Though the actual autumnal equinox is not until Tuesday, I decided to schedule an event to watch the sunset from the top of Stone Mountain two days early. I have plans Tuesday and figured a day or two wouldn't make that much difference (it's actually 3 minutes to be exact). Though I had already lead a hike on the Sutalee Trace Trail today, my legs are feeling great and a walk up the steep summit trail should be a nice workout.
Meeting up with the participants near the restrooms, I'm a little disappointed to see there will only be three of us. A storm system is supposed to start moving through very soon and I suspect this scared a lot of people off. Either way, it will be a nice hike for us. Though I've hiked with both gentlemen before, we do a quick round of introductions and then begin climbing up the steep monadnock towards the summit. Along the way, I point out some of the intricate carvings made in the granite in decades past. Some of these date back to just after the Civil War. I always love the history.
As we near the summit, I see that the storm is going to be a thing and warn the others that if we see any lightning in the distance that I'll be heading down. Being on top of a treeless granite dome during a lightning storm is a very stupid idea. They agree. With that said, we find a spot on the summit to watch the descending sun to the west and the approaching dark clouds from the north. We even spot a rainbow in those dark clouds.
The sunset is quite beautiful as it passes behind the skyscrapers of downtown Atlanta. Unfortunately, we begin to feel some raindrops just five minutes or so before the actual sunset. I don't mind getting wet, but there are sections of this granite that get incredibly slick and dangerous when wet. The others suggest and I agree that we should head back. We quickly make our way down the mountain, though the rain never does more than a few drops. Still, better safe than sorry. Total distance of this evening hike was only about 2.1 miles, but the elevation change of Stone Mountain always makes it a nice workout.
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