Hike your own hike (HYOH) is a phrase thru hikers use alot. It means don't get caught up trying to hike someone else's hike. Just because something works for them doesn't mean it will work for you. Theres no right or wrong way to do a thru hike, just different strategies. If you want to go ultralight and hike 30 miles days everyday, do it. If you like having few camp luxuries and never doing more than 20 miles alot day, do it. If you want to do extra miles so you can get to towm a day earlier, do it. If you want to stop early because you found an awesome campsit, do it. Hike the hike that is going to make you happy. It can be so easy to get caught up get trying to go ultralight or hike higher mile days that you forget the reason you are hiking in the first place. I've adopted the mantra "its about the smiles not the miles". In fact I've really stopped keeping track of how many miles I hike each day. I may never see any of the places or people I'm seeing ever again. So I try to enjoy all the special moments each day. Wether that's taking a break to swim in a lake, stopping for lunch with friends, taking a nap under a shady tree, or sleeping in at a beautiful camp site. If at the end of the day I have more smiles than miles, I'm hiking the hike I want to hike.