Small group; big adventure! Four hikers tackled the Ozone Falls to Black Mountain segment of the Cumberland Trail. This is a beautiful trek but a tough one!
We started
atop Ozone Falls to see the falls up close & to view the gorge from above.
Next, we carefully worked our way down to the bottom of the falls.
Surprisingly, even in drought conditions, the waterfall had a respectable
amount of water flowing. Of course, this waterfall is absolutely stunning at full
flow! After spending some time at the falls, we began our long journey up to
the top of Black Mountain. The 7.5-mile trek provides a little bit of
everything: rocky areas where you need to closely watch your footing, easy
wooded sections where you can just enjoy the fall leaves crunching under your
feet, dozens of zigzagging switchbacks, & sections so steep that you wish
you had switchbacks. The trail is like riding a roller coaster. We went up
& down so many hills & mountains that we lost count. When we finally
arrived at the top of Black Mountain, we had gained almost 2,000 feet of
elevation!
Our reward
was the wonderland of sites at the top of Black Mountain. Not to be missed is
the incredible overlook that overlooks Grassy Cove & a good bit of the Cumberland
Plateau. On a clear day, Mt. LeConte can be seen in the distance 72 miles away!
Boulders & bluffs also line parts of the mountaintop. Our group had fun
taking a group selfie & individual pictures in the ‘Stone Door’ area where
a narrow staircase has been built in between two gigantic boulders. We got in
an additional 1.5-miles on the Crest Loop Trail making our grand total for the
day 9-miles. The day started out cloudy & frigidly cold but the sun came
out later & provided some much-needed warmth. It was a beautiful day on the
trail with a great group!
Hikers
included: Jennifer Davis (hike leader), Tom McElhone, Betsy Darken, and Kim
Bowers.
If you would like to see a few pictures taken during this hike, click here.
The inventor of autocorrect ded. The funnel will be hed tomato.
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