Date: 2017-08-25
From: Loft Mountain Campground

To: Calf Mountain shelter 
Miles today: 19.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Up at 6 a.m. this morning feeling a little puffy from all the food I ate yesterday also did not sleep all that will last night. Didn't take any motrin before going to bed and I was a key and restless until about 3 a.m. when I finally started getting some real sleep. Packed up and head some breakfast, refilled water, and was on the trail sometime between 7:30 and 8 a.m. continued southbound. About 8:20 I came up on a bright yellow sign and date taped off area along the trail. The sign read " danger active Hornets nest. Avoid taped off area." I saw a the big paper wasp nest about 30 feet head so I backed up there Trail and found a way around it in the woods.Shortly after that I came to the Big Run overlook and I considered taking hey quick break but the valley was so cloudy either was no view. There was also very little phone service. I received a few messages but I couldn't send or post anything. Anyway I like kept hiking south. Has I was walking down the trail I felt a light sensation on my neck. This often has happened particularly in the morning as the first hiker up the trail is always clearing cobwebs, and the cobwebs cling to you for awhile after you break through them, and you can't always see them so as to take them down with trekking poles or avoid them. I tried to clear away the cobwebs but they were persistent. I then thought maybe it's the strap I I have connected to my glasses, so I tried to push that out of the way. Instead I found a stick bug clinging to my finger. I probably could have taken a picture of it but I was kind of creeped out so I just flipped it off into the woods.About 845 I arrived at the Doyles River overlook off Skyline Drive. There was still a lot of Cloud cover but it appeared to be lifting someone and in the distance I could see be nice the clouds it small number of buildings in the valley below to the east. Picture.As I continued South the hike was relatively smooth. Around 11 a.m. I came to a large Talus field or rock slide across which the trail traversed. In the distance to the right or west I could see surrounding villages quite a way off. Picture.  Consulting my map I learned that this was the peak of what is called Black Rock. The trail wound around to the left and offered a view to the southeast. Picture. I posed to scramble further up rock pile so that I can take pictures and a panorama from the top.Sometime before 1130 I came to the turnoff for the side trail to the black Rock Hut. I left a narrow of small rocks on the side of the trail so that intrepid would know which way I had gone. The trail down to the hutch was narrow and steep but at almost exactly 11:30 I arrived at the Hut itself. One of the reasons we had discussed coming here was that there were no documented water sources for the next 12 miles. However when I checked the small stream below the Hut March with a sign the said unprotected water source boil for one full minute, there was actually no water at all. Was good thing that I still had 2 full leaders from this morning as it has been relatively cool and I had. Been that thirsty. I paused to open a snack bar for lunch and then I started back up to the trail. On the way I met intrepid who was coming down. I informed her there was no water, and we continued up to the trailer section or she stopped. She said she would have lunch there before continuing but intended to hike and all the way to the calf Mtn shelter. I continued downhill to the South. About noon I crossed the rock gap and Skyline Drive. Then I continued up hill on the other side of the gap.About 5pm or a little earlier, arrived at the Calf mountain shelter. Glad to find a spring with water. No other source since this morning. Met s bunch of other hikers:Obsidian - stauntonDenim - BrooklynMud butt - Caca - Evansville, IAPuffy Muffin - andSuperman - hiking with my butt and CacaTupe - Barryville, VA (near bears den) wife works at ATC, Harper's (pronounced "t o o p" by the way)Intrepid - Killington area, VTI called stanimal at his hostel to coord for tomorrow. Standard evening - dinner, bed