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Category: Hike Reports
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Seventeen TrailBlazers got more than they signed up for today.

It was a crisp, blue-sky morning when we headed out I-40 with our destination Morgan Mountain Road off Hwy 215.  We planned to take the spur trail from Redding Loop Trail to hike to Herrods Creek on the Ozark Highland Trail. From reading my 20-year old trail book, I determined that it would be a 2-mile roundtrip. Wrong!  It turns out the spur trail was .6 mile just to reach the OHT. From there we made our way mostly downhill, crossing small water drainages.  We were rewarded with several small waterfalls along the way.  We finally reached an area that was quite spectacular with an impressive no-name waterfall.  After exploring this area and taking pictures, we headed back to the cars. Several people’s fit bits and fitness apps registered about 4 miles. We did not make it to Herrods Creek.

We continued our drive up the road towards the Hare Mountain Trailhead and soon encountered large mud areas on the road. We managed to slip and slide through three prior to reaching the parking lot. From here it is supposed to be 1.7 miles to the top – thus a 3.4 mile roundtrip. No! Once again the trackers registered about 4 miles.  It was mostly a steady climb up the mountain with a few level areas to catch our breath.  The views of the mountains in the distance were beautiful. They looked like the Great Smokey Mountains – blue and hazy.  Once we reached the top, most found a seat around the fire ring and enjoyed a late lunch.

What was inadvertently posted on our web site as a hike of 5.4 miles turned into 8+ miles.  We certainly got a good workout. This is probably the first post ever to not have a group picture.  We just never seemed to find a good place to do it.

 

Text: Becky

Photos: Audrey, Becky, Gerry, Nancy, Steve