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Almost a Wilderness Trip

Mary and I finally got away on a last-minute hashed together effort to explore the woods again.  Aware of the Perseid Meteor showers this week, we resolved to get our out-of-shape selves into the Desolation Wilderness.  Far from the madding crowds, far from the bright city lights.  We set out to wash our faces in starlight.

Originally planned as a 7:00 a.m. departure and a hike into the Rockbound Lake area, we settled for a 1:00 p.m. departure and a stop short at Buck Island lake.  Driving about 3.5 hours from Moraga, we hit the trail much later than hoped and shortened our distance to 7ish miles in and then back out the next morning.  It almost seemed like too hectic of a plan.  How does one enjoy the wilderness when the coming and going subjects oneself to the famed red tail lights of California?  But, I must say, I found my Zen.  If only for a moment, I was happy to be there...then.

Well, temporary Zen, perhaps.  Our dispersed campsite was on a rock outcropping by a big old broken cedar (?) across a lake from the end of the "Rubicon Trail", a famous place (?) where off road vehicle enthusiast's subject their otherwise pavement bound machines to the primitive wilds of the earth.  Jeeps and other 4 WD vehicles clamber over boulders well into the evening.  Aided by those roll bar topping lights, the purpose of which previously had always escaped me, they clanked and grinded gears well into the night.  Where the track they were driving on meandered in our direction their lights pointed right at us.  Our campsite was, to borrow a term from the Urban Dictionary, "Lit" from top to bottom.  We had light beams both shining straight at us and reflecting up at us from the lake.  I felt like Julia Louis-Dreyfuss character in "Christmas Vacation" when Clark Griswold turned his exterior Christmas lights on.

But I must say that it was entertaining listening to a guy curse at his stuck Jeep from across the small lake.  Sound carries almost as well as light across open water.  And it all just reinforced my love of cheaper hobbies.  We continued to watch in amusement as we ate dinner.  Turkey sandwiches and Pinot Noir, now that is more like it.

Mary got tired early and I can't say I blame her for wanting to turn it in.  I spent entirely too much of the twilight, turned low light, trying to figure out the how to operate my camera on high ISO settings, necessary for night photos.  But once I did I started taking some good night shots (see attached images).  I snapped and snapped away.  I started figuring things out after many missed shots including some images that had potential, but look too grainy, pixelated, over exposed, or underexposed.  I am going to have to do my homework on how to better capture shooting stars on my Canon 60D.  But even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in awhile.  After seeing countless meteors rain from the heavens only to escaped my camera's pixels, I think I caught one.  See if you can find it in the night images attached.

It was a mild dry night, so we left our tent's rain fly off.  Looking up through the screen, we could see shooting starts at least once per minute.  A few little critters moved through our site while we slept, but none of the Sierras mischievous black bears.   My first night sleeping outdoors is usually a restless affair, but I slept fine on the soft ground when I wasn't screwing around with my camera.

Up early, a quick cup of tea and some oatmeal, and back on the trail.  We moved fast, turning a 3 hour hike in, into a 2 hour hike out.  That's what 10 degrees cooler temperatures and a net drop in elevation over 7 miles would do. 

Overall, I consider this a pleasant trip.  You'll hear boomboxes coming from the road across Loon Lake when you first head in and, as discussed, more disturbing off road vehicle noises at night.  I would definitely recommend getting an earlier start and pushing a few miles deeper into the Desolation Wilderness area.  Some online posts said that our initial destination of Rockbound Lake wouldn't even have been enough to get away from the noise, so plan an initial ten mile hike, which shouldn't be too tough on this generally sand, gravel and pine duff trail.

Summit Day on Summit Trail

Back from the dead.  After a crazy busy stretch I finally have a chance to do two things together, hike and write about hiking.


Mary and I celebrated National Summit Day by hiking the Summit Trail from the South Gate entrance at Mt. Diablo State Park.  As we went to bed the night before we noted a "smoke" advisory on our IPhone weather app.  We were not disappointed.  We got up at first light and drove under a hazy grey layer of smoke at about 3,000 feet above us.   Arriving at the South Gate of Mt. Diablo State Park, we found the gate to be locked, as we expected at 6:15 a.m. (it opens at 8).  We drove back down the access road to a spot where we could legally park without being either on the road surface or on private property (we think).


The reason why one must leave early is because all it does is get hot up there as the days goes on.  The more climbing you can get in before that sunlight gets direct, the cooler you will stay and the more enjoyable the experience.  We enjoyed a cool breeze drifting down our side of the mountain in the early morning, which felt great.


The trail climbs directly from a grassy area through a forest of holly, oak, and bay laurel, before moving to an area of madrone and slash pine(?).  Poison oak can appear anywhere, so be sure to stay on the trail if you do this hike.  Deer and turkey move freely about, and coyote scat appears on the trail.  I found a giant pine cone with nuts still in it, the squirrels must be slacking at their jobs!  Not sure if they were of an edible variety, I left it.  I then replied to the cooing of a mourning dove.  Peace.


Perhaps not even two miles up the trail we came to a campground that had running water and even functioning showers.  We enjoyed the fresh water, but had brought enough for our needs even without it.  The first of the mountain bikers climbed past us here.  I am not even sure what trails they can ride on, but they became more and more frequent as the day went on.


Taking a fortuitous wrong turn after the campground, we arrived at Sentinel Rock and relaxed for a snack.  The morning light was still at a shallow angle and helped light up our photos and our smiles.


Getting back on the trail, we encountered a few more hikers and numerous mountain bikers.  Mary noted that she only saw one other woman, day hiking up from the camp ground with her husband.  We ascended onto a ridge with sweeping views to the south and west.  Underneath the grey layer of smoke we could see Mt. Tamalpais in the distance.


Because of a medical condition that arose, we cut our trip short.  We did not make the Summit of Mt. Diablo for National Summit Day.  Discretion was the better part of valor.  We are back at home and were very happy to cover a little over half of our stated 14 mile objective.  It was a better morning than most Americans had today, in terms of hiking and being outdoors.  Every day in the woods is a good day and the journey is always more important than the destination.


Mary and I both felt relaxed.  That was a good thing.  School is starting up soon enough and we'll be right back in the thick of it before too long.


Until Next time...