After the July 2001 flood, the most remarkable damage in Skygusty was the wave of mud covering the golf course along the Tug Fork. Early in June 2002, after the floods of May, most of the mud was gone, and people were playing ball nearby.

        The South Fork of the Tug River stretches from Skygusty all the way to the base of the mountain separating West Virginia from Virginia. A large mountaintop mine stretches across the state line down there. Last year, the state Department of Environmental Protection issued it a few violations after the flood. But little runoff from the mine could be found in South Fork.

        In June 2002, too, South Fork was clear for several miles below the mine. In fact, most of the tributaries were calm and free of debris--which is what made the washout in one hollow so startling.

        Goats graze on one side of Ball Hollow, while the owners of the farm live on the other. Freda and Charlie Howington have watched the runoff out of the mountain for two decades. Three years ago, the hillsides were logged.

    Now, Freda Howington said, "It washes out like this every time it rains."

    A culvert, several feet high carries the stream out of the hollow and under the road. For years, the Howingtons had asked the state road department to clean it out. Finally they did, but for naught. The debris from the logging clogged it up worse than before.

    "It's just a mess," Mrs. Howington said. "No doubt, I think timber what causeD all this."