By Thursday it became apparent that there was to be no moonlight on Big Frog the night of the 11th. Not only that, but there would probably be great difficulty in even getting to the trailhead because of snow. Therefore I moved the hike to Brush Creek Trail instead. We departed Ooltewah around 1:45 for the Ocoee area. We were met in Boyd’s Gap by those hikers who lived in Cleveland as Ooltewah was out of the way for them. The drive up 64 to Boyd’s Gap was uneventful and there was no snow until we were about a quarter mile from Boyd’s gap. The view from Boyd’s gap was beautiful because of the snow although Big Frog was shrouded in clouds.. Several locals had already been there to build a snowman with a Mohawk!
The trail was clear of snow and there was just enough snow in the woods to make everything beautiful. Even downed pines from the pine beetle infestation don’t look so bad with a skiff of snow! However we had to wonder whether ‘real’ men would hike this trail following these rather shocking blazes!
This trail passes through an old home site or two and many fields are still open. It eventually winds its way to Ocoee Lake no. 3. Even in winter draw down this lake is pretty as the mud flats are being overgrown with marshy plants. About halfway, we stopped on a little knoll by the lake for a snack. By this time it was snowing again.
The trail meanders along the lake until it eventually heads back up Brush Creek toward US 64 and passes under the bridge over Brush Creek. Much of this area was the fringe of the barren 50 square mile area that was stripped of vegetation in the 1920s by the discharges from the copper smelters. When this area began recovering, pines sprang up everywhere only to be devastated by the pine beetles in the last few years. Might be my imagination, but I thought with all the dampness I could detect the ever so faint whiff of sulfuric acid on the breeze. We did the 6.8 miles of this hike in a little under three hours and therefore made it out of the woods before dark. As for the moonlight part, when we got back to the parking lot in Ooltewah, the clouds parted for a few moments to reveal the full moon. Participating in this hike were James Anderson, Donald Box, Doug Cooper, Carl Gatlin, Trisha Harrison, Vicki Johnston, Randy Morris, John Roland , Mayra Steiner, and hike leader Betty Petty.
ADDENDUM: A note from John Corley who was originally signed up for the hike before the location was moved: Hi, I just wanted to let you know THAT I went to Cohutta Wilderness, and the access to the upper roads were closed. I did one of the lower elevation trails near Eton, and It was just beautiful BECAUSE of the snow. There was around three to four inches in the foothills, and I HEAR'D around a foot up top on the taller ones. I hope you had a wonderful trip yesterday, and maybe, next time it will work... John