I hike! I hike a fair amount although I'm hardly the lord god king of hiking.
A five-mile hike over easy-to-moderate terrain will take around 2-3 hours for most people. You probably don't need any food, and 1 20-oz water bottle won't be QUITE enough but in most cases it will be ok, you'll just be thirsty by the end. You can usually do these hikes in sneakers and non-specialist clothing. It is fairly easy in a lot of places in the US to find a 5 mile hike within an hour's drive. You can drive out after lunch, do the hike, and be home for dinner.
A ten-mile hike is an all-day commitment and a minimum of about 5 hours hiking, possibly up to around 7 depending on terrain, etc. You have to carry much more with you (water, snacks, sunscreen, etc. -- usually a full day pack and maybe 2-3L of water) and most clothes not designed for hiking will rub and cause injury. Hikes this length often have stretches of significantly more difficult terrain. You almost certainly need hiking shoes or boots, specialized socks, trousers with no cotton, and a removable layer as well. Hikes of this length are often farther from residential areas and may require substantial driving (the one I am doing later this month is about 2.5 hours away).
I can understand ENTIRELY why Caley wants to do the first kind of hike, and not the second. It's not arbitrary at all -- 5 or 6 miles is about the limit of what it's safe and reasonable and fun to do without gear, a pack, extra water, etc. etc. and can comfortably fit into an afternoon. If the LW thought for FIVE SECONDS, this should have occurred to them as being Caley's reason for this "arbitrary" limit (even if it's not Caley's actual reason, it is a perfectly reasonable reason that ANY experienced hiker should have been able to think of, provided they aren't a nasty spoilsport).
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I hike! I hike a fair amount although I'm hardly the lord god king of hiking.
A five-mile hike over easy-to-moderate terrain will take around 2-3 hours for most people. You probably don't need any food, and 1 20-oz water bottle won't be QUITE enough but in most cases it will be ok, you'll just be thirsty by the end. You can usually do these hikes in sneakers and non-specialist clothing. It is fairly easy in a lot of places in the US to find a 5 mile hike within an hour's drive. You can drive out after lunch, do the hike, and be home for dinner.
A ten-mile hike is an all-day commitment and a minimum of about 5 hours hiking, possibly up to around 7 depending on terrain, etc. You have to carry much more with you (water, snacks, sunscreen, etc. -- usually a full day pack and maybe 2-3L of water) and most clothes not designed for hiking will rub and cause injury. Hikes this length often have stretches of significantly more difficult terrain. You almost certainly need hiking shoes or boots, specialized socks, trousers with no cotton, and a removable layer as well. Hikes of this length are often farther from residential areas and may require substantial driving (the one I am doing later this month is about 2.5 hours away).
I can understand ENTIRELY why Caley wants to do the first kind of hike, and not the second. It's not arbitrary at all -- 5 or 6 miles is about the limit of what it's safe and reasonable and fun to do without gear, a pack, extra water, etc. etc. and can comfortably fit into an afternoon. If the LW thought for FIVE SECONDS, this should have occurred to them as being Caley's reason for this "arbitrary" limit (even if it's not Caley's actual reason, it is a perfectly reasonable reason that ANY experienced hiker should have been able to think of, provided they aren't a nasty spoilsport).