil’s Dream, but the ranger working with me back at Longmire instead scheduled me to go all the way to Golden Lakes. The relentless up & down of extreme elevation gained & lost was beginning to take a toll. I pushed hard, ate well, stayed hydrated, & the smoke didn’t bother me much, but I could feel exhaustion setting in. As an experienced thruhiker & mountaineer, however, one learns to accept exhaustion, embrace it even, & push on thru one physical & mental barrier after another. Even so, I felt it in my bones & joints I wouldn’t make it to Golden Lakes. But the sun was low in the sky, & I wanted to push on beyond Klapatche anyway.