Hiking Appalachian Trail MD-- need advice?

In the Rocky Mountains, I hike about five miles in a day with a full pack and a couple thousand feet of elevation gain, for example, from 9,000 to 11,000 feet. On a day-hike, I will typically ascend 3,000 to 6,000 feet over a distance of ten miles. I usually figure 1 mile, 1,000 vertical feet per hour on a moderate trail. My average pace is 2.2 miles an hour, which can be dramatically affected by influences such as being above 13,000 feet with limited oxygen, pecking in a boulder field, or crossing a snowfield. I think that a fifteen-mile day at lower elevation on the Appalachian Trail should be attainable if you wear proper equipment. Wearing two pair of socks and gaiters comes to mind because I recently met a few hikers who gave-up on the Colorado Trail this week due to deep snow. Fortunately, they had a bail-out plan with friends to rescue them with a sag wagon after hiking 38 miles. You should not beat-up your body just to cover a set distance. Plan with flexibility and bail-out points. In order to get opinions from locals, you should go to a forum focused specifically on the Appalachian Trail.