Oops. Before someone accuses me of plagiarism:
Edna Krabappel: "Embiggens?" I never heard that word before I moved to Springfield.
Ms. Hoover: I don't know why. It's a perfectly cromulent word.
"Lisa the Iconoclast" The Simpsons, season 7, episode 16 (18 February 1996).
I always know where I am. I'm right here.
Up here in the White Mtns, postholing is considered to be rude and inconsiderate and will earn you a barrage of nasty comments and stink-eye.
In general it is the case that my day hiking pack for winter is nearly as heavy as my summer backpacking kit that I'd take for a 3 or 4 night outing. So much extra stuff to take, and a good portion of it is stuff you hope never to use, e.g.. sleeping pad and bag. Stuff that could be life-and-death if things go sufficiently awry. Not to metion three different types of traction devices, and boots that weigh 2 lbs., each foot.
Yeah, Rafe, I know you and Slo are in that 10% or fewer of the people here that go out in those crazy conditions. (We folks Up North hate giving up hiking for half the year!)
Three types of traction devices - you're talking spikes, snowshoes, crampons? (In which case, also throw in the ski poles and the ice axe.) I think that those five things alone might exceed the pack weight (minus food and water) that I'd take for a summer overnighter. Particularly since you can't use aluminium crampons in the Northeast - our mixed rock and ice just chews them up and spits them out. So you have to tote the weight of steel ones.
One of these years I'll decide either that I'm too old for this, or else that I can afford a pair of mountaineering boots. My Sorels are too damned heavy and awkward, but hardshell mountaineering boots are really the only better alternative.
In any case, we've hijacked the thread.
To the OP - For AT in summer conditions, the guidebook time of 'half an hour per mile, an hour per thousand feet of elevation gained' isn't too far off the mark. Add extra time in NH/ME for rock scrambling. For secondary trails, off-trail hiking, or off-season travel, speeds range from summer speed down to spending an hour to go a couple of hundred yards. Miles per day is more a function of how long you hike, rather than how fast, unless you're someone like Malto or 1azarus.
A large party goes slower.
I always know where I am. I'm right here.
I like to think of it by minutes instead of hours. If I'm focused on hiking and not stopping to look around for the views and such, I will do 1 mile per 15-20min at the longest. But I do tend to run and jog a lot where it looks fun to do so, especially rock scrambling I like going real fast. I am planning and training to thru hike next year at a pace of 30mpd minimum.
For me, anything faster than 2.5 mph involves running.
I get about 2 mph on flat ground, I'm no speed walker.wont know climbing speed until I actually get in trail shape and see.
My evolving gear list, some links provided
https://www.geargrams.com/list?id=44571
To each their own, get all the advice you can, then figure out your own path.
typically I'm around 2 - 2.5mph but depends on the terrain and gear, like others say.
Ive tried getting to 3 mph on flat trails and it aint easy nor fun to sustain it for a long time...
Funny thing. I was asking the same question and figured it out yesterday. It was 2 mph. My Corgi really slows me down. Not that I'm complaining actually. Would rather go slow and hike with her than go faster and not.
That made me smile. I've had had rough night of dealing with my psychotic cats fighting and I really appreciated the laugh before I try to get to sleep.
On a related note: An anti-gun friend once said "I wouldn't want one in my house, but I have to admit they're fun to shoot every once in a while." After tonights antics I'm starting to think that applies to cats as well.
(All pets remain alive and well after the incident, and I've mostly stopped bleeding.)
Colorless green ideas sleep furiously.
Smooth level ground I hit around 2.5-3mph, sometimes a bit more. Crawling over blood mountain racing to beat the sunset I managed about 1.5mph.
But it all depends just how much looking around I am doing. If that dang sun had been setting slower my average over the mountain would have much reduced.
Anyone ever tried to follow a hike leader doing 3 mph up a 12% grade? I did, last night - but had to raise the white flag after 35 minutes to catch my breath and drink some water.