Just wondering from those of you who have hiked Virginia in June / beginning of July what the abundance of water is like. IE, were there many dry or nearly dry stream beds and springs? I’m looking for a variety of responses from different years. Thanks!
Bugs
I go to SNP almost every summer and have not had a problem with water out there I don’t know what part of VA you are looking but in the SNP it is fine…And that is the last 3 yrs
Tambourine
I hiked the AT in 2003 and hit VA in early June, left it in the beginning of July. There were no problems with water whatsoever, although keep in mind 2003 was a very wet spring.
Anish
Thru hiked in 02 coming through VA. in May/June. I cant recall any water problems.2002 was a very dry year.
Virginian
Started at Damascus on June 8th and finished at Harpers Ferry on July 28th. No problems with water. Water is abundant. Great piped spring on Whitetop Mt. and at the shelter home to the copperhead family in N. VA. Go guess?
NedtheFed
Unless it is an extremely dry winter and spring, expect there to be some water in June/early July. If it will get dry enough in VA to affect the water sources it will more likely be after late July.
Skyline
Well, you said you wanted data from a variety of years. How about in the early 1980s. I hiked sections from the James River to Dundo Camp Ground in SNP. Only once did I ever have trouble finding water. Had to dig for it once. If it is a dry year in Va, water will be scarce, mostly just at shelters and rivers/streams. On an average, water is in ample supply in Virginia. I always carried a little extra just in case.
Moon Man
I suppose I should be more specific. I hiked through VA in May of last year, and remember water being plentiful. I am hoping to conduct an aquatic insect study on the trail this summer, and want to make sure that if I am in Virginia in June and July, there will still be enough water sources to make it worthwhile. Thank you for the responses!
Bugs
Like Virginian, I thru-hiked in 02, the “drought year”. Left Damascus 6/8 and arrived @ Harper’s Ferry 7/19.
Water started getting sketchy around Bland. There’s 10 miles between shelters w/no water and then it was running very slow @ Jenny Knob. Then past Catawba all the way to Daleville was problematic, spring barely running near Catawba Mt shelter, or after McAfee @ Campbell or Lamberts Meadow. The cistern @ Fullhardt Knob appeared dry after Daleville though there was water in streams north of there. Those were all isolated incidents.
It was after the Tye River that there were real problems. Harper’s Creek shelter was basically dry, I walked off to a picnic area the next day on the BRP to get water near Humpback Rocks. There was no trouble through the Shennies, but then again, you’re quite near the Waysides too which helps supplement.
Section from Front Royal to HF was fine, the streams in the rollercoaster were running and used profusely by me to “swim” in, it was hotter than Hell those couple days and I got into water at every opportunity.
BB
Bluebearee
Bluebearee,
How many zero days and how many miles did you average from Damascus to HF? I ask because i am section hiking Springer to HF this summer and the dates you gave worry me about my time to traverse this section.
Thnaks,
Mudbug
mudbug
When I hiked the AT in 99 (started may 9 at Sringer,Ga) the drought broke the record, so I carried a lot of water. I remember, when I left Pearishburg, I was carrying 4-5 quarts(8+ lbs). There’s was some strecht where it was really dry (20+ miles). Go down the dry creek, if… In Pensylvania, it could be very dry too, so sometimes the water is far…
Stomp
Mudbug,
I just checked my journal, I left Damascus on June 9th. So that’s 41 days to H.F. and in 2002 it was 550 miles roughly so that averages to 13.41 miles per day. I took off 4 days (complete zeros) to drive back and forth to ME for my mother’s 80th b-day on the Fourth of July, so 37 hiking days would be 14.86 miles per hiking day.
Starting in Damascus to the end I generally averaged 100-105 mile weeks, and 15-20 mile days. I wasn’t a thru-hiker who cranked out 20’s, I didn’t like them and my feet hated them.
But I did consistent miles and by New England I started catching folks who had been days and days ahead of me. I also front loaded my time off to the first half of the hike, I didn’t leave the trail for NYC or anything else after Harper’s Ferry, I never even came home to Maine after I got within striking distance, my husband would come out and meet me, but I didn’t want the distraction of going home and I was pushing the time frame a bit.
I wouldn’t trade walking Maine in late Sept and October for anything though.
A section hike of any length is different in many ways than a thru-hike, I obviously still had 1000 miles to go and needed to save myself for that longevity. Could that section be hiked faster? Of course. The amount taken to hike this trail ranges from 4 months (considered fast) to 7 months. I was just under 6 months @ 179 days, 13 of those completely off trail for family issues (including the one just mentioned) and then another 10 or so zeros on the trail, though even some of those so called zeros I still hiked short little sections (like the 1 mile from in the woods to the Fontana Hilton).
As we all know and repeat ad nauseum, there is no right way to hike the AT and you have to listen to you own body and rhythm and whatever external forces are happening that you feel you need to attend to, like going home for my mother’s b-day.
What is your time frame for Springer to HF? I would say anything less than 2 months would be a push.
Bluebearee
I start a week after final exams, May 16 and the train pulls out of HF on August 21, so 95 days is my total time. averaging 11 miles a day will give me the time I need. I plan to go slower in the first month, then crank ou the miles according to how I feel, not on on the deadline to start my fall semester.
Thanks for the numbers!!!
mudbug