This Tuesday morning, 9 hikers met on Bauxite Ridge in Ooltewah, TN. This trail system is maintained & part of the Southern Adventist University on the far east side of the campus. It was a great morning for a hike with mostly sunny skies and cool temperatures (as we arrived) in the mid 50’s. After making the climb from the parking area to the main trailhead, the group started with a 1.9-mile trek on the Sabbath trail, enjoying various Bible scripture plaques (including the ten commandments) and a nice casual walk through the woods. An open pasture was also enjoyed with several cows out in the distance. This lollipop trail took us back to the main trailhead. After a short rest, the team proceeded over to Forest Lane trail via the Oak Hole Lane trail (green trail). This loop trail was less than a mile but was slightly more challenging (rocky and some inclines) but nothing crazy. I might mention that this part of the hike is in the woods behind McKee Foods (Little Debbie) plant. Everyone enjoyed the aroma of chocolate as we roamed the path. This took us back to the green trail. After another short break, the team proceeded even further down to the Big Forest Trail. This trail has some awesome views of the back side (east side) of Bauxite Ridge. Nothing challenging other than making sure to follow the path with all the leaves. There was some trail work being done at the south end of the trail which did make it easier to see the path – powdered dirt. This took us to a short trek on Lookout Hill Trail and back to the main trailhead. At this point, everyone looked tired and ready to call it a day. Some pointed out that this was supposed to be an easy hike (for beginners). I guess, in my mind, it was! 😊 All in all, everyone seemed to enjoy exploring this new trail. The total hike was about 5.3 miles with 400+’ elevation gain. Hikers included TTA Scenic City members: Tim Booth (hike leader), Bonnie Norton, Connie Lusk, Dave Graham, Will Latham, Susan Kroll, Sarah Sandefur (& puppy – Dewey Lee), Walter Harrison, and Chris Bresson.
If you would like to see a few pictures taken during this hike, click here or on the photo above.
Alaskan eye doctors are optical Aleutians.
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