Camping/Water between Hogpen Gap and Low Gap

[ChinMusic]

I'm doing Neels to Franklin in early December. I'll be getting a bit of a late start out of Neels and have loose plans to stop at White Oak Stamp, picking up water at Hogpen Gap. Trying to get to Low Gap with a late start would be tough for us, especially with the shortened daylight.

I know this area has had tons of rain this season so the usual sources of water should be good.

Are there any good sources of water between Hogpen and Low Gap, or is that section pretty dry?

White Oak Stamp should be a good site, eh?

[Not Sunshine]

I know this may not help much - but in 2007 (read: during that drought) I hiked that section and stayed at Low Gap (there is a good site there - we were SOBO and it was to the RIGHT) - there was a lower area we bushed through and dug a hole - and filtered water out of it (although it did smell like poo, we didn't get sick).

This was when it was so dry there was no dew in October, though. You'll probably have better luck.

I will say that the night before, I slept at the site at Whistling Gap....hiked a LONG fall (read: short) day to get to Low Gap - and past Big Bald, there was NO WHERE to set up a tent - so if you're NOBO, beware - past Low Gap it's a long trek up to flat ground.

I want to say we trekked across some shallow streams on the way down from Big Bald. Your water should be okay, I would guess...but I haven't been in >2 years.

Good luck! Wish I were on the trail.

[Grinder]

I did just that two years ago.

I watered up at hog pen gap/ Camping was fine on white oak stamp, in the morning I watered up at the next shelter. There was no obvious water along the trail

[tagg]

I hiked Georgia a couple of months ago. After Hogpen, I didn't see any water sources until I reached Low Gap shelter. I was the only one at the shelter that night, asleep in my tent around 10pm when I heard someone walking around outside. It turned out it was a lady I had met earlier on the trail - apparently she couldn't find the water at Hogpen, and had been without water since lunchtime on a very warm day. When she limped in to the shelter, she was pretty dehydrated. She said she had been stopping every few minutes and trying to lick water off of leaves for the last hour. Lucky for her, the small stream at Low Gap Shelter was flowing strong. I would fill them up at Hogpen.

[MintakaCat]

Like Tagg said; you'll be lucky to find any water between Hogpen Gap and Low Gap (4.4 miles).

[ChinMusic]

Like Tagg said; you'll be lucky to find any water between Hogpen Gap and Low Gap (4.4 miles).

That's what I was thinking. I'll just make sure to load up late in the afternoon at Hogpen with enough water to get me to lunch the next day.......thanks all.