If the hiking trail is 7 miles long, and you hike $\frac{1}{3}$ of it before stopping for water, we can calculate the distance you hiked as follows:

$\text{Distance hiked} = \frac{1}{3} \times 7 = \frac{7}{3} = 2.33 \text{ miles (approximately)}$

So, you hiked about 2.33 miles before stopping for water.

Would you like a detailed breakdown or have any further questions?

Here are some related questions that build on this information:

1. How far would you hike if you completed half of the trail?
2. How many more miles would you need to hike after stopping for water to reach the end?
3. If you hike at a pace of 3 miles per hour, how long would it take you to reach your first stop?
4. How many miles would both hikers have covered in total if they combined their efforts?
5. If the trail were 10 miles instead, how many miles would you hike before stopping?

Tip: When calculating fractions of a distance, multiply the total by the fraction directly to find the result.