How many miles / day would you average in these conditions…

Well for me I move around this fast when out in the snow. Keep in mind I'm using 30" snowshoes and have trekking poles with snow baskets on them.

Breaking trail through snow deeper than mid thigh: 0.75 mph max

Breaking trail through calf to knee high snow: 1.0 mph max

Breaking trail through calf high or less: 1.5 to 2.0 mph

Not breaking trail but still wearing snowshoes: 2.0 to 2.5 mph

As for water I plan drinking two liters per day and using another 1/2 liter for cooking and hot drinks. For stove fuel I like to bring around 6-8 ounces of fuel per person per day.

I hope this was helpful.

Have a fun trip!

I just want to chime in here as a Vermonter and echo Chad's post. I think his estimates are pretty much right on for the average backpacker.

The only things I would add are that people (including myself) tend to get slowed down when they stop to adjust layers. Typically, this seems to happen when we overdress to start the hike. If you start a winter hike, knowing you'll heat up in 10 to 15 minutes, you can avoid some of the stops.

Also, I find that I go a good deal faster on the way downhill during the winter. Sometimes it's because we sled down the hilly portions and sometimes it's just sliding downhill. I use trekking poles with winter snow baskets and MSR Ascent 25s.

The distances that you're planning on covering sound pretty reasonable to me. Also, it sounds like a fun event. I wish I could join all of you, but I have another trip planned for that weekend already. Enjoy!

it's ok Tommy, we'll have another in Feb!

It's going to depend *entirely* on whether the trail is broken out. The AT/LT in that area could be quite difficult to even *find* if the snows are deep and it hasn't been traveled.

Assuming you are able to follow it reliably, if you have to break more than a foot or so of fresh, that day from Melville/Nauheim to Goddard could be a long one. It's certainly doable, but it'll be plenty.

The trip out, of course, will go faster — but most of that descent is not nearly steep enough for butt-sliding or sledding, so it will still be a long trudge.

Edited to add — if it were me, I think I'd want to do some kind of a shakedown winter backpack, closer to the car, before heading this deep in. That's a *really* remote area. If something runs off the rails, help is a long way off.