WhiteBlaze Pages 2024
A Complete Appalachian Trail Guidebook.
AVAILABLE NOW. $4 for interactive PDF(smartphone version)
Read more here WhiteBlaze Pages Store

Results 1 to 8 of 8
  1. #1

    Exclamation water in PA in September?????????????

    My mom and i are planning to hike most or all of PA in September. Some one she talked to said that it would be dry and their might not be too much water. Is this true? Would it not be possible even though towns are so close?

    any help would be great

  2. #2
    Registered User
    Join Date
    10-27-2005
    Location
    Berks County, PA
    Age
    62
    Posts
    7,159
    Images
    13

    Default Too early to say

    It could be dry and water could be hard but not impossible to come by east of Eckville. Then again, if we have an active hurricane season this year, you may find more water than you desire. Pay attention to fire warnings which I believe should give some indication as to spring flow.

    There are some sources upon which you can count. Be sure to make use of them and carry enough between them in the event others prove to be dry.

    East of Swatara Gap, water is always available at 501 Shelter, Hertlein Campsite, Port Clinton, Eckville Shelter and PA 309.

    At most but not necessarily all other locations, water can be obtained by walking farther downhill a few hundred yards. A bit of a hike is sometimes required at Allentown and Bake Oven Knob Shelters. You may be able to save yourself time and trouble by reading the last few pages of registers before going after water.

    I hope what I've posted helps.
    Last edited by emerald; 05-29-2007 at 18:12.

  3. #3

    Default

    i also drink water! heres what i do. i prepare for the worst water shortage in pa in the dry season by carrying my six litre bag with 4 liters in it.thats the most a fat slow overburdened out of shape looser like myself needs. needs to craw begging from source to lousy downhill source. at camp in the worst spots like mentioned above, when walking for water, witch can be 15 down, 45 up,...i make sure to carry a full six litres and cookpot and maby even a ziplock full,..struggeling and cursing my way back to the trail so that i can enjoy being "water rich " even in the worst weather. its allways worth the pain to be water rich. i dont play when it comes to water. im cleaning and cooking alot.if its not the very worst drought in PA,..then your regular routeen only needs to be increased by a litre. ive walked the state in the very worst dry spells in my lifetime of 33 years walking my state, and i can tell you this,..it allways gets at least to the point where your dripping more than you can drink and your bloated with water and sick of drinking and sweating and its 90 at night and you wonder what does pennsylvania really offer the long distance hiker. the answer is a worst case scinario is what hiking pa gives. all other states pale as far as pain to fun ratio. we have no fun. no veiws. no nothin good. just pain. rocks and thirst and no swimmin and rocks and sweatin. its my favorite. you hike pa long enough,..youll love the other states more than other folks can appreciate. pa is where you earn your endurance for boring hiking and pain. its an honor to live in the bully state. kidding. pa is easy.
    matthewski

  4. #4
    Registered User
    Join Date
    06-08-2006
    Location
    Southwick, MA
    Age
    42
    Posts
    108
    Images
    13

    Default

    I was going thru PA last Nov into Dec and there was a lot less water than in other states. VERY few streams. Springs were usually a pretty good hike down the hill. I only screwed up once by depending on a water source at the shelter just south of mount mini (first day in PA) which turned out to be a faucet that was shut off for the winter. Other than that just pay attention to where the springs are located on your data sheets and plan accordingly. Look closely at the distance from the trail that the spring is and remember that it will not be flat.

  5. #5

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by firemountain View Post
    I was going thru PA last Nov into Dec and there was a lot less water than in other states. VERY few streams. Springs were usually a pretty good hike down the hill. I only screwed up once by depending on a water source at the shelter just south of mount mini (first day in PA) which turned out to be a faucet that was shut off for the winter.
    That would be Kirkridge Shelter. You should have had enough water hiking out of Water Gap though. Then its only another half day over to Wind Gap where you can re-sup.

    Quote Originally Posted by firemountain View Post
    Other than that just pay attention to where the springs are located on your data sheets and plan accordingly. Look closely at the distance from the trail that the spring is and remember that it will not be flat.
    Yep. The faucet at Kirkridge is operated by the hostel on top of the hill and is widely advertised as being shut off around that time.

  6. #6
    Registered User
    Join Date
    10-30-2002
    Location
    Columbus, Ohio
    Age
    52
    Posts
    778
    Images
    2

    Default

    Even if the water runs dry, the Yuengling is always cold, cheap and tasty.
    Hooray for PA!!!
    What? Me worry??

  7. #7
    Registered User cutman11's Avatar
    Join Date
    05-26-2004
    Location
    piedmont NC
    Age
    63
    Posts
    218

    Default

    Unfortunately, someone needs to contact the church retreat at the Kirkridge Shelter to find out when specifically they turn the water on and off, and publish it by date in the Companion, data book or guide book. When I did a section there in late april (temps 55 at night, no chance of freezing) it was still capped off ( I mean soldered shut, no spigot valve or nothing) and had a sign on it saying something to the effect of "shut off due to emergency drought, as though there were no plans to unsolder the cap, put a valve back on it to make it functional anytime in the future. "In Season" just doesnt cut it as the timing. I asked a ranger about that very thing at High Point State park before starting the hike, but they of course, were in NJ and didnt know about the trail that far away. Interestingly, though, they felt it would be "in season" at that time of year where they were at, so, whats up with that church retreat???Is the kirkridge shelter simply a picnic area built for them, when they feel like turning the dang water on, or what???
    The Kirkridge shelter was nice, but after 15 tough miles with no water for the next 7 to DWG, the whole place felt like crap. I did load up at the road crossing motel at Wind gap, but drank it all by that time. If I had only known.
    Cutman
    GA>ME 2000>2010..... Purist thruhiker in spirit, just with a lotta zeros during townstops;)

  8. #8
    Registered User
    Join Date
    06-10-2005
    Location
    Bedford, MA
    Posts
    12,678

    Default

    9/11/06: Had a great night at Kirkridge. Spigot was running. I suppose it would not have been as much fun without water. I'd never been at a shelter with a spigot before... (or since)

    9/12/06: Leroy Smith Shelter. A long slog down the mountain to "Spring #3" or some such thing. A good half mile and 300 feet of vertical each way. It didn't help that I missed the small sign for the turnoff to the spring, and ended up walking an extra half mile or so to the road. Felt like an idiot standing there, on a residential street, with empty Nalgene bottles in hand. Pissed me off, big time.

++ New Posts ++

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •