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wmclemore
03-06-2019, 14:48
Hoping someone local or who has current updates is available to share.

My final post before a 60 mile spring break trek leaving Damascus heading NB to Mount Roger NRAH. It's looking like the cold weather is moving out by the end this week and a weather break just in time for our Sunday departure.

My question -

The first day leaving Damascus heading NB looks like you follow a section of Whitetop Laurel Creek and some intersecting tailwater creeks. Does anyone know how difficult this section crossing the creeks are and if there are challenging sections to be aware of.

Thx

Appreciate your help

Hootie Hoo

Lone Wolf
03-06-2019, 16:46
you don't have to ford any creeks

Gambit McCrae
03-06-2019, 16:58
Hoping someone local or who has current updates is available to share.

My final post before a 60 mile spring break trek leaving Damascus heading NB to Mount Roger NRAH. It's looking like the cold weather is moving out by the end this week and a weather break just in time for our Sunday departure.

My question -

The first day leaving Damascus heading NB looks like you follow a section of Whitetop Laurel Creek and some intersecting tailwater creeks. Does anyone know how difficult this section crossing the creeks are and if there are challenging sections to be aware of.

Thx

Appreciate your help

Hootie Hoo

FWIW there haven't been any crossings within the southernmost 1750 miles of the 2190 mile walk...

MuddyWaters
03-06-2019, 23:35
FWIW there haven't been any crossings within the southernmost 1750 miles of the 2190 mile walk...

And many trickles, that are little more than damp rocks 5 ft wide, have a wood footbridge across for the ambulatory challenged.

Most of AT has been groomed into a path anyone can walk, in any weather, without surprises.

In this regard, its mostly a very civilized trail that requires no planning, awareness of weather impending, river stages, etc, as wilder trails do.

Slo-go'en
03-07-2019, 01:58
In this regard, its mostly a very civilized trail that requires no planning, awareness of weather impending, river stages, etc, as wilder trails do.

Except for maybe the last 100 miles in Maine.

MuddyWaters
03-07-2019, 07:39
Except for maybe the last 100 miles in Maine.

Of course.

In dec. Before christmas I drove 7 hrs to hike a few days on a trail. It rained hard while i was driving , sending normally knee deep river i had to cross over head deep . I got to hotel 10 pm and checked river stage...surprised a nearby telltale gauge had shot up vertically in last couple hour to level it only saw a handful days per yr.. Such is runoff in mountains. Without a few days extra food and time to wait for it to drop, just had to turn around and drive home again. 14 hrs driving, hotel, etc . No walkin.:(

Outside of maine, not a similar concern on AT.

In one way thats good.
In another, its a really watered down hiking experience on most of AT by comparison .

Tennessee Viking
03-07-2019, 10:19
Only if you count getting your soles of your shoes wet. The south is pretty easy as creek crossings.

Now if you want to try something other than the AT like Linville Gorge or Wilsons Creek areas in NC ...that's a different story.

Gambit McCrae
03-07-2019, 10:28
Only if you count getting your soles of your shoes wet. The south is pretty easy as creek crossings.

Now if you want to try something other than the AT like Linville Gorge or Wilsons Creek areas in NC ...that's a different story.

It certainly isn't an east coast or "down south" thing. Its an AT thing south of Maine. Even in Big South Fork which I have always considered to be my backyard playground fro hiking close to home, if you don't pay attention to trail selection, you could be getting into a 15 creek wading/ crossing kind of day. Did this one new years hike and learned my lesson on paying attention, more map reading less whiskey...

MuddyWaters
03-07-2019, 11:04
Double post

wmclemore
03-07-2019, 12:27
Thx for the update

Have been spending to much time in the smokys fly fishing. Last springs creek crossing was a big part of planning.

44768

Gambit McCrae
03-07-2019, 12:43
Now that I think about it in MD there was 1 crossing that sticks out. I had to look it up. Little Antietam creek had had the boardwalk (1 board) washed away during a rise. It was 2-3 steps until on the other side but is at the top of the list in my experiences as far as crossings go in the lower 12 states of the AT

Little Antietam Creek (http://rohland.homedns.org:8008/at/at_MDsection2/ATPictures.aspx)

Berserker
03-07-2019, 19:38
Thx for the update

Have been spending to much time in the smokys fly fishing. Last springs creek crossing was a big part of planning.

44768
That brings back some memories. A few years back I was hiking in the Smokies on the Forney Creek trail. I had parked at the end of the road to nowhere, and was in one of the camp spots up the trail the last night. It rained part of the night and through the morning. I was sitting around camp thinking I would let it die down before I packed up and left, and not thinking about high water in the creek. Well, long story short it looked like class 5 rapids in a couple of spots where I had to cross, and I had to cross it 4 or 5 times. A couple of those crossings were pretty hairy.

Anyway, as others have indicated there's not anything like that on the AT (at least not that I have seen thusfar...and I only have the Hundred Mile Wilderness and 41 miles in SNP left to do). There's a few crossings in ME. Everything South of ME is small or has a bridge.