It's easy enough to calculate the distance of a hike, whether it's provided for the walker in a trail guide or actively measured with a piece of string or other simple device. Less clear is the amount of time the hiker can expect to spend covering that distance. There are any number of variables involved, but a rule developed by the Scottish mountain-climber W. Naismith -- called Naismith's Rule -- has, since the late 1800s, been used as a rough calculation for hiking time.
Step 1
Consider the basic rule for hiking over flat terrain. Naismith's estimation suggests it takes about an hour for the average hiker to traverse three miles. If you're crossing a broad floodplain or gently rolling plateau, this may be a good guide for figuring the time required for a projected hike.
Step 2
Factor in Naismith's rule for the influence of elevation. An ascent of 2,000 feet, by the rule, adds an additional hour to your trek.The total ascent should be the sum of each uphill distance, not simply the difference between the high and low spots points of the route. Let's say your hike begins at a low point of 1,500 feet and summits during its course two hilltops around 2,000 feet in elevation. The straight elevational range of the walk is 500 feet, but because you ascend this twice your total surmount is 1,000 feet. So you'd calculate about 30 minutes of additional hiking time based on Naismith's Rule.
Step 3
Figure in the impact of your backpack's weight, which adds time to your hike. Under the burden of a full pack, a hiker might require 40 minutes or more per mile. Naismith's Rule also doesn't accommodate the very real and expected impact of fatigue; for many hikers on an extended walk, the timeframe suggested will be an underestimate.
Step 4
Allow for the influence of varying terrain. A gentle descent can shave off time, while a steep one, like an ascent, can prolong the traverse. A cross-country hiker uses Naismith's Rule only as a rough guide, as he is likely to encounter a suite of obstacles even on relatively flat terrain, such as tracts of deadfall, a timbered swamp or a stream. Even on a maintained trail a blowdown or washout might hold up travel. And the basic calculation for a slope ascent excludes the influence of tough landscape features like talus fields, sheer cliffs, snowfields or avalanche chutes full of logs and alder jungles.
Step 5
Develop your own rough variation on Naismith's Rule based on personal measurement. Track your progress on a number of hikes to develop a calculation more appropriate for your own abilities. You may be more fit or less fit than the average hiker defined by the rule.
References
- "The Essential Wilderness Navigator"; David Seidman; 1995
- "Walking on the West Pennine Moors"; Terry Marsh; 2009
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