Water @ Black Gap Shelter

[Chair-man]

Going NOBO, I read somewhere that the water source at Black Gap Shelter is a real pain in the a$$ to get to and that your better off just going to Springer Mt because the water source there is a lot easier to get to. Is that right?
Also, looks like Georgia got a lot of rain this summer. Are all of the springs running? I'm leaving from AF to Neels at the end of Sept. Thanks

[Praha4]

I hiked AFSP to Neels Gap the last week of June. All water sources were running, there's been a lot of rain this summer. There's a clearly marked spring along the Approach trail, just south of Black Gap shelter, just down a hill a short ways from the trail. When you arrive at Black Gap Shelter, there's a blue blaze leading to water on the other side of the Approach trail from the shelter. As far as I know, it's not hard to find, but I didn't use it. There's also a spring at the Springer Mtn shelter, which IMO does not always provide great flow but there was water there. The longest stretch of the AT with no water in that entire section is from Hawk Mtn Shelter to Justice Creek, in which you'll have the climbs of Sassafrass Mtn and Justis Mtn. Make sure you camel up when you leave Hawk Mtn shelter. Have a good hike.

[Chair-man]

Thanks Praha4, I'm the same age as you. How many miles a day did you average?
Anyone else been to the water source at Black Gap Shelter?

[SipseyFreak]

I'm 68 and hiked Springer to Neel last June. As Praha4 said, the stretch from Hawk to Justice is the driest with lots of ups and downs. I only go for 8-10 miles a day because I only section hike a week at a time and by the time I'm starting to get some trail legs I'm finished with my hike. Besides, I probably slow too much to look around at the sights and I love to get to a site/shelter early for a cup of joe while the other hikers are coming in. I'm basically lazy and I'm more of a saunterer than a hiker, but I do savor my time in the woods. Camel up at Hawk and have a great hike. And, IMO, a night at the Wood's Hole shelter is worth the .4 miles off the AT ... lots of solitude ... just you and a few pigs.

[max patch]

Praha gives good advice about getting water from the source before the shelter.

The water at the shelter is a longish walk downhill. Which of course means uphill the way back. The source at Springer is much easier to use. But I wouldn't call it a "pain in the a$$". Thats an exaggeration.