I know next to nothing of hiking, so I’d be interested in hearing of your trips and tips and whatever else!
My limited knowledge roughly amounts to go with someone (genuinely) experienced, have more water (and probably food) than you’ll think you need, good footwear, be wary of the mystery berry, and don’t try to pet/touch all the wildlife (no matter how cute they may seem).
Hiking and pace are very mental. It’s someone is slower than the rest of the group they should set the pace. You need to make sure they don’t fall behind because that will make them go even slower because they will lose the friendly chit chat and get discouraged.
You want the most experience hikers on the front and back. They both are needed to keep you group together but back is the just important unless you need a good navigator. Treat it like they did the LoTR put your Gandolf and Aragorn in the front and back while you hike