Feb 20, 2018 — Rather than do North Franklin Mountain as an out-and-back by using the winding trail/roadbed, I decided I would first follow an established trail to Cottonwood Spring. The last bit of this trail follows a rocky talus field befor reaching the spring. I continued on a pretty obvious social trail leading past Cottonwood Spring and up to a beautiful ridgeline. There was a short section of Class 2 along the ridgeline to meet up with the official North Franklin Mountain Trail. This trail is really just a dirt road, so I was happy I added the Cottonwood Spring Trail and subsequent ridge into the mix. After summiting North Franklin Mountain, I followed the official trail back to Mundys Gap. This trail leads back to complete the loop.
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