The dramatic middle of Glen Leigh — Huron, Shawnee, and tall Ozone Falls — with a sober, respectful reminder of a fatal fall here and why staying on the trail matters.
You're in the thick of Glen Leigh now, and it is spectacular — Huron Falls, Shawnee Falls, and the tall, roaring drop of Ozone Falls, one of the highest in this canyon. The walls press in close, the water's loud, and the trail threads right down the middle of it on ledges and steps. This is the wild heart of the whole trail.
It's also a place where I have to speak plainly with you, out of respect. Right along here, at Ozone Falls, a hiker lost his life some years back — he went off the trail, out onto the ledges near the falls, and fell. I don't tell you that to darken the day. I tell you because it's the whole lesson of this trail in one hard fact: the danger here isn't the marked path — the danger is the temptation to leave it. Every serious accident in this glen comes from the same choice, stepping off the trail and out onto wet rock to get closer to the water. So don't. The trail was built by people who knew exactly where it was safe to put your feet, and it gives you a stunning view of every one of these falls. Stay on it. Keep back from the edges. Let the beauty come to you.
Keep working your way down, slow and steady. A couple of these falls carry the Ricketts family's own name, and the ones below carry the names of nations — Boone will tell you about those. Watch your footing, and on we go.
Photo: Doug Kerr · CC BY-SA 2.0
