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  1. #1
    LT '79; AT '73-'14 in sections; Donating Member Kerosene's Avatar
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    Default Calf Mountain Shelter

    This is the southernmost shelter in what is traditionally considered Shenendoah National Park, but it is actually just south of the Park boundary and about 7 miles north of Rockfish Gap.

    Shelter design is pretty basic, although things were pretty clean. We stopped in for lunch before pushing on to Rockfish Gap for the night since there springs were dry. This seems to be a perennial problem for Calf Mountain as well as Blackrocks Hut. However, we did find a usable trickle right by the Trail a few feet north of the marked (but dry) spring about 0.6 miles north of the shelter turn-off. The shelter's spring is 0.2 miles from the Trail, with the shelter another tenth of a mile further.

    When water is scarce, I recommend that you cache water at Turks Gap further north or carry enough to get you to Loft Mountain Campground and avoid this shelter.
    GA←↕→ME: 1973 to 2014

  2. #2

    Default

    Some notes I posted over in the SNP Shelters thread:

    I checked the Calf Mountain Shelter on 23 August 2003:

    Calf Mountain Shelter - not actually in SNP so its called a shelter instead of a hut - shelter is about 7 miles north of Rockfish Gap or about a mile south of Jarman Gap; at least 6 tentsites - unlabled but fairly obvious near the shelter; per notes in register there is a 6 inch rat in residence plus I observed at least one gray squirrel frequenting the shelter; also noted it appears that some smart mouse or other critter is able to climb the bear pole and get into peoples food; spring is doing well - estimated .5 gallon per minute.

  3. #3
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    Default

    We stayed here Sept 5, 2004. Spring close to shelter was running steady, but slow. This has been a fairly wet summer here in Virginia so it may well not be running in dryer years. Additionally, two marked springs within a mile north of the shelter were also flowly slowly.

    I'd say that six tent sites at the shelter is a little generous. We saw four obvious ones, might be others that you could squeeze into. Not much high underbrush so hammocking would be a good choice. Outhouse was a little odorous but clean. Didn't see any critters in the area. There is a bear pole, but no hooks to hang anything from on it. Another couple we ran into on the trail reported seeing a bear about three miles north. We heard coyote(s?) in the morning.

    All in all a nice, clean little shelter. Probably sleeps ten. Has a picnic table under the front overhang.
    kncats

  4. #4
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    Default

    Stayed there Saturday night - August 6th 2005. The shelter was in good shape. We tented that night so can't really comment on hut critters. No issues with our food on the pole that night. There are a number of OK tent sites there, although finding a level one is a challenge. The piped spring which is on the approach trail was running fine. Filled a 32oz Nalgene in about 15 seconds.

    BigE

  5. #5
    Registered User trailfinder's Avatar
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    Default

    Stayed there October 24th. The shelter is a typical double bunk style. The night of October 24th it rained and then snowed. The shelter needs some minor repair to stop the leaks. My friends and I had to keep moving our sleeping bags to stay dry. The piped spring was running fine.
    Trailfinder

  6. #6

    Default

    stayed there on 4/25/08, shelter has a large resident rat with very active bowels.

  7. #7

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    I've stayed twice in the last two years and both times have been impressed by the amount of vermin in the area.

  8. #8
    WWW/Pennauwelwndam Gohkos / Donating Member
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    Need a resident cat!
    OWL

  9. #9

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    Lightbulb

    Quote Originally Posted by Thoughtful Owl View Post
    Need a resident cat!
    No, need a resident snake!

    RainMan

    .
    [I]ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: ... Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit....[/I]. Numbers 35

    [url]www.MeetUp.com/NashvilleBackpacker[/url]

    .

  10. #10
    Nicksaari's Avatar
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    Default

    bears very active in the beagle gap/calf mtn area, but then again, its the woods.

  11. #11
    NICE MARMOT!!! DAKS's Avatar
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    Default

    a decent shelter. agree with the other posts regarding the leaking roof and the very active rodents in the shelter. had a bear come into the camp area early in the morning as well. i was there in august of last year(i think?) and the spring was actually running very good! haven't seen or heard of any recent news regarding the spring and the flow rate, but i imagine it is running fine right now.

  12. #12
    Registered User johnnybgood's Avatar
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    Default calf mountain shelter

    Stayed one friday night in late august and needed earplugs to get to sleep due to the drag races going on at eastside speedway in Dooms.The wind must have been blowing up through the hollar preeety goood.Sometime around midnight I had the resident squirrel awaken me by running along the inside wall of the shelter.Coyotes were also heard so far off in the distance...or maybe not.

  13. #13

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    It's a hole! And the infamous RAT, not mouse, still lives there.

  14. #14
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    I'd guess it was the dirtiest shelter of my 600-mile section last summer. In the morning, one sock was missing and one of my pole straps had been gnawed through. On the plus side -- the spring (between the shelter and the trail) was running well, in spite of it being a very dry summer.

  15. #15

    Default

    didnt see the rat this weekend, or anything living inside.
    in fact didnt see much wildlife at all around there. no deer, no bears, just a few squirrels.
    tented there friday (sites need some leveling work, but oh well)
    spring running fine

    the damn drag races are running fine also. you can hear them all through the south end of the park. they were going up until 10 pm that i remember.

  16. #16
    Registered User sasquatch2014's Avatar
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    Default

    I was there a week or so ago and I think that the rat is a thing of the past. There was a box of Decon in the shelter. I didn't see any sign of the rat.

  17. #17

    Default

    Got to the shelter at 10pm, was REALLY happy to get there!

    PATC has painted the sleeping platforms and done work on the spring (PVC pipe set into the rocks).... amazing how clean a shelter feels after someone takes the time to haul some paint up to it! Thanks PATC!

  18. #18

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    A photograph of Calf Mountain Shelter;


  19. #19
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    Default

    I was at Calf Mountain Shelter on May 11th. The marked spring had a good flow out of the pipe. Nobody who stayed in the shelter nor the shelter log mentioned any problems with rats/mice.

    At least 5 official tent sites, 1 bear pole, 2 privys.

  20. #20
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    Camped near the Calf Mtn Shelter on 10/6/2012. Water is flowing sufficiently from the Spring (PVC pipe). About 5-6 Official campsites but with tons of people (Scouts, thru-hikers, weekend warriors, section hikers, etc) there that night, I believe about 4 more tents were also setup in less than ideal spots (not level), shelter was full. Black snake was hanging around the Privy, tends to keep the mice population down, a good thing even though I hate snakes!! Coming north on the AT from Beagles Gap, the AT has been re-routed around Calf Mountain and brings you through the upper meadow on Little Calf Mtn summit, you used to have to take a spur trail to get there, great views.

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