Sat, Feb 11 2012 - Hike to the Summit of Panola Mountain: A Rare Metro Atlanta Treat! (View Original Event Details) Trip Leader(s): Charlie Cottingham, Mark Participants: Charlie Cottingham, Mark, Don, howard, Gloria Colley, Carol, Jerry Colley, Stan, Barbara Gray, Alan, Joyce B., bob massa, Kathryn, Laura V

Write Up:
  Thanks to the cheerful group of AOCers who joined us on Sunday for an unforgettable hike to this well-preserved mountaintop with spectacular views of its two granite "sisters," Stone Mountain and Arabia Mountain.  We had a great time together despite the chilly weather, and stopped often to observe and photograph the unique plants that adorn of this 300-million-year-old granite "monadnock."  -Enjoyed climbing on and around the giant boulders that lie scattered around its forested sides. Bob Merritt, an expert Panola Mtn State Park volunteer ranger and friend, did a great job hiking sweep for our group.
  Thanks to Mark for treating me, Bob and Laura to an adventurous "geocaching tutorial" in the Park just after the hike with our handheld GPS units.  We began by locating an "Educational Earth Cache" on the Rock Outcrop Trail, then found two more "ammo can" caches near the Panola-Arabia Trail.  We wrapped up the afternoon by catching a nice sunset over Alexander Lake with Venus and Jupiter shining bright overhead. As we were departing, head ranger Jamie had just arrived to lock the parking lot gate and we thanked him and the Park for making such a fun day possible.
 -Charlie

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