I'm tired of the #dnd5e 4-6 encounters isn't realistic so the game isn't challenging or balanced argument. It is perfectly attainable to challenge your players that much between long rests when they are out adventuring. Anything that uses resources is an encounter not just combat

Environmental hazards? Encounter. Trap? Encounter. Using spells to explore or decipher clues? Encounter. Combat? Encounter. You can have an adventure with only 1-2 combats but that doesn't mean the day is over in game. RAW states that PCs only benefit from one long rest per day.

That means you need to figure out how long they are in that swamp,or dungeon, or whatever and enforce it. Their decisions become harder. Put things in their view that make them need to push on. The sound of an ally being tortured, an enemy getting away, children crying, whatever.

That doesn't mean that every time you sit at a table it has to be grind or dungeon crawl. My players will go week's without making an initiative roll. It also doesn't mean there won't be a single encounter in a single day. Sometimes there's only one fight in a bar or on the road

But that's not the same as being out in the wilderness on an Adventure or exploring a ruin or raiding some monster lair or villains fortress or defending a town. That should be hard and last multiple weeks IRL but only a few hours in game. The encounter average is fine. #DnD