upon returning from a semi successful camping and hiking trip to hanging rock that was cut short, i booked a campsite at stone mountain to try again, two weeks later.
i snagged the very last campsite available and when i pulled up i immediately understood why. it was fully exposed, with no tree coverage or trees for hammock hanging, and it was on a weird intersection, so there was quite a bit of traffic. but, it was a still a campsite, and i was glad to be back in the, and i use this term loosely, wilderness.
i settled in quickly. unlike my trip to hanging rock, i actually brought decent food options, and supplies to make food be warm. i had a leisurely evening, in my camp chair and not a hammock, reading and journaling. the burn ban was still in effect, but the weather was so lovely, making a campfire unnecessary.
i got a very decent night’s sleep, considering i’m almost 50 and i was sleeping on the ground. and, my campsite was pretty close to the bath house, which is always a pleasant morning situation. then i began one of my very favorite camping rituals. the making of, and mass consumption of, very dark and strong aeropress coffee. instead of speeding off to a long hike, i took the time to savor said coffee. i fueled up with some yogurt and oatmeal and berries, because i for sure wasn’t going to actually cook two times a day.
i love stone mountain and i’ve hiked here a bunch of times. its seen me through some things. :). and on this day, i was hoping to make an epic hiking comeback part of that story. the loop trail is closed for awhile so they can rebuild the stairs, so i did a little out and back-ish sort of thing instead, hitting wolf rock, cedar ridge, and the middle and lower falls.
on the way back, as per my usual, i stopped at the homestead to bask in the presence of the stone mountain. i packed my lunch, even though i was like a half mile from the trailhead and then a very short drive back to my campsite. i always say a smooshed trail sandwich in the wilderness is a five star meal. the sun was being super vitamin d-y, so i lounged there for a little while and powered up.
all told, i hiked 6 miles and something like 1200′ elevation gain. i was pretty pleased with myself, but the real test would be how i felt that night and the next morning. i showered up, iced my foot just like my pt told me to do, refueled a bit, and settled back into my camp chair for continued reading, journaling, sunset viewing, and lounging. (i also cooked dinner but it was the same as the previous night so i’ll spare you a photo documentary about it).
the next morning, i was up so so so early. that’s actually a huge problem for me with camping. i naturally get up between four and five. well. it’s dark out at that time of day. and i don’t want to wake up the entire campground by shuffling around and turning lights on and off and open and closing the car. i tried to go back to sleep. i ended up just lying in bed awhile. eventually, i deemed it a sufficient hour in which to begin clamoring around my site, and began the sacred coffee event.
i had a slow morning and then leisurely broke down my campsite, before heading to a trailhead to do another section of the loop. it was only about 3.3 miles total, and not too steep. even after the previous days miles, my foot was fantastic. i sat atop stone mountain for a long long LONG time.
eventually, it was time to head back. to the jeep. to civilization. to my family.
this trip was, by all accounts, a raging success. the weather could not possibly have been more perfect. and even though i wasn’t in love with my campsite, i had a great time there. i stayed off my phone for the most part. i journaled a ton. i got good nights sleeps. i read an entire book. and most importantly. i hiked. twice. on consecutive days. and i finally think (thought) my foot is on the mend.