Date of Trip: July 25th, 2020

Arrival Time: 12:00 PM

Departure Time: 4:00 PM

Longitude & Latitude: 36.383418, -81.027432

So, the gang met up at my place around 10 o’clock in the morning. I wanted to wear regular sneakers for the hike but something told me to get my hiking boots. Unfortunately, I went against my better judgment. The trip was about an hour and 30 minutes southwest from my home. I thoroughly enjoy drives under four hours – especially with loved ones. Anything longer than four hours tends to hurt my back. This was our first time going to Stone Mountain State Park in North Carolina. I believe there are a few parks with the same name on the East Coast. People usually think I’m referring to the one in Georgia, so I’ll have to check that out next! When we arrived, the visitors center was closed due to COVID-19. We grabbed a map and drove over to the trail entry at the upper trail parking lot. The longest loop trail was 4 1/2 miles and that was also marked as strenuous. There was no telling when we’d be back this way, so I urged the group to do the longest trail which I thought would also be the most rewarding. And they agreed! 

Starting off there were plenty of people on the same path because the beginning segment eventually lead to the different trails the park has to offer. Even in the beginning, I was pleased by the greenery and the well marked paths. It quickly became my favorite place for hiking and I hadn’t gotten to the best part yet! So the beginning phase of our hiking experience was overall leveled but about 1/4 of the way through the incline began to kick in. We stopped a couple times. We watched hawks windsurf and got to observe a bold, unbothered doe. As well as a single dark heavy cloud. Shakira asked “What does being in the mountains do for you?”. I like nature in general so whether I’m in the mountains, meadow, near the lake, or on the beach, I am very much happy and calm and content. She had a stronger preference for the beach over the mountains since being in the mountains makes her anxious. After reaching the top of Stone Mountain, we thought that was all there was to see, so on the descent, we increased the pace. We reached a parking lot and felt a sense of accomplishment only to realize it wasn’t the parking lot we left our car at. It was the lower parking lot. And we were only halfway done. 

So after getting some direction we set back out to complete our trail. The wind began picking up and the suddenly there were many more dark clouds rolling in. No more than seven minutes into phase 2 of our trip it began to rain. And then it began to pour. None of us were adequately prepared for the change in weather. I had a baseball cap. Initially, my friends (who were less excited about rain) tried to figure out what we could do but quite frankly there was nothing to be done but to accept the fact that this is out of our control. We could only keep trekking onward. The rain was fun for maybe the first 40 minutes but it later made things much more difficult. I continued to scan the scenery for shelter but we had no luck. 

We went from feeling quite warm from hiking, to being wet from the rain, to being cold and soaked. One of my friends had product from her hair start running into her eye which made seeing difficult. And Bri had sprained her ankle prior to the rainfall (hiking boots >>> sneakers). What started as an optimistic trip with great vibes quickly darkened.

As we continued, we approach a high-volume narrow stream about 2 feet wide that empty into the river. It was right across our path so we had to cross it but all three of us were pretty intimidated by it. Bri was quit the soldier – we locked arms and crossed it. I’m not sure how I would have passed if I were in this situation alone. My friends were also surprised by a black snack (I missed it!). Hearing them running and screaming  was a bit entertaining until I realized they were actually afraid of something back there. It makes me wonder how many times I’ve obliviously walked past a potentially dangerous animal…

There was no where to hide from the rain to take a moment and collect ourselves. As we continued on we came across this opening, this huge beautiful opening! To the left was this grand view of Stone Mountain. Or at least one of the largest slabs of stone that the park consists of. I dare say the rainfall made it even more worthwhile. 

I wanted to stand in the rain and look. I wanted to stay awhile to take in the view and capture what was around me but that was not the mood of the crew. The objective was to get to the car at this point. Little did we know we had what seemed like a long way to go. 

It was a mixture of beauty perseverance and chaos and one of the best memories of 2020.