Ozone Falls

I fell into the trap of hanging out with the wrong crowd when I was fourteen. My new pals and I were suspended for taking over-the-counter medications, and I began seeing the one boy the principal believed would be expelled from school. That boy and I were suspended from class for the final two days due to kissing in the hallway. My parents, who are devout members of the Church of Christ, were enraged by my behavior. The situation began to wear on me as well. I was suicidal, and my parents' sole recourse was church attendance.

That summer, my parents coerced me into going on a week-long camping trip to Cumberland Mountain State Park with our church's youth group. I did enjoy my time with my friends and felt a sense of accomplishment from painting the homes of senior residents in the area. However, when we went to bed, I sobbed myself to sleep as my thoughts screamed in my head about everything I had gone through.

On our final full day in Cumberland County, we all made a brief road trip to Ozone Falls. There were two distinct trails that we all considered taking. The upper trail led to the falls, while the bottom trail headed to the bottom. I chose to view the summit with a few friends. I can still hear the gurgling brook and the deafening roar of the rushing water falling over the falls. When we arrived to our location, we observed that there were no railings to guard against falls. Our immediate environment consisted of plants, a few trees, big flat rocks, and an open sky overlooking the lagoon below. To our right, we could see that the land had been carved into what appeared to be an amphitheater. A cliff rose over this concave area of land. It was magnificent.

Regrettably, my suicidal thoughts returned at at that moment. We had edged our way up to the cliff's brink. At that moment, I considered jumping or simply slipping off the cliff. Fortunately, I froze. I took a cautious step back and gazed off into the awe-inspiring scene before me. Below, I could hear my pals laughing and yelling. I considered the blessings for which I should be grateful. I considered how my friends, whom I had known for the majority of my life, would feel if they witnessed my demise. I imagined a world in which none of my current discomforts would matter. I pondered my family, and despite my rage at my parents, I did not want to injure them in this way. Two of my relatives perished in drowning years before I was even considered. This had wreaked havoc on my mother and the rest of our family. I could never subject my mother to another heinous water-related death. She was not deserving of it. At that very moment, I chose life.

I hastened to the other trail in order to be with my friends. After joining them in the lagoon, my personal perspective on Ozone Falls shifted. My mood improved even further when we sang the Tom Petty song "Free Falling" to a man rappelling over the concave cliff. For as many seconds as we could stand, we stood beneath the waterfall and swam in the water. I concealed my joyous tears under the droplets of cascading water. I felt vital and liberated.

I've returned to Ozone Falls only once after that trip. Even as I type this narrative, memories of prior abuse and revelations at that location bring tears to my eyes. I recall wishing to visit the lagoon only on my second visit and exploring the big rocks that dot the ground beyond the lagoon. Occasionally, I returned my gaze to the cascade and swore, "Never again."

Ozone Falls was later utilized in the live "Jungle Book" film, albeit tropical flora were added. I immediately recognized it. That location has always transported me back to that time period and made me grateful for the road I ultimately chose. It was a route I needed to go down rather than leap off.