View Full Version : No Water Fontana-Derrick's Knob. 22miles.
Digger'02
09-02-2010, 10:41
Hey yall, I wanted to alert anyone to the situation, looks like the AT is dry from Fontana to Derrick's knob--roughly 22.318 miles.
drink up!
yo Buck Owens!
pyroman53
09-02-2010, 12:17
Did you hike it or did you hear from someone else?
Digger'02
09-02-2010, 12:36
so little trust out there.
I did not hike it recently. I do get the rudgerunner reports though, this is a reliable source of information.
pyroman53
09-02-2010, 15:47
Yeah, sorry for being a skeptic! Not sure if Hurricane Earl will bring any precip to the area...sounds like it's needed. Thanks for the info!! I'll be on this stretch in a month.
flagator
09-02-2010, 17:13
im doing that stretch next thursday and on so I hope it improves. Please keep me updated if you could.
flagator
09-02-2010, 17:18
GSMNP Ranger informed me there is a water source off thunderhead mountain at this time... to the right of the trail if your hiking south. Can anyone confirm this or give further clarification to where he is talking about... he said there is a sign, im sure i'll find it.... but maybe one of you could save me some trouble.
TIDE-HSV
09-03-2010, 23:51
..........
I did this hike a few years ago in November when there was a 27 mi stretch between water sources.
That was manageable, until my platy catastrophically failed at Mollies Ridge. All I had left was about 10 ozs in a Gatorade bottle.
I hiked a stretch of the Smokies in '08 in the fall which was during drought conditions. A majority of the sources were very slow but I was able to get enough out of them. A lot of the time, people had pulled pipes out of the sources and all they needed was a little work to get a flow. The funny thing is we heard from a shuttler that a few people doing that section bailed the day before we started saying there was no water. We didn't have a problem.
ChinMusic
09-04-2010, 12:51
I did this hike a few years ago in November when there was a 27 mi stretch between water sources.
That was manageable, until my platy catastrophically failed at Mollies Ridge. All I had left was about 10 ozs in a Gatorade bottle.
How much did you start the section with?
Daydream Believer
09-05-2010, 20:27
How much water would you have to carry to get through a 22 mile section, to cook, etc... I would imagine it would vary by season also...more in hot weather. I ask as I'm hoping to do this section in October. I sure hope it rains a bit up there!
I did this hike a few years ago in November when there was a 27 mi stretch between water sources.
That was manageable, until my platy catastrophically failed at Mollies Ridge. All I had left was about 10 ozs in a Gatorade bottle.
This is why I always carry more than one container of water
How much did you start the section with?
~90 ozs
How much water would you have to carry to get through a 22 mile section, to cook, etc... I would imagine it would vary by season also...more in hot weather. I ask as I'm hoping to do this section in October. I sure hope it rains a bit up there!
Depends on many variables, temps, your fitness, sunny vs cloudy, how many days it takes you to make this section, if you cook or not. I believe about 2 liters would get it in a day hike, 3.5-4 liters if you camp & cook
BobTheBuilder
09-05-2010, 21:10
I did this section a couple of years ago, same time of year, same water situation. I carried 5 quarts of water out of Fontana. It was enough, but I think it helped that it was the first two days out. I started out fresh and fully hydrated. My suggestion is to camel up on gatorade and water before you leave the dam, and just ration yourself.
ChinMusic
09-05-2010, 21:22
~90 ozs
Did that 90 oz include an overnight, or did you blow through in one day?
Our OP will be having an overnight.
Did that 90 oz include an overnight, or did you blow through in one day?
Our OP will be having an overnight.
I hiked SOBO through the park & overnighted at Mollies Ridge. Slept with my platy. Fortunately it burst in the morning while packing it instead of in the bag with me.
Daydream Believer
09-06-2010, 10:11
Thanks...I was thinking at least 3 liters. My last section hike was in late May so it was a lot warmer than I think Oct is likely to be...and I drank lots of water (for me.) I could make most of the day hiking (say 6-8 hours of hiking) on what was in my camelbak...2 L. So add cooking and that would be at least 3 liters. Between my camelbak and my Nalgene, I could carry 3 liters.
Ouch...that will make for some serious weight going uphill from Fontana if I have to carry twice that much.
Next question...if you all have to carry say 6 liters of water, how do you prefer to carry it? Maybe I should make this a separate topic?
Ox97GaMe
09-08-2010, 23:11
I was up there this past weekend (Labor Day weekend) and there was water at #113, Mollies, and Spence. There isnt much, but it is there. You will likely need a filter to extract it from the small pool resevoirs that remain.
Russell Field is completely dry.
garlic08
09-09-2010, 09:47
I do a lot of desert hiking and most of my camps are dry camps, and many water sources are in excess of 30 miles apart. The methods that help me reduce my water weight are: Wear a long sleeve shirt and good hat to reduce exposure to sun and reduce your perspiration; watch your sodium intake (too much at night will make you feel thirsty all night and you'll suck down a liter of water); watch your pace and don't overwork in the hottest part of the day; don't cook (or clean up) in a dry camp--enjoy a cold meal; sip your water at regular intervals--don't wait until you're thirsty and gulp it.
I carry water in smaller containers, 2 liter max, so a single failure doesn't ruin the trip. Amount varies from five to ten miles per liter, depending on terrain and temperature, and from half to one liter per camp. A 22 mile fall hike in the Smokies for me would mean three liters. I did that hike, including a detour down around the dam, in one good day. If I had to camp, I'd carry an extra half liter.
There is most certainly water between Derrick Knob and Fontana. The piped spring behind Spence Field is running fine. There is a puddle at Russell Field that can filtered out of. There is a dry stream with puddles that can be filtered out of at Ekaneeltee Gap. The spring at Birch Spring campsite can be filtered out of.
Hiked it this weekend.
I was there last week, around 9/1/10. There was water at Spence Field Shelter, and there was water at Beechnut gap north of Thunderhead on the trail.
flagator, the source he is talking about is Beechnut Gap - there is a sign, and when I was there there was a blue shirt hanging off the sign that appeared to have been there for a while. (and GO VOLS!)
HooKooDooKu
09-10-2010, 14:04
Hey yall, I wanted to alert anyone to the situation, looks like the AT is dry from Fontana to Derrick's knob--roughly 22.318 miles.
drink up!
yo Buck Owens!
I called the back country reservation office this morning to get a reservation that includes campsite 113. The rangers basically gave me the same warning. Their web site under "Road and Facilities Closures" says:
Water Conditions
Water sources from campsite 113 to Spence Field are unreliable at his time. Water is currently available at Derrick Knob, which is approximately 23 miles from Fontana. Please plan your hike accordingly or consider planning a hike when water sources become more reliable again.
Daydream Believer
09-13-2010, 16:16
I made shelter reservations for October on the AT yesterday and I was also warned that water is very scarce. This guy told me that Derrick's Knob may be dry now also. I sure hope we get some rain this month or I'm going to have to carry a crap load of water a long ways!
He said the Northern half of the park is fine, and the dryness problems are only in the Southern Half.
SmokeEater
09-13-2010, 21:23
Just got back sat. Water is fine. Southern part is less than northern but it is there. U may have to work for it.
Daydream Believer
09-13-2010, 22:51
That's good to know SmokeEater. I hope it doesn't get any dryer before I head out.
Ox97GaMe
09-13-2010, 23:28
Smokeater, I dont recall you being on either end of the tools that was 'working' for water. lol.
had thunderstorms roll across the mountain Sat night. Should have dropped enough water to keep the springs running for at least a week. The good news is that October starts the rainy season in the Smokies. Just a couple more weeks and everyone will be complaining about too much water. Such is life on the trail. :)
SmokeEater
09-14-2010, 14:18
Haha but we did help you move some logs.
Ox97GaMe
09-14-2010, 19:09
Yes, you did. and I am very grateful. Save me quite a bit of time not having to cut all those with the hand saw. I might have been on that mountain 2 or 3 hrs longer, had your group not arrived when they did. :)
Ox97GaMe
10-13-2010, 19:39
Water is no longer an issue in the park. They have been getting a healthy dose of it over the past two weeks. October is the start of the wet season. Between now and December, there should be enough rain on a weekly basis to keep the springs running well.
HooKooDooKu
10-14-2010, 10:52
I was at campsite 113 this past weekend (Sat. Oct 9th). There was no water comming out of the pipe at the top of the campsite. But if you followed the creek down hill about 100', there was a nice small flow that you could get plenty of water from.
Was at campsite 13 the next night. The flow there was the best I've seen it in my 4 trips to that site.
If there's been any rain this week (NOAA report says Cades Cove got almost an inch yesterday), then I would believe that there isn't any water issues now. If not, I could see 113 drying up (or at least you'd have to follow the creek bed even farther down hill).
Digger'02
10-14-2010, 13:47
mod, please close this untill july 15 2011. the smokys are wet