March Monadnock Madness! Stone Mountain + Arabia + Panola + Prizes! - our 5th year of AOC participation.

IMPORTANT NOTE for any NEW APPLICANTS for this EVENT:  The MARCH 12th "TRIPLE HIKE" OPTION is SOLD OUT!  Congrats to you members who responded quickly to our announcement here on Jan 24th - that TEN new spots had become available - and managed to get yourselves confirmed and paid, as about 12 of us had done earlier.  Any new AOC applicants would likely enjoy one of the other Monadnock Madness dates or options independently of our Club, as discussed near the bottom of this article.

ORIGINAL ADVISORY NOTE in early JAN:  IMPORTANT!  Since this big annual "Non-AOC" event is LIKELY to SELL OUT QUICKLY (to us and other hikers from the general public) each of our members who wishes to participate on MARCH 12th (with our AOC "subgroup") should go ASAP to the following NON-AOC WEBPAGE and FORMALLY REGISTER and PAY.  To avoid registering accidentally for the wrong date please carefully follow these easy instructions:

1.  First click here to reach the Monadnock Madness 2017 registration page:
  http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2790966 
2. Next click the "Down Arrow" to the RIGHT of "Wed Mar 01, 2017."  (Recall that we DO NOT want "Mar 01"!)
3.  In the Dropdown Menu that appears, be sure to select "Sun Mar 12, 2017 2:30 PM"
4,  Then enter your personal info (as an "Adult") and pay your $15.00 fee (+ $1.52 online transaction fee) = $16.52.   No need to enter an additional "Donation" unless you so choose.  Enter "N/A" in the "Meal" box and select "Will-Call" since there's no need to bring a pre-printed "ticket" to the event.
Also please register INFORMALLY with the AOC at the base of this article which will put you on our Club's email list to receive event updates and give you "AOC Credit" for completing this 3-mountain "challenge."  AGAIN, to participate in this MARCH 12th EVENT you MUST formally register and pay for it per the four easy steps above.

IN A NUTSHELL:  You AOCers who feel comfortable doing our "moderate-difficulty" Club dayhikes are sure to enjoy this "alternate form of March Madness" that has nothing to do with basketball and everything to do with hiking & nature!  The fascinating event is organized each March by our friends, the ranger-naturalists of Stone Mountain, Arabia Mountain and Panola Mountain.  In each of our first four annual "Monadnock Madnesses" (2013-2016) we AOCers helped them prove that it's easy to have a good time climbing together up and down all three beautiful "monadnocks" on a single day.  Registering and paying online as directed above covers parking and naturalist-guided summit hikes at the 3 nice parks plus snacks & refreshments, etc. To cap off our final climb at Panola we'll also enjoy a festive lakeside campfire & s'mores roast and the awarding of commemorative "prize-souvenirs."  We intend to go ahead with the event rain or shine!  It has proven to be fun and safe in past years even when we've had a occasional heavy showers, etc.

WHERE & WHEN?  Our AOC "subgroup" will meet initially at 2:00 PM in the "Walking Trails Parking" lot  - NOT our usual spot for AOC Stone Mtn hikes! (See precise Directions and parking instructions below.)  After introducing one another we'll check in with our friendly Monadnock Madness naturalist hosts, who should have a roster with our individual names and pre-registration data.  No need to present a printed ticket, etc. if you're properly confirmed and paid for the "March 12, 2017 2:30 PM" event per the above instructions!
  Here is a rough timetable for the 3 successive hikes, with about a half hour allotted for each of our two car caravan segments.
2:30 -  4:30 PM:   Stone Mountain hike and 13-mi car caravan SE to Arabia park,
5:00 -  6:30 PM:   Arabia Mtn hike and 6-mi car caravan south to Panola park,
7:00 -  8:30 PM:   Panola Mtn hike followed by campfire & s'more roast.

MORE EVENT DETAILS:  This is a group endeavor and learning experience - not a race.  It's well within the ability of AOCers who feel comfortable doing our "D3" or higher-difficulty hikes, made easier by our half hour or more of "rest & drive time" between Stone Mtn and Arabia and later in the afternoon between Arabia and Panola.  Each of our three summit hikes will be guided by park ranger-naturalists who are experts in the unique geology, biological diversity and natural history of these rocky "monadnocks."  Along the way we'll discuss the mountains' fascinating similarities, differences and human histories.  Our total combined hiking distance at the three parks will be only about 7 miles (at a leisurely to moderate pace) and the estimated combined uphill elevation gains will be about 1300 feet.
  Just after our initial hike at Stone Mtn Park we'll organize an optional AOC "carpooling caravan" to get to the Arabia Mtn Nature Center. If you prefer driving alone you're welcome to follow our caravan.  When we arrive there at Arabia we'll take about a 15-minute break.  Snacks & refreshments will be served prior to beginning that hike.  After the Arabia hike we'll caravan again to a special parking lot just south of the Panola Mtn summit.  Toward the end of that final "sunset hike" we'll enjoy the above-mentioned campfire & s'more roast and the awarding of commemorative "prize-souvenirs."  If you've ridden with other carpoolers you can expect to be back at your car at Confederate Hall lot by 9:00 PM or so.

MORE MONADNOCK MADNESS INFO & OPTIONS:  Our Arabia Mountain Alliance friends who organize this annual event set up a nice variety of ways to do it each year, and as usual, hikers from the general public are welcome to register for any of them without needing to be members of clubs such as the AOC. If our above-advertised standard AOC date/time ("Sun Mar 12 2017, 2:30 PM") is "sold out" or isn't convenient for you, feel free to register for any of the other options described at "MonadnockMadness.com."  You can do them as "non-AOC" events either with the parks' expert naturalist-guides or even on your own if you prefer.
  The info below is excerpted from the Alliance's "First Annual" writeup.

"Surreal views and a rockin’ good time are in store for “Monadnock Madness.” This event encourages amateur adventurers to reach the peaks of Arabia, Panola, and Stone Mountains, and if you’re “mad” enough you can master all three monoliths in a single day!
Each of these granite peaks is considered a “monadnock" - a specific type of mountain that juts out of the relatively flat landscape surrounding it. The rich geological history and varied ecosystems of these areas have created some of the best places to hike near Metro Atlanta. A recent Atlanta Trails review notes, “The diverse landscape at Arabia Mountain is so beautiful – and sometimes so foreign – it’s almost surreal. This wild, rugged granite ecosystem is…a testament to the awesome landscape diversity of Georgia.” In just one day you can see vernal pools, pine forests, rivers, and even snorkelwort. You’ll have to join us to see a snorkelwort!
The rare Diamorpha plant should also be in bloom which carpets the granite with bright red flowers. Our naturalist-guides will encourage hikers to get up close and personal with such wonders of nature as we explore each unique monadnock."

A BIT MORE about "MONADNOCK" GEOLOGY & NATURAL HISTORY:  The thousands of acres of huge rocky domes and outcrops at Arabia, Panola, and Stone Mountain are known to have originally been giant "bubbles" of upwelling molten rock deep inside the earth.  They slowly cooled and hardened to form the dome-shaped "monadnocks" and over the eons gradually revealed themselves as thousands of feet of softer layers of earth and rock above them eroded away - a process that still continues today.  Geologists estimate that Arabia Mountain first took shape about 400 million years ago.  By comparison the granite of its Stone Mountain and Panola Mountain "siblings" is believed to be relatively young - a "mere" 300 million years or so old.  All three mountains existed long before the dinosaurs appeared on Earth and all have an amazing diversity of rare plants and creatures that are worthy of our conservation and protection.

DIRECTIONS and FREE PARKING INSTRUCTIONS for our INITIAL STONE MTN PARK MEETUP SPOT: (CAUTION!  We DO NOT meet at the usual "WalkUP" trailhead beside Confederate Hall although many of our AOC hikes begin and end there.) Click the square blue & green "Event Location" icon near the top of this article for a zoomable map/ satellite view of the proper parking lot and our precise meetup spot!)

DIRECTIONS to STONE MTN PARK meetup PARKING LOT from "SPAGHETTI JCN" in NE ATLANTA":
1.  From "Spaghetti Junction"  (the I-285/I-85 interchange in NE Atlanta) take "I-285 East" (actually southward - toward “Augusta”) about 4.7 miles.
2.  Take I-285 Exit #39B (bearing Right off I-285 in a clockwise loop).  Merge onto Stone Mountain Pkwy/ US-78 East (toward Snellville/Athens), and go about 5.9 miles.
3.  Get off the Parkway toward your right at Exit #5 (onto the Memorial Drive/Stone Mountain Bypass).  Go only about 0.6 mile and bear Right again at your first opportunity up the E. Ponce de Leon Ave. access ramp.
4.  At the end of the ramp turn Left onto E. Ponce de Leon Avenue and go 0.5 mile to the first traffic light (on the north side of Stone Mtn Village).
5.  Turn Left at the traffic light onto James B. Rivers Memorial Drive (avoiding the sharper left onto “Silver Hill Rd”) and drive (eastward) about 0.5 mile to the large Stone Mtn Park "West Entrance Gate."
6.  Tell the Gate Attendant that you're there for the "Monadnock Madness" guided hike (which should suffice as their required "gate code" for free Park entrance and parking.
7.  After you pass through the West Gate make an immediate LEFT. Then drive just 0.2 mile via Robt. E. Lee Blvd. and turn LEFT again at the "Walking Trails Parking" sign and park in that large lot. We'll all gather at 2:00 PM at the "Monadnock Madness" sign by a large rock.
GPS USERS: You can enter these coordinates as your destination address for our "Walking Trails" parking lot meetup spot: 33.8132,-84.1588
8. At about 2:30 PM we'll all depart on foot for our first hike, up and down Stone Mountain. 

OPTIONAL CARPOOLING from STONE MTN to OTHER TWO PARKS and BACK:  If you're interested in this we can facilitate recruiting willing drivers and riders.  Also feel free to drive alone (or caravaning with us) in your own vehicle.  See the approx. TIMETABLE above for our estimated ETD's and leg mileages, etc.  Written Directions and precise Lat/Lon destination addresses will be made available so that each driver can reach the Arabia & Panola parking areas even if you don't remain in our caravan.

- Parking and Park Entrance at Stone Mtn, Arabia Mtn and Panola Mtn,
- Naturalist-guided Hikes at all 3 mountains,
- Snacks & Refreshments,
- A Campfire and S'mores at the end of the day,
- A Commemorative Prize-Souvenir

We intend to go ahead with the event rain or shine, but if any portions need to be canceled due to unusually severe weather, etc. we'll do our best to schedule a convenient alternate "rain date" specially for Atlanta Outdoor Club paricipants.  If you are unable to participate (or can join us only for part of the event) please consider your $16.52 payment to be a nonrefundable tax-deductible donation to the missions of these three parks that are all such valuable "AOC partners"!