Sat, Sep 22 2012 - Hike to the Summit of Panola Mountain: A Rare Metro Atlanta Treat! (View Original Event Details) Trip Leader(s): Charlie Cottingham Participants: Bill Xu, Nancy Persing, Charlie Cottingham, Lynn Bring, John, Leena F, Linda Jones, Joan, Derek Seib, Steve, Heidi W., Janet H, Horacio *

  We thirteen AOC hikers celebrated the fall equinox this morning by having a fine time together hiking and learning more about nature at Panola Mtn State Conservation Park.  We had near perfect blue-sky weather in the 70s with occasional breezes.
  In the Nature Center before the hike we took our time enjoying the beautiful displays and critters and getting to know everyone. An unexpected bonus was getting to see each of the live native snakes chow down on their weekly ration of one fat mouse each.  Jeff Nix, the reptile feeder, urged us to join the "Friends of Panola Mountain" volunteer group which some of us are already active in.
  When we reached the beautiful lake by the mountain we encountered some teenage girls being taught to fish by Panola volunteers at a "fishing rodeo" and helped them remove the newly caught bream from their hook. About 20 minutes later as we summited the protected mountain the profusion of rare native plants on the granite outcrops and in the flat "solution pits" reminded us of how the top of Stone Mountain may have looked 100 years ago.  There were several nice butterflies and a couple of colorful large grasshoppers atop the mountain.
  It's mind-boggling to consider that the mountain was first formed as a molten bubble deep inside the earth about 300 million years ago.  At that time several miles of softer rock and soil towered above (even much higher than Mt. Everest is today) and it took that long for erosion to reveal the granite dome - a process that is still continuing today.
   As we neared the end of the mountaintop hike several of us took the time to enjoy also the Rock Outcrop loop trail near the Nature Center and Joan spotted a large deer taking off through the forest.
  Before heading homeward a few of us also caravanned together to the lovely Alexander Lake section of the park where enjoyed a leisurely hike to the Park's huge red oak "climbing tree" and feasted on sweet ripe persimmons that had fallen beside the Panola-to-Arabia paved trail trailhead.
  Thanks to my friend and co-leader Sven Lovegren for doing a great job hiking sweep and help keeping our friendly group together.  -Charlie, 3:30 PM Sep 22nd