Summit Sunsets: Mount Yonah (+ Pink Mtn)

This another in the Summit Sunset Series where we will enjoy sunsets from some of the finest scenic viewpoints...all on or near mountain peaks.  If you've never had this experience, you don't know what you're missing, so time to find out...

I've led this hike as a D3, D4, and a D5, depending on the route and pace.  We will make it a solid D4 today..however we will still start out slow and I want everyone to take the climbs at their own pace. 

We will head up the trail and take a detour to The Boulder...then perhaps to the climbing wall if conditions permit.  However Yonah is a mtn that "seeps" a good bit days after rain and it may still be too wet to do this safely.  If that's the case, we'll just skip this part...plenty more still left to see.

From there we head higher, with a photoshoot break at the rock outcrop (see pic below).  Yonah's little sister, Pink Mtn, is right there in the background.

We will check out the south overlook, visit the actual summit (a peaceful grassy clearing), and then perhaps to the seldom visited eastern overlooks.  You get a whole different view and can even see Rabun Bald in the distance.  This part requires about a tenth of a mile of off trail hiking, but the terrain is fairly open here and won't be any frustrating bushwhacking.

At this point, we will then head back down the mtn about halfway to take the trail out to the summit of Pink Mtn.   Then national forest boundary actually ends just before a road that goes to the top, but we can walk up to the summit and back.

From there it is back up to the top of Yonah again to enjoy the sunset, which is at 5:40 PM on this day (goodbye DST).   We will head down not long afterwards so bring a headlamp or flashlight as it will get dark before we reach the bottom.

It is a new moon so we may hang out in the Yonah parking lot for a little while after the hike to do a little stargazing.   On these cooler nights, you can often see the Milky Way and the night sky just is breathtaking out there.  But we should be back to the carpool location by around 8:30 pm.

Also I have to mention that it is supposed to be cooler this weekend, so make sure you know how to dress for chilly and potentially windy conditions.  Feel free to ask me if you would like any advice in that area, but hat and gloves are highly recommended and at least a jacket is required.

Total distance will be about 6 miles and total ascent (elevation gain) about 2000 feet.

will be provided at carpool and via email for those meeting at event.