Hi,
With regards to the Ed Garvey Shelter, I hear the spring is .5 mile away. Is it a reliable source of water? I am overnighting there this weekend. :)
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Hi,
With regards to the Ed Garvey Shelter, I hear the spring is .5 mile away. Is it a reliable source of water? I am overnighting there this weekend. :)
It's .5 miles away and down a steep hill (and is not on the AT). It's not unreliable, but if you can carry in enough water, it's a lot easier.
Thank You! I am bringing "muscle" with me--I will put him on water fetching duty!
Carry water in with you from either Harpers Ferry, if going NOBO or from Gathland State Park if SOBO.
I would vote for carrying in the necessary water for the night. It was not fun to hike down to the water source (and back up). However, if hiking NOBO the price you pay is hauling water up the Weverton switchbacks. I still think it is worth it.
When I was there in 2005, a very kind thru hiker Pogo fetched some water for me in the morning in exchange for Pringles. I made the trip the first night and it was a total pain but a good source.
I like how almost universally, no one wants to hike up and down that hill. LOL.
It's a psychological issue, I think. The climb isn't remarkable compared to many climbs on the AT but when people get to a shelter they are mentally done with hiking for the day and a water source that far down the hill is seen as much more of a burden than it otherwise would be. At least that's the case for me!Quote:
Originally Posted by QHShowoman
I am going to be doing this as a one nighter SOBO from Gathland and will carry water in for the night.
If you get to camp with enough time to set up your tent, grab a quick snack, and relax for a few minutes I didn't think the hike down was THAT bad. Certainly not fun but if it was fun everyone and their mother would be out there.
My wife and I were hiking with our two kids (13/10). We still had dinner and breakfast to cook (not to mention coffee for us and hot chocolate for them!)...and we were facing a near 90 degree day into Harpers Ferry in the AM. So, water was a must for us. As we walked through the camp sites with our bottles and Platypus bags, literally everyone we passed commented on the trek down. Is it far? Yes. Is it steep? Yes. Is it bad? Really depends on the day you've had. Like others noted, it's more mental than physical as the path itself is pretty easy (though wouldn't recommend crocks).
On the plus side, it's super peaceful down there. Gave us a chance to rehydrate with some ice cold lemon aid and Gatorade packets, dipped our feet downstream, and even set up a mini-shower system using the big rock and our 4L Platypus (avoiding the soap since we were close to the water source). We were probably down there for a good hour (some of the folks back at the shelter even asked if everything was ok, lol...but good to know they were thinking of us). So even with the long hike, for us, it was a great moral booster and some fun family time.