Overnight between Hawk and Justis

[WillyFrazier]

For various reasons, the timing for my hiking group will probably put us camping past Hawk, but before Justis, on the GA AT section. The map doesn't show water or tent sites thru there. I'm sure I will see plenty of tent sites, but is there a reliable water source between Hawk and Justis?

[Slo-go'en]

The only camping in that section would be at Horse gap or Cooper gap (which has a FS road). Neither site has water. Your on a dry ridge line through there and the only water would be at Hawk Mt shelter or at Justis Creek. You will have to load up with water at Hawk and lug it the couple of miles to Horse Gap (or beyond).

I forget how big an area is suitable for tenting at Horse gap, I would guess maybe 5 tents?

[flemdawg1]

On the 1st day of my GA section I made Hawk around 2pm. Loaded up water and continued up to the top of Sassafras and camped there.

[SCRUB HIKER]

At Cooper Gap, if you walk down the road to the right less than a half-mile, there is water at a little creeklet that passes under the dirt road. I had to make use of this on my first day on the AT because I was a n00b and wasn't paying attention to the water situation (last time that happened). I ended up getting a ride back up to the Gap from the creek, then climbed up Justus and camped up there. There is a lot of flat tenting area at the top of Justus. There is also tenting at Cooper Gap, but it's right next to a FS road and is therefore kind of undesirable IMO.

Justus is aptly named, too--you'll probably be all alone up there. I was, even though there were 50 people at Hawk Mtn. Shelter just a few miles earlier on the same night.

[yellowsirocco]

At Cooper Gap, if you walk down the road to the right less than a half-mile, there is water at a little creeklet that passes under the dirt road. I had to make use of this on my first day on the AT because I was a n00b and wasn't paying attention to the water situation (last time that happened). I ended up getting a ride back up to the Gap from the creek, then climbed up Justus and camped up there. There is a lot of flat tenting area at the top of Justus. There is also tenting at Cooper Gap, but it's right next to a FS road and is therefore kind of undesirable IMO.

Justus is aptly named, too--you'll probably be all alone up there. I was, even though there were 50 people at Hawk Mtn. Shelter just a few miles earlier on the same night.

I usually blue blaze around Justus so I can get to that stream. It is good water too. On this blue blaze you rejoin the AT by following an old forest road that goes along with Justus Creek. Upstream of where the AT crosses there is some stuff that the army uses so even though the water tastes fine I would rather take the stuff by the road.