View Full Version : Water Availability Along the Trail in 2017
bkristynicole
11-15-2016, 17:05
I have been reading up on the droughts that have been occuring this year in a lot of the states that the AT passes through... And it looks like it will yet again be another warm winter for much of the US.
Anyone have thoughts on this? I am used to desert hiking, so I have totally carried 8 L of water for a 4-5 day hike in the desert... But everyone I know who has hiked the AT in the past tells me that it is a wet trail, and that I would be foolish for carrying a 3L bladder or even 1L of water. But maybe it won't be so wet for much longer (and they say global warming isn't a thing).
I won't lie. It has got me thinking about water in the same way I do when I am prepping for a desert hike. I know that there will be updates as the winter wears on and my start date approaches... Le sigh.
MuddyWaters
11-15-2016, 18:07
By hiking standards, the AT is an ocean. Theres water typically at least every couple miles . Even like now when people freak out because its scarce, theres still 3+ sources in 20 miles, which is....actually very plentiful.
People want to know where to expect water though, and that causes them anxiety if they dont.
johnnybgood
11-15-2016, 18:55
The weather is cyclical in nature so I would expect a return to normal precipitation for drought affected areas. For what its worth, the weather prognosticators are calling for normal rainfall/snow amounts for much of the eastern states this winter. Of course the ability to determine a forecast accurately tends to decrease with time. Historically droughts are localized in nature due to weather patterns remaining unchanged in areas while other areas see an abundance of rainfall.
Putting things into perspective, the water sources along the AT will see enough precipitation in the next 90 days to make up for a less than normal rain fall table. Early February typically starts a wetter than normal pattern that sees lots of rain/snow for the AT corridor that continues through early Spring.
I'm laughing while writing from "wet" Seattle, which at 39 inches/year gets less rain than anywhere on the AT. Some areas, such as the Nantahala forest, get ~100 inches/year. Much of New England is 60 inches/year.
Word about water travels up and down the trail quite effectively, and also in log books. You can generally count on good water sources at shelters. Getting water in "dry" years is more of a problem in late summer/Fall. If you are hiking early in the year, I wouldn't worry about it.
Yes, they can't predict weather more than a few days out. As for predicting climate change using compter models, forgetaboutit.
MuddyWaters
11-16-2016, 09:56
I'm laughing while writing from "wet" Seattle, which at 39 inches/year gets less rain than anywhere on the AT. Some areas, such as the Nantahala forest, get ~100 inches/year. Much of New England is 60 inches/year.
The smokies are technically a rain forest, receive some of highest rainfall in us.
But a ridgeline.......where the AT stays....is a poor place to look for water
jekerdud
11-16-2016, 10:15
I'm laughing while writing from "wet" Seattle
Hah, I'm from Pittsburgh and we get more rain here than Seattle.
The only thing I am curious about for water sources is about the ones where the fires are. If any falling trees are going to block any off or re-route them.
johnupton318
11-28-2016, 21:39
The AT is wet by hiking standards, but don't let that fool you into not carrying enough water. When i was in New York, some water sources listed in the guide straight up weren't there. We would've been screwed if it wasn't for water caches by trail angels. I carried too much water most of the time (1.5-1.8 L when filling up), and was sometimes glad I did. Some sections in VA had 15-20 miles with no source. PA also had long stretches without water. Sometimes this can be alleviated in an emergency by doing sidehikes off trail that many are unwilling to do (many thru hikers won't consider going more than 0.3-0.5 off trail for water). There may be stretches that up to 3 L is an acceptable amount of water to carry.
YoungBloodOnTrail
11-29-2016, 08:35
Even in a drought year the AT will have tons of water, it wont be anything like hiking in the desert. 1L is the max amount of water you will need to carry 95 percent of the time. The longest dry stretch is probably something like 10 miles.
Through my own stupidity. (missing the water source) I have run out of water three times on the AT. It was no fun so now I usually fill up 2L at the source unless I am really sure there is more water up the trail and pretty sure I can't walk past it.
Through my own stupidity. (missing the water source) I have run out of water three times on the AT. It was no fun so now I usually fill up 2L at the source unless I am really sure there is more water up the trail and pretty sure I can't walk past it.
Do you drink a L and save a L? Better in than on.
bkristynicole
11-29-2016, 16:02
Thank you everyone! All of the positive water replies makes me feel better! Like I said, I am kinda used to there being absolutely no water (I did a lot of hiking in Big Bend, dear lawd I love that place)... Still good to hear that even "dry," it is wetter than any desert! :-)
josh_ATL
11-29-2016, 20:51
I just got back from hiking the Roan Highlands this weekend and water was kinda hard to come by in the higher elevations. Most of the springs were dry, but we were able to get water pretty easily at the lower elevation spots along the trail. I think the longest stretch we found without water was about 10 miles. That being said, by late winter/early spring time I would imagine the water will be back. I've hiked the southern parts of the AT for most of my life and it can get pretty dry in the summer and fall, but I've never had a problem finding water, especially in the spring.
Do you drink a L and save a L? Better in than on.
Actually I usually drink anything I have left then fill up two more bottles. I use aqua mira so I have to wait to drink it. Just ordered a sawyer to see how that works for me.
Another Kevin
11-29-2016, 21:22
Do you drink a L and save a L? Better in than on.
Not for me. If I drink much more than I need, it doesn't become a reserve. I feel funny, and hike weakly, until I've peed it out again.
Wait until you are closer to departure for the real climate check on the 2017 season. Guthook's app (with user comments on water sources that you can see as you hike) would probably help you carry only what you really need in the H2O department.
capehiker
12-01-2016, 00:36
Your big area of concern will be NY. It's pretty dry to begin with. If 2017 is similar to this past year, you should be fine if you can get through NY by the end of June. That's when I went through and there was still enough water to not panic. I carried an extra 2 liters by choice because I drank like a fish.
MtDoraDave
12-01-2016, 08:04
Just did the 85 miles north of Damascus a couple weeks ago. About half the reliable water sources listed in AWOL's guide were dry. One hiker I saw concluded that the "springs" were dry, but the "streams" were not. Even with half the water sources dry, I could have stopped to refill mid day somewhere, but I chose to carry 1.7 liters (more the first few days) so I didn't have to stop mid-day to refill.
I don't see it being a problem, except for the UL hikers who are accustomed to carrying less than 1 liter of water... and with 1 liter, it still may not be much of a problem, they just may have to hike a few miles (an hour?) without having any water to sip on. If decently hydrated, going an hour without water shouldn't cause any problems other than psychological; the panic one feels when they "run out" of something.
Another Kevin
12-02-2016, 15:37
Just did the 85 miles north of Damascus a couple weeks ago. About half the reliable water sources listed in AWOL's guide were dry. One hiker I saw concluded that the "springs" were dry, but the "streams" were not. Even with half the water sources dry, I could have stopped to refill mid day somewhere, but I chose to carry 1.7 liters (more the first few days) so I didn't have to stop mid-day to refill.
I don't see it being a problem, except for the UL hikers who are accustomed to carrying less than 1 liter of water... and with 1 liter, it still may not be much of a problem, they just may have to hike a few miles (an hour?) without having any water to sip on. If decently hydrated, going an hour without water shouldn't cause any problems other than psychological; the panic one feels when they "run out" of something.
There are times when I make the conscious decision to carry 2, 3, even 4 litres, so that I can have a little more flexibility in when to stop for water, particularly if the water source is going to be 800 or 1000 feet below the trail. I'd rather hump a couple of pounds of extra water half the day than haul my body down off the ridge and back up it. But I'm basically lazy.