I'm thinking 10 miles per day in The Bob might be a bit much for a seven year old kid with very limited backpacking experience. The ten year old can probably do it, but not happily.

No matter how many miles you do per day, my experience with my own offspring (now getting ready to head off to college) suggests the following advice (which you probably already know, but might help someone else):

1. Proper clothing is CRUCIAL. Much more so for kids than for adults, I think. Kids that age don't thermoregulate well. They need synthetic base layers, proper insulating layers for the expected temperatures (and then some), and good rain gear. (Ask me how I know this <grin>.) No cotton t-shirts or cotton briefs. No cotton sweatshirt as an insulator. No cheapo plastic dollar-store poncho.

2. Constant snacking makes a difference. Beef jerky was my daughter's favorite -- I let her make it at home. But they need a steady supply of gorp, dried fruit, M&M's, that sort of thing, just to make it up the trail.

3. Regular fun pack-off breaks. Adults understand the concept of delayed gratification -- "if I keep hiking to the top of this hill, I can have a nice break with a better view." Kids don't -- they need a break and they want to stop NOW. So stop at least every hour, more often if you find something fun to explore -- a creek is ideal.

4. No forced death marches. Having a fixed schedule, needing to be somewhere far away at a certain fixed time, can be a powerful motivator for adults. (It pretty much describes every day at work, right?) Not so for kids. The best hiking schedule is one that incorporates plenty of long breaks (see above) with 2-hour bursts of hiking. Heck, that's the sort of hiking *I* like. Hike for a couple of hours, take an hour break. Hike a couple of hours, take a 3-hour lunch. Repeat until bedtime. Adults can knock out 20+ miles a day that way (if they start early enough.) Small kids can do 6 or 7, working up to 8-10 miles per day.

Good luck, and have fun. More importantly, make sure your kids have fun.