Shenandoah Day 2

I have always been delighted at the prospect of a new day, a fresh try, one more start, with perhaps a bit of magic waiting somewhere behind the morning.
~ J. B. Priestley

Hike from Calf Mountain Shelter to Loft Mountain Campground
AT miles: 19.1
Total miles walked today: 22.6
Ascent: 3733’
Descent: 3132’
Weather: hot and sunny with a thunderstorm in the afternoon
Sightings: squirrels, butterflies
High points: Blackrock summit, wildflowers

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The day started very early. Folks in the shelter were stirring the moment it started to get light out. I was on the trail at 6:45.

One point of occasional confusion on the Appalachian Trail is that the white blazes do not indicate whether you were going north or south. The cement signs for the AT in Shenandoah National Park are wonderfully clear on the point!

This striking plant is called wild yam. It is a vine, and it is unusual in that it is a native medicinal plant that is endangered. I noticed it because the leaves have such striking veins and wonderful six-fold symmetry.

As usual, the trees prevented any real scenic views, but the forest was lovely.

Walking on the trail felt like a walk through a wildflower garden. There was wild azalea and wild hydrangea and so many many many other beautiful flowering plants.

This cooler and these jugs were a welcome sight — my first bit of trail magic. Trail magic happens when really nice people (called trail angels) provide a ride or some other gift, most often food or water, to hikers. Today was a very hot day, with temperatures in the mid 80s, and finding enough water was a bit of a trick. I was absolutely delighted to go around the bend in the trail and find some trail magic. I drank a can of Mountain Dew on the spot and filled up my water bottles with fresh water. Yay!

I have no idea what this pretty yellow plant is. I have named it the WhirlyGig plant for obvious reasons! If you happen to know its real name, please let me know!

Sometimes the Appalachian trail in Shenandoah National Park really does just resemble a woodland path in a neighborhood park!

I had a long, hot, dry, and brutal hike up to the summit of Blackrock. It does not take a lot of imagination to figure out why this mountain got its name!

But the views from the top were awesome!

And of course there were more wildflowers. One of my favorite wildflowers is the pink ladyslipper.

And wild iris!

The hike had been wonderful, but after Blackrock Summit things went downhill. I should have stopped at Blackrock Shelter, but unfortunately I made the decision to hike on past it to Loft Mountain Campground. I really had checked the opening date of the campground, and since it opened on May 5 and we were supposed to hike through it on May 5, I had mentally decided that it was open, though since I was hiking through a day earlier than planned  it was actually very very shut. Always check your dates!

A thunderstorm popped up during the last leg of the hike, so I was walking in the wet and the wind with loud percussive accompaniment. I made it to the campground and discovered that it was still shut for the winter. What was even worse was the complete lack of cell reception. My hiking partner had bailed on our SNP hike in the morning and spent the day retrieving his vehicle. We were supposed to meet up at the campground. After lots of missed phone calls and failed texts, we did finally meet each other on Skyline Drive, but that campground closure added several miles onto my already long hike. Faced with a long drive to a hotel room or a return to Williamsburg, we chose to return to Williamsburg. Tomorrow I shall return to Shenandoah National Park to resume my hike.