I am a "go slow, stop a lot to admire the view, take pictures and smell the flowers" type of hiker. A 5-6 mile day for a backpack is just fine for me, although I have done more (near the end of the trip when the pack is lighter). I can do 2 mph on a level trail with few rocks, but if it gets rough or is going uphill or downhill (unless only mildly downhill) it's more like 1 mph or even less, with everyone else passing me. At least I do hike a little faster than our famous Oregon banana slugs! That's one reason I hike solo--I don't want anyone to have to slow down to my pace and I don't want to rush trying to keep up with others.

I always used to make fun of those hikers who, to quote the late Harvey Manning, try to get "from Bug Bog to Blister Pass in 4 hours flat." On the other hand, I have a lot of admiration (no longer envy) for those who can do the Mexico-Canada bit in a season. In other words, HYOH--enjoy your own hiking style and don't worry about others are doing. But please try not to mow us slugs down in the process!