Stone Mountain

Monday
Roger, Jen and I had a wonderful day today, hiking up, down and around Stone Mountain. Stone Mountain is a pluton, a type of igneous intrusion, ranging in composition from quartz monzonite to granite and grandiosity, and is more than 5 miles in circumference at its base. The dome of Stone Mountain was formed during the formation of the Blue Ridge Mountains around 300–350 million years ago, during the Carboniferous period. It formed as a result of the upwelling of magma from within the Earth's crust.
The way up was at a fairly gentle gradient, over smooth rock amongst
trees. There is also an easy way up or down, using the cable car! We then took the trail through the forest around the base of the mountain. The trail passes an old mill and the controversial Confederate carving, etched into the side of the mountain, depicting Civil War generals Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee, plus President Jefferson Davis. (See extra). The trail continues along a series of lakes, the final one affording beautiful reflections of the mountain in the water. I didn’t quite complete the full loop - Jen went to fetch the car to save Roger and I the last mile! The weather and the colours were glorious, so a great day out.
We had decided to leave our celebratory dinner until Wednesday when Laura will be with us, so Jason fixed us a very good dinner at home, followed by cake.
Step count: 18,535