I will be section hiking from NOC to Davenport the last week of August. I usually carry 2- 1 liter bottles for water and a waist pack with an additional liter. Do I need the waist pack or are there enogh shelters/water supplies to just refill my 2 liters at every shelter. All advice is appreciated.
Zydecajun
There’s a lot of water in the Smokies… In all of my years of hiking in the Smokies, I’ve never had to carry more than 2 liters. One could usually get by with one liter or slightly more, depending on how fast you’re going etc. Of course, it’s darn hot there in August, so you’ll be doing plenty of sweating. There’s water at every shelter, unless there’s a serious drought in effect, and in the park the shelters are usually less than 6 miles apart. 2 liters of capacity should be plenty.
cramer
id like this to be verified, but i remember a few sources listed in the data book from icewater springs shelter to cosby knob shelter (13miles) were non-existant. there was a shelter 7 miles in, but it was .5 off trail. wingfoot had listed a source just past the shelter that turned out not to exist either. the bottom line: plan for no water for that stretch, or plan on going the .5 off trail.
still, though i did the whole stretch with the same strategey you have no problem, just be aware since you really prance the ridge so water can be scarcer than other sections.
milo
There is a lot of water in the Smokies particularly off of the AT, but along the AT water is not as readily available and some of those sources can be slight at times. I’m no Smokies AT expert, plan to hike it in two weeks. I’m hoping the water sources at or near the shelters hold up. I was camping in the Smokies a few weeks ago and the water levels are pretty low in the streams. The sources at Silers Bald Shelter, Double Spring Gap and Mount Collins are not raging flows of water, more like small trickles or at best small springs, puddling up as they come out of the mtn. Also if you are passing through and need to water up at Mount Collins the source is a good little walk down Sugarland Mtn Trail, can’t remember exactly, but the water is not a stone’s throw from the shelter.
Stuart
I would think it all depends on your hiking experience. I once thought if I didn’t have water when I got to fresh water, I was doing something wrong. Now if there is water somewhere today along the trail, I know that I will get to it and I will have more than I need.
It makes a difference if you want coffee in the morning and oatmeal before you hike too. I have camped without water and ate breakfast later or skipped it and just ate a big lunch. It just all depends on what you want to do. After 700 miles you get used to whatever the mountains throw at you.
Camping in the smokies should be great. I went thru there so quick that it didn’t matter how far away water was. I also had no problems because we had snow melt. If it rains, you’ll have oottles of water and if you filter, you may even be able to dig open a dry spring that isn’t even on the maps.
It just depends on what you are willing to tollerate. Most thruhikers will drink right from clean water sources, and boil pond scum if they think they need water. Have fun no matter what. Wish I could be there in August. It should be cool nights and terribly hot days.
Burn
Hey Stuart, I’ll be in the Smokies @ June 15th. May see you in there. Are you side-trailing it or sticking mostly to the AT?
Rashberry
will miss you by one day. All AT this time. Side-trailing it is actually more interesting to me in the park, but this time out I’m going end to end.
Stuart