2 MPH

With the kids I average 1 mph. Slow n' steady.

Really, in the end I guess I am glad I don't appear to be the only one trying to realistically match my pace to a trail. Especially after joining here, as my amassed stash of marked-up topos is growing exponentially.

Most of my backpacking has been in the Rockies or Sierra. Most new to the area are unprepared (mentally) for up hill all day and down hill all the next day.

For longer trips, I use a yellow 9mm Pentel pen and lay it against a 1:63,380 trail map (inch represents a mile). It shows my strategic dinner and bed places - usually around 10 trail miles. That is our plan if I am not alone. Some days we go a bit farther others we don't. The tactics of feet on the ground take over from the strategy and I'm comfortable when it happens. We all have something to talk about during the hiking day depending upon how we feel.

The general daily plan is breakfast, packed up and on the trail by 7AM and a hot, cooked lunch which forces a long break. This gives us about a 1mph for half the plan by lunch time. The rest of the afternoon and early evening solves itself. Early starts in the morning reduces being on the trail during the hottest and wettest parts. The time to do heroic distances can happen as the packs get lighter.

This sort of works out ok for those who make THE big trip once a year. The one you reserved and planned for a year and fly to an airport closest to the trail head. The one you don't feel up to snuff the first three days because of altitude, rubbing on the feet some places and, well, face it, you wish you had spent more time on aerobics at sea level.

There are some longish trips (e.g.,the 72mi High Sierra Trail) that over 6-9 days(depending on side jaunts) there is only one day of down hill. Well ok, 2 days for the part nobody talks about - another Pentel pen's worth of getting off Whitney. Add three days if coming/going over Kearsarge, Shepherd or Army passes - more up and down days. Add 2 days for Five Lakes (includes rest day) and a day for 9 Lakes basin. Add three for exploring upper Kern and two for Wright Lakes area. Hard to imagine anybody wanting to miss out on those since you spent so much effort getting there. Oh, and two days spent in placement and recovery of cars at both ends of the trail - if you don't retrace your steps or get lucky with a thumb and public transportation.

You are one fit critter if you can maintain 2mph all day, there.

Also nice if you have a trail plan already sketched out for you by somebody who has been there:
www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/high-sierra-trail.htm


THEN, there are the long haul through packers on the PCT, AT and CD trails.  They can typically get 25-30+ mile days after about a  month on the trail.

Yes, nothing like motivation. We get pretty motivated on the last day of a 7-day trip by the idea of having burgers and fries for lunch instead of peanut butter on granola bars, or whatever is left. So the pace on that day is noticeably higher than most days

I have two speeds: cruising and "snag-the-best-campsite." At noon, I go into high gear. I WILL snag it and as a result, I usually don't take a long break until I get to camp, usually by 1 or so. I cannot say no to just one more photo, one more look at that view, or one last dip in the stream. I hike at a mile an hour average, but admittedly where I hike there are always steep climbs and rough trails. I am a proud meanderer, and value time to just think my thoughts and let the wilderness nourish me.