Expedition Team: Dave Miller, Rosie Miller, Jacque Miller, Matt Miller, Holly Miller, Shane Miller, Debbie Orca Miller
Date: 1995, August 10, 2002, Sept. 2004
We were in Atlanta to attend my sisters graduate from Emory University School of Nursing. We camped out at Stone Mountain Park Campground and enjoyed hot dogs and smores cooked over the campfire (Photo#1). Matt videotaped a segment of his “Orca Files here. “The world’s largest mass of exposed granite is the centerpiece of the 3,200 acre wooded park. We took a ride on the riverboat (Photo#2) & had fun in the Great Barn that had lots of interactive children’s activities. At night we enjoyed the great laser light/music show shown on the side of the mountain (Photo#3) with Gen. Stonewall Jackson on horseback carved in the mountain. On Saturday afternoon we drove to the park railroad station/museum and the trailhead to hike up Stone Mountain. The trail is just one mile one way to the summit but you climb over 800 to the top. Everyone was pumped and confident at the beginning but it was a difficult hike for Shane who was 8 years old and for the Orca. We took a short break at the Halfway House which was a small shelter house and then ascended the rest of the trail. The top was very smooth rock and some of the kids were afraid of sliding off (Photo#4). You had an incredible view of the park as well as downtown Atlanta 20 miles away. You could take a skylift/cable car back down which we did one previous time but we chose to hike the one mile back down.
