Walking Time

It depends on the variables. Small child, or grown man? Elderly man? Carrying provisions or stopping to hunt? Has own shelter or must make it? Summertime (more daylight) or winter?

Walkingman averages 20-25 miles per day (well fed and watered)
http://www.walkingman.org/

The girls in Rabbit Proof Fence (indie flick from about 5 years ago) walked 1500 miles over 9 weeks (two little girls, age 10 and 12 I think?)

Back when I was... *scratches head* 14 or so, the rule of thumb when planning routes was 2.5 miles an hour over uneven ground carrying a bergen.

Back in the day, Native Americans could easily walk 80 miles in a day. These days 25 is probably more realistic.

Remember, large groups travel slower than individuals.

The Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, which involves camping and hiking skills, reckons on 20 miles per day with a heavy pack.

In the early '60s, as part of JFKs fitness push, there were 25 mile a day walks. People would get together in big groups and try to do this. It was considered a big deal and ended up getting covered in the media a lot. I don't think this fad lasted more than a year or two.

taloom said:

I couldn't find an answer to this, but how many miles can a human hike a day, in general,, keeping a steady pace, on relatively flat ground (In this case, the Great Plains)?

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Average walking speed for an adult, on a relatively flat surface, is about 3 miles per hour. Hills slow you down. Multiply by number of hours to be walked.

caw

StephanieFox said:

In the early '60s, as part of JFKs fitness push, there were 25 mile a day walks. People would get together in big groups and try to do this. It was considered a big deal and ended up getting covered in the media a lot. I don't think this fad lasted more than a year or two.

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Actually, it was a 50-mile hike.

caw

When I hike over rough terrain, with altitude changes, I do 15 miles in about six hours with a 30 pound pack. On flat terrain, I would add another five miles. Unburdened, another five. More weight, more mountains, less time, weather (snow, rain, cold) would slow me down and I'd make less distance. I am going on a four day hike next week at seven to ten thousand feet. We are planning on ten miles a day because of the cold and altitude. Again, this is six hours a day, with a hot breakfast, stopping to rest at lunch. If I were the protagonist of your story, I might have a reason to go faster.

The former military standard was 2.5mi/hr or 20mi/day road-hiking with a pack, based on fifty mins hiking and ten mins rest per hour. Faster hikes, up to 5mi/hr were considered commando standard or some such. Small military units have covered as much as fifty miles in a day, but that would be getting into foot cavalry standards, something not done day ofter day. Such obstacles as hills, marshes, snow, mud, brush or even tall grass would slow these paces.

The eighty miles a day referenced above would almost certainly be a combination of walking and running with light gear, and hardly practical for most people, regardless of ethnicity. My own standard is 0.5mi/day… but only when I'm feeling peppy.

Weather is also a factor, as is hydration, pursuing or being pursued, possibility of animal or human attacks, etc.