Location:Cherokee National Forest, east of Cleveland, TN
Maps: USGS quads: Caney Creek, Oswald Dome
Trailhead: Just north of the junction of US-64 and TN-30 on the north shore of Lake Ocoee;  NAD83 UTM z16 722493e 3888895n 864’ 
Trail: 1.7 miles easy walk along Rock Creek to a pleasant waterfall
Fees: None

March 5, 2010
This was my first hike in Tennessee. While interviewing for a job in McMinnville that I ended up taking, I drove out east to see if it was feasible to drive to the nearest National Forest for a dayhike. I had intended to get to Big Frog Mt, but a rockslide on the Hwy required an extensive detour to get there, so I gave up and just found the first trail my car led me to. This was it. It was still early in the year, and most of the trees were leafless, the exception being the deep green mountain laurel that lined the streambed. My breath puffed out in white clouds of vapor in the chilly, humid air as I tromped through the dense forest. I had no idea where the trail was headed, having not prepared in any way for hiking this area, but followed it until it reached a nice waterfall, with dark rock that highlighted the white water splashing over the successive drops. I decided to turn around there, though it was unclear if the trail continued on or not. It confirmed that I could indeed make a day trip to the national forest from McMinnville, and over the following 13 months of my residency there, I did such trips several times.