Sat, Jan 19 2013 - PANOLA UNLIMITED! - a rarely offered guided hike at Panola Mountain (View Original Event Details) Trip Leader(s): Charlie Cottingham Participants: Charlie Cottingham, Chris S., Robert, Mark W, ChristyMc, Michael G, Bruce P, Erica O

We AOC hikers had a great time yesterday morning exploring much of the seldom-visited terrain at Panola Mountain State Park.  My friend Jimi Ellis and I are volunteer guides at Panola and enjoyed having such a great group for this seldom-offered extended hike.  Several nice members of the public at large were among our ~16 hikers. The weather was perfect for winter hiking - sunny and quickly reaching the 50s.
  After visiting the protected Panola summit we descended along the eastern shoulder of the mountain and "bushwhacked" along a pretty stream to an area with huge boulders.  We continued NE to Alexander Lake via an old roadbed which is in the process of being transformed into a nice "PATH trail" spur that will soon connect the Arabia-Panola trail with the Panola State Park Nature Center.
  We enjoyed a leisurely lunch by Alexander Lake, at which point Erica, Bruce and I had to "split," but the rest of the group continued with Jimi back to the Nature Center via an adventurous route through the woods adjoining the mountain and the South River.
  We expect to offer more variations of this same guided hike in the future.

  - Charlie, Jan 20, 2013