Warning: That 14 mile shortcut on the Ozark Highlands Trail near Ozone is a bushwhack, not a trail, and I found out the hard way | Backpacking Routes - nhfree.com
Yeah that "shortcut" chewed me up too, took me almost 6 hours and I lost the trail twice. Download the Guthook map for that section before you go, the creek crossings alone will mess you up if you don't know where they are. Just take the long way around unless you're really into getting scratched up by greenbriar.