It’s best to pace yourself and keep moving. If you can’t comfortably go ten minutes, and preferably twenty minutes, without stopping, you’re going too fast.
Great advice. When I was younger, I would jack rabbit. That is, just crank out the miles without stopping. Then, as I got older, I began to take breaks while still trying to maintain a fast pace.
Finally, over the past 2 years, I've conciously forced myself to slow down & walk at a pace where I don't have to stop. Not only is my hike more fun, but it allows my mind to take in the scenery, as opposed to focusing inside & just muscling it up a pass.
It's still a bit of a new sensation - I'm going pretty slow (around 1.5-1.75mph uphill on trails with 600-700' gain/mile - MMWT is 590'), but it feels great not to feel tired or stressed. Just a nice, pleasant hike without feeling like I'm dying.
The plus side is I can hike for hours at this slower pace without stopping, so I do eventually reach my destination. For example, it took me 6 hours to hike up Sawmill this past July (Sawmill gains 6,755' over 9.2 miles = 734'/mile.)
So yeah, listen to what Bob says.
