Current Water Source conditions on the Long Trail

[Tinker]

I plan on doing an end-to-end hike in late Sept/early Oct. What is the current water availability on the LT?
Please keep this thread going for the use of future hikers.
Thanks.

[Deadeye]

This is not a smart-alec reply, but the current (mid-August) conditions have no bearing on late September/early October.

That said, right now, things are pretty dry, and any water source that is usually sporadic or otherwise unreliable will likely be dry, including such places as Puffer, Butler, or Shooting Star, and there's never much water between Shooting Star and the Canadian border. Otherwise, there are so many sources crossed on a daily basis, that you just need to watch the shelter logs or talk to hikers coming the other way to get an idea of what's coming. Forecast is for shower for the next week, beyond that, who knows.

[Jeff]

Southern LT from MA border to Maine Jct water reports show no problems as of mid August. Will let you know more next month.

[Tinker]

This is not a smart-alec reply, but the current (mid-August) conditions have no bearing on late September/early October.

That said, right now, things are pretty dry, and any water source that is usually sporadic or otherwise unreliable will likely be dry, including such places as Puffer, Butler, or Shooting Star, and there's never much water between Shooting Star and the Canadian border. Otherwise, there are so many sources crossed on a daily basis, that you just need to watch the shelter logs or talk to hikers coming the other way to get an idea of what's coming. Forecast is for shower for the next week, beyond that, who knows.

Well, unless you think you're being a smart-alec, there isn't a problem with your answer. I know that it's been extremely dry here (now that I'm back to landscaping and out of the bicycle business - at least full-time). There is barely a lawn to mow, and I'm glad I work for someone else who can find other work for me to do.
I'm familiar with all of the LT, having done it in sections in the 1990s. I'm more interested in making water availability information accessible to whoever may be currently/soon hiking. I know that with my hiking history it will be raining buckets every day that I'm on the LT, and water probably won't be a problem .

[Tinker]

Southern LT from MA border to Maine Jct water reports show no problems as of mid August. Will let you know more next month.

Thanks, much appreciated.

[Bleemus]

I just completed a thru hike of the LT today and water was fine everywhere with the exception of the high ridge section that includes Mansfield. Theron Dean shelter was just a trickle but has been non-existant for the last 8 years in August so this was a nice surprise. No stretch without water was more than six miles. Easy to deal with in my opinion. Southern sections had more water than you can imagine. Easy to filter along the way without even thinking about it.

[Bleemus]

Tinker,
Seeing as you are a hammock hanger perhaps we should talk. Hammocks on the northern half are not as easy as I thought they would be. Let me know if you want to chat on the phone and I can give you my two cents on the best way to deal with it.

Cheers,
Bleemus

[NorthCountryWoods]

Just dropped a hiker off at Journeys End today and it's raining pretty good here in the north. Supposed to continue into Wednesday or Thursday.

[Hiker8261]

Looking at a 30 day rainfall map shows all of VT being above normal for rainfall. As the previous post mentioned, the current storm will add to the water table.
I am looking at leaving around the 8th for 3 week NB thru and don't expect any water supply problems.

chris

[Fox]

Leaving in less than 2 weeks for a trek from Cheshire, MA to Maine Junction. I'll do my best to give you all an update when I get back.

Thanks, Bleemus for your update. I was feeling a little anxious even with the recent rain.

[StubbleJumper]

Just finished my end-to-ender on 24-Aug. In general, lots of water, but there are a few dry stretches. In particular, when you climb Bolton Mountain, you walk on a ridge for a very long time and there is a fair stretch without water. When I was there a week ago, there was zero water between Buchanan and Taylor, which is a stretch of 6-7 miles or something like that. Puffer is dry as a bone. The good news is that Taylor's water is fabulous....

There was water at Butler last week, and as Bleemus noted, the Theoren Dean spring was trickling too. There was no water in the Stark's Nest (sometimes volunteers haul gallon-jugs of it up to the warming shelter...bless their souls!).

Woodward was a slow trickle, but it tasted great. There's bugger-all between Woodward and Journey's End (but there's plenty at Journey's End).

[Deadeye]

Woodward was a slow trickle, but it tasted great. There's bugger-all between Woodward and Journey's End (but there's plenty at Journey's End).

IMO, Woodward is the best water on the LT, so tank up there if NOBO. I've never seen water (except rain) between LW and Journey's end.

[Tinker]

Just finished my end-to-ender on 24-Aug. In general, lots of water, but there are a few dry stretches. In particular, when you climb Bolton Mountain, you walk on a ridge for a very long time and there is a fair stretch without water. When I was there a week ago, there was zero water between Buchanan and Taylor, which is a stretch of 6-7 miles or something like that. Puffer is dry as a bone. The good news is that Taylor's water is fabulous....

There was water at Butler last week, and as Bleemus noted, the Theoren Dean spring was trickling too. There was no water in the Stark's Nest (sometimes volunteers haul gallon-jugs of it up to the warming shelter...bless their souls!).

Woodward was a slow trickle, but it tasted great. There's bugger-all between Woodward and Journey's End (but there's plenty at Journey's End).

Thanks. Puffer was one of my favorite shelters (good views, solitude) of all that I visited on my section hikes and I plan on staying there on my end-to-end. I'll carry up some water.

[Deacon]

Tinker,
Seeing as you are a hammock hanger perhaps we should talk. Hammocks on the northern half are not as easy as I thought they would be. Let me know if you want to chat on the phone and I can give you my two cents on the best way to deal with it.

Cheers,
Bleemus

I saw this post and its got me concerned. I plan on doing an LT thru in 2012, and and wondering how to deal with hanging on the northern LT. What's the deal - few trees??

[Papa D]

I completed a NOBO end to end in July - we had nearly no water problems - it is drying out, I'm sure, but we really had no water problems - most of the streams were running really good only 6 weeks ago - I think that finding water should be a concern, but not an overriding one - if you can hike the trail, you can hike a little further to find water. - Papa D, LT '10

[Deadeye]

I saw this post and its got me concerned. I plan on doing an LT thru in 2012, and and wondering how to deal with hanging on the northern LT. What's the deal - few trees??

More like too many trees! I think you can hang up north, at least I found plenty of places, but not necessarily around shelters. Most of the shelter sites further south have overflow tenting areas where you have plenty of open space between trees, and no underbrush. Up north, those sites are less common, so you may have to find 'natural' hanging spots, and won't have a nice clean 'lawn'.

[Fox]

Just got back from a few days on the trail. Water conditions are horrid. Everything is so low that if you're not pumping you could easily be in dire straits. Many of the shelters water supplies are dry or stagnant.
Here's what I experienced:
on approach Pete's Spring is still reliable
Congdon - water, but very low - pump
Melville Nauheim - water was stagnant - I wouldn't pump it. it was black and smelled bad
Hell Hollow - flowing very low
Kid Gore - a trickle
Story Spring - very good
Stratton - very good
Spruce Peak - bone dry
streams out to rt 11/30 - all dry

south of VT on the AT in MA - bad news, they really need rain.

[wvgrinder]

I was on the LT NOBO from Aug. 9 to Sept. 2. Water was very plentiful in the south, but things dried up as I headed north. I can remember there being no water at the Puffer & Shooting Star shelters. And none of us could find the right trail for the supply at Stark's Nest.

There was just a few puddles at Hazen's Notch. I couldn't get any there because I wasn't treating my water on this trip.

[wvgrinder]

And let me add that THE BEST water on the trail is at Goddard Shelter on Glastenbury Mountain. That's some mighty tasty H2O!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Fox]

And let me add that THE BEST water on the trail is at Goddard Shelter on Glastenbury Mountain. That's some mighty tasty H2O!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How did I overlook/forget this! Absolutely. That water was the clearest & sweetest we came across on the trail.