Ozone Falls to Black Mountain

Saturday, November 23 — Cumberland Trail: Ozone Falls Section, 7 miles, 1323’ el. gain, point-to-point, strenuous. The elevation gains occur as we extract ourselves from several creek gorges and then at the end of the hike, when we go up to the top of Black Mountain. The shuttle takes 20 minutes. From the CTC: “[T]he section is rewarding with a presentation of beautiful rock bluffs, deciduous forest and clear streams. In places the trail tread is directly over sandstone cap rock pushed up by continental drift roughly 300 million years ago. The trail winds, dips and rises through lovely deciduous forest.” We will start our trek at spectacular Ozone Falls, which you may recognize from the movie Jungle Book. Will require shuttle. Check the weather forecast within a day of the hike, as earlier forecasts can change dramatically. Wear hiking shoes or boots; bring snacks and /or lunch along with more water than you think you need; use insect repellant, gather up hiking poles, sunscreen, and rain jacket, as needed. For carpooling/caravanning, meet at the Durham Street parking lot (ball fields) off Dayton Pike in Soddy-Daisy at 8.30 am ET. https://bit.ly/3Qjdc0S  Register with the hike leader (required for all Scenic City hikes): Jennifer Davis, (615) 617-2505 or jdavis327@gmail.com. Carpooling: $6.00.