If the hiking pants are 100% cotton you will have problems if you get the pants wet, cotton retains water and so dry out time is much longer. you can consider pants which are a blend of nylon and cotton and try to target hiking in a warm or sunny environment.
It is known that synthetic fibers do give good wick factor, the moisture can lift or pass up through synthetic fibers and then it is able to naturally evaporate. The ideal combination generally is a blend of merino wool and polyester, this leads to good walkability.