Honestly, that sounds like you made it way harder than it had to be.

That SRT-101 fix @xena277 did is serious work.

My first year trimming, I probably gave a dozen horses the world's most aggressive pedicure (sorry, guys).

Wait, you used the stuff from the hardware store? That's exactly what happened to my uncle's place over in Los Lunas. He had the same problem, the wall just fell apart right next to his repair. It's crazy that the new patch can actually wreck the old wall. That guy at Garcia's knows his stuff. You really do have to use the soft mud mix or you'll just make it worse. I learned to use just the local dirt, some sand, and a lot of straw, nothing fancy.

Yeah, that's exactly it, charles_hayes. I used to roll my eyes at that "just focus on the next step" stuff when I was safe on my couch. It sounded like a cheesy poster. But when you're actually out there and your feet hurt and the next campsite feels forever away, your brain can't handle the big number. You have to break it down or you'll just stop. That advice becomes a real, physical thing you have to do, not just a nice idea. It only works because you're in the middle of it, tired and stripped down to basics.