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REGISTRATION & PAYMENT REQUIRED: Once you've reviewed the event details, and decided you'd like to join us, you MUST sign up at the bottom of this page. This is a paid event with payment managed by the trip leader(s) and NOT the AOC. Please read the event description carefully for payment details and instructions.



PANOLA UNLIMITED! - a rarely offered guided hike at Panola Mountain




The Basics:
Event Type:Hike
Event Location: About 20 miles SE of Downtown Atlanta   Hike: PANOLA UNLIMITED!  - a rarely offered guided hike at Panola Mountain  National Weather Service Forecast
Date(s) & Time:Sat, Jan 19 2013  9:30 am >> Sat, Jan 19 2013 1:30 pm  (Carpool Departure: 8:45 am   *log in for location*)
Registration Opens: Tue, Jan 15 2013 2:00 pm
Registration Cut Off: Fri, Jan 18 2013 10:00 pm
Event Duration:4 Hours
Difficulty Rating:D3: Moderate
Distance:6 Miles
Pace:Moderate
Trip Leader(s):
Charlie Cottingham
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Member Cost:$10.00/Person (See Detailed Cost Info Below)

Participant Info:
Who's Invited: Members Only, 21 And Older Only
Maximum Group Size:12
Minimum Group Size:2
Number Registered So Far: 8 / 0 (To see who's signed up, log in to the Member Area)
Are Dogs Permitted: No

Itinerary:

IN a NUTSHELL:  A very well-preserved "sister" of Stone Mountain a few miles to its north, Panola Mountain is a "well kept secret" with relatively few visitors.  Just 15 minutes from the east-side I-20/I-285 Interchange, the State Park is an easy drive from anywhere in the metro area.  (See detailed directions and GPS coordinates below.) 
  The exposed-granite mountain within the State Park is a specially protected conservation area, and hiking to the mountain summit and its surrounding vicinity is permitted only in the company of a ranger-naturalist through a special arrangement with the State Park. This rarely offered longer guided hike should be esp. appealing for those of us who have done previous Panola summit hikes, since it will include much new terrain on the shoulders and base of the mountain as well as the mountaintop.  Since there will be some "bushwhacking" and steep rocky inclines along the way, we're calling this a "D3" difficulty event.  It is suggested only for experienced hikers who feel comfortable with such challenging terrain.
  The Park charges a reasonable fee for these ranger guided hikes: just $10 per person, payable individually when we arrive.  The fees go toward improvements in the Park's trails and other facilities.  Each driver who doesn't display a valid GA State Parks annual Parking Pass will also need to pay the standard State Park $5.00 daily parking fee.
  Our AOC group will gather initially at 9:30 AM in the Park Nature Center where we'll greet one another, register with the Nature Center receptionist, and meet the Park ranger-naturalist(s) who will accompany us on the hike.  We expect to begin the hike there at about 10:00.  The hike will be about 6 miles in length with our uphill ascents totalling about 800 feet in elevation gain.  We can expect to be back at our vehicles by about 1:30 PM

PANOLA'S UNIQUE GEOLOGY & BIOLOGY:
   We'll stop often at scenic spots along the hike to observe and discuss the mountain's amazing geology and its rare flora and fauna.
  Like Stone Mountain, Panola is an igneous "monadnock" that took shape about 300 million years ago when huge bubbles of molten magma oozed upward into preexisting rock and earth. After they cooled and hardened, these bubbles slowly became exposed as the softer surrounding layers eroded away, leaving the colossal rock domes that we see today.
  Over the eons, a wide variety of plants began to grow on the weathered granite surfaces and their surrounding terrain, creating habitats for rare flora and fauna that are unique to such rare rocky ecosystems. Notable is the "Diamorpha" succulent whose colonies of thousands of tiny plants thrive in flat sandy "solution pits" atop the mountain.  They sprout brilliant red in midwinter and produce lovely white blossoms each spring.

FOR MORE INFO on PANOLA MOUNTAIN:  Visit the State Park's official website at the following link and click on "Hiking," etc. under "Activities" for more details:
http://www.gastateparks.org/PanolaMountain
For an interesting account and photos of a visitor's April 2010 experience on a guided hike to the summit go to this link:
http://urbanbaboon.blogspot.com/2010/04/panola-mountain.html


Required Items to Bring:

• Wear comfortable well-broken-in Hiking Boots or Athletic Shoes with coarse tread and preferably synthetic or wool-blend Socks.

• Wear lightweight Clothing layers appropriate for the weather forecast and perhaps a Cap

• We suggest that you carry a Daypack or Fannie Pack with about 1 Quart of Water (in bottles or in the pack's built-in hydration system).  A daypack is convenient for stashing unneeded or extra clothing layers or for keeping emergency raingear, etc.

• We strongly suggest that you bring in your pack a light Picnic Lunch or a few
Snack Items of your choice to consume at our various stops along the way.

Recommended Items to Bring:
Use our Event Checklists to make sure you have everything you need.

Trekking Poles if you have a pair and like to use them (or a hiking stick),

Lightweignt Rain Gear and/or Umbrella if showers are forecast,

Camera,

Compass if you have one.


How to Get There:
Event Directions:

PANOLA MOUNTAIN STATE PARK is about a 15-minute drive from Atlanta's east-side I-20/ I-285 interchange. You "Northsiders" bear in mind that it's perhaps an additional 25 minutes to that I-20 interchange via I-285, etc.  SUGGESTION: Re-zero your odometer at each instruction below and pay close attention to the mileages given and driven.

1. 
From the I-20/ I-285 Interchange on Atlanta's east side take I-20 East just 1 mile (toward Augusta) and exit to your right at the first opportunity at "Wesley Chapel Rd/Snapfinger Rd", Exit #68."


2. Turn Right onto Wesley Chapel Road and go just 0.2 mile to the traffic light at Snapfinger Road.

3. Turn Left onto Snapfinger Road and go about 7.0 miles to the "Panola Mountain State Park" entrance on your left. (Snapfinger Rd becomes concurrent with GA-155 en route to the Park.)

4. Turn Left into the State Park, continue to the parking lot about 0.2 mile ahead and park near the Nature Center. (It's just beyond the far end of parking lot on your right). Each driver who doesn't display a valid GA State Parks annual Parking Pass will need to pay the $5.00 daily parking fee in a self-service envelope and hang the tear-off receipt on your rear-view mirror.

5. We'll gather at 9:30 AM inside the Nature Center where we each can register and pay our guided hike fee to the receptionist.  (We may also be asked to sign a State Park liability waiver form.)

LAT/LON COORDINATES of NATURE CENTER PARKING LOT.   May be useful in conjunction with the above directions as your GPS or with Google Maps:
 
33.6251,-84.1705

GPS USERS BEWARE!  Entering  the generic Internet park name, street address or lat/ lon coordinates as your GPS or Google Maps destination may route you to a dead end in the adjoining Golf Course!  Note the correct directions above, esp. for the final 2 miles into the Park.

PARK NATURE CENTER Phone Number: 770-389-7801.  

Carpool to Event Distance (round trip):35Mile(s)
Carpool Departure Time: 8:45 am
Carpool Location:   Log in for location
Carpool Directions:   Log in for directions
Carpool Cost: Estimated cost per vehicle for this event is $14.00 using a reimbursement rate guideline of $0.400 per mile. The total amount should be divided by the number of people in the vehicle, including the driver. This is a guideline, not a rule, for drivers but the cost should not be higher unless there are extenuating circumstances.

Notes:
* We encourage all members to follow our Etiquette Guidelines while participating in AOC events.

Member Cost:$10.00/Person
Cost Includes:

Your $10 hike fee (for our Ranger-led hike to Panola's summit) is payable in cash individually to the Nature Center receptionist.
  As mentioned in the Directions above, please also be prepared to pay the cash self-serve $5-per-vehicle parking fee if you don't display a GA State Parks annual pass.  (By the way, the GA State Parks' annual parking passes can actually be borrowed for free from some local libraries, so contact your librarian if you're interested!)

Make a Payment:Although there is a cost for this event, you do not pay through the AOC. Please review the event details carefully for information about how/where to make your payment.

Cancellation/Partial Attendance:   Please review the AOC cancellation policy.
*Note:

If the event has to be canceled for any reason (e.g. severe weather) we'll do our best to notify everyone ASAP prior to the event (by email and/or phone) and post "Canceled" in the above online event announcement title.  We are under no financial obligation to the Park or to the AOC if the hike has to be canceled.