I think that's really the lesson to be learned here, and for you it provides the balance I was getting at. Your first plan wasn't a good one. So what, just adjust your plan to suit yourself better.

When I backpack, I hike and bushwhack around to find cool spots for setting up a basecamp, then I make day hikes to places I want to see near there. I've always done that.

I spend a day or two here, then a day or two there. It depends on what I want to see and what I find when I get there. A basecamp helps provide the leisure time I was talking about too.

It's fun to ramble around without a pack on your back. It's faster and easier to get around, and it's really nice to return to a camp that's got all your gear there ready to use.

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This is a bit of a tangent...

The people that I learned my camping skills from, mostly Sierra Nevada cowboys and women, went to "Good Spots" and spent time at them, and played around there and looked for more "Good Spots".

While you were looking, if you didn't find one someone would always say, "Well, I know of a good spot over that way" and the discussion would begin on where the best spot to go for the night might be.

This seems to be a style of camping that's been a little lost with the advent of longer trails and "Adventure Backpacking".

Lots of people don't really go someplace anymore, they go through them, and often they, like the OP, are specific in their desire to tackle a certain goal, like climb a peak, or scale a cliff face.

Maybe it's an age thing, and I'm sort of in the middle of usage trends, but I never approached the sport from the "Xtreme" angle. For me, and those I learned from, it's always been an opportunity to get outdoors and spend some much needed leisure time in the wilderness. It was entirely about enjoying ourselves.

I can appreciate the "Xtreme" approach to the sport. It makes for great TV too. But, as the OP said, "I don't think i'd enjoy some stuff if i need to brutalize myself...".

Me neither.