I've hiked up Stone Mountain several times since moving to Atlanta, but with my 11-year old nephew staying with us for a few days, I thought it might be another opportunity to expose him to the trail. One of my friends was leading a group to view the sunset as part of a Meetup event. It seemed the perfect opportunity.
We arrived at the parking lot around 7:45 PM and after gathering the group, began making our way up the steep monadnock. The group was a bit slower than my normal pace and my nephew and I quickly put some distance between ourselves and most of the group, arriving at the top before the largest part of the group. Even though he's only eleven, he seemed to be doing pretty well.
After arriving at the top, we found a good viewing spot and as the rest of the group reached the summit, we began socializing a bit. Some folks even brought some cheese and crackers with them, which was a nice touch. The sunset, partially hidden by incoming storm clouds was pretty spectacular and we sat and watched in awe as the life-giving orb slowly dropped below the horizon with the silhouette of the Atlanta skyline between us and the brilliant star. As the storm clouds began to move in and we saw lightning strikes in the distance, I advised the group that we needed to make haste down the mountain. Being on top of the tallest peak in a thunderstorm, is not a good idea. Everyone arrived safely back at the parking lot and we departed for home.
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