Breezy Saunter Among the Manzanitas

 My wife and I went for a hike today in Mt. Diablo State Park.  For me, it was a recovery hike following a 5 mile run the day prior.  For my wife, it was a chance to knock her Noom daily step goal out of the park.  We enjoyed strong wind gusts and a closeup view of native flora, while also taking in an unfortunate dose of human impact in the era of the corona virus.

We entered from the Regency Gate trailhead in Clayton Valley, CA.  It was a lovely January day in the Bay Area, with heat approaching near record temperature for January - it was sunny and 75 (ish).  The sun was still low in the sky because of the time of year, but with no clouds we applied some sunblock to minimize exposure.  The wind howled through the oaks and smaller manzanitas, whipped by offshore air movement of an approaching front.  We followed Donner Creek in from a nearby residential neighborhood.  There were lots of folks out an about near the entrance to the park and we could see that the trailhead parking area was full as we passed.  We took the Donner Canyon road southward into the park.

Since we got a late start at 11:30 a.m., we elected to eat the lunch we'd packed at an early point in our trip itinerary.  The trouble with this section of the park is that there are no picnic tables or benches as you begin to climb upward.  I have a general preference for less development, but it can complicate things when you want to sit down and eat and you didn't bring a picnic blanket.  Not to worry, we found a rock and unpacked the veggie subs my wife had prepared earlier that morning.  I am starting the year off again with "Vegan January" and we are booth trying this Noom app out, so a veggie sub was the way to go.  It was delicious - avocado, spinach, red peppers and olives with a home made balsamic vinaigrette.  An apple and some salty kale chips completed the menu and we drank water from my Camelback.

 

We wore our masks when around others and generally gave every person a wide berth.  Being in the Covid era, we know there is no perfectly safe way to be around other humans, but we also appreciate reducing our risk of exposure.  We would soon learn that others are operating from a different play book.

Now, in order to get to our semi-secluded lunch spot we got off the main gated road which was the primary walking path up the mountain, then we followed a side trail a short way until we saw a couple rocks that were just big enough for us to sit on.  Then, we walked further off trail about 20 yards to arrive out our spot.  So, to be clear, we were not on the main trail and not on the side trail, we were basically in our own place in a public park, with vast expanses of open land all around us and the rest of the hikers generally confined to the main trails.  You might then imagine our surprise when, within the 90,000 acres in Mt. Diablo State Park, two moms brought their five kids right up to us, stood 8-10 feet away, and told their kids "you guys can play around here." 
 

Let me begin describing my mindset by saying that I have a general appreciation for any mom who can get her kids to put down the video controller and go outside.  If it were an easy feat, we could have gotten any of our four to come along with us.  We were not able to convince ours to join us.  So, my starting perspective is one of respect for these family groups.  In addition, I laugh at crusty old curmudgeons who shake newspapers at geranium crushing kids.  My personal perspectives left me paralyzed, unable to deal with this situation.  I didn't know what to say to these folks.  Their intrusion into our space would have been awkward even without the corona virus.  But with the virus, closing to within yards of our isolated picnic was not only intrusive but potentially dangerous.

The kids saved the day, they weren't listening to their moms and followed the principle of diffusion, finding another place to play just far enough away that my wife and I didn't have to whisper to keep our conversation private.  The mom's never did seem to "get it." Ignorance is bliss.

We packed up our trash, took one last squirt of water and proceeded a mile or so up the steep Donner Canyon Road (trail) which led us to the Meridian Point Trail.  This trail took us through thick manzanitas trees before eventually leading to a large open meadow.  Lots of little birds took refuge in there from the winds that were now blowing about as we climbed in elevation.  It was good to see birds, because without them the only thing in this manzanitas tunnel was discarded bits of toilet paper.  Ughhhh.  After a short .6 miles of single track, we arrived at another single track trail, the Back Creek trail.  This was more rugged and almost felt like something you would see in the Sierras, traversing a steep ravine with switchbacks and narrow passage through vegetation.

 

While on this Back Creek trail we looked out across the ridgeline to a giant quarry to our west.  There's a lot of history to that quarry on Zion Mountain and this isn't really the time or place to address it.  Classic battle of "We have to get gravel from somewhere" versus "My God, that is an ugly scar on the land."  You can probably guess where my sentiments lie.  Between the invasion of personal space, the toilet paper, and the half destroyed mountain to our west, this was not the kind of immersion into nature one might like, but it was about as good as one might expect near one of our nation's major population centers.

The Back Creek trail eventually climbed up and back around to the Donner Canyon Road.  We'd been gone long enough that it was time to head back to the kiddos.  We hung a left and proceeded back down the mountain.  This trail had a very steep downhill slope and would be challenging during a rain event.  I would call it a "quad burner" for the strain it put on our legs just above the kneecaps.  Lots of fun though, gave our legs a good workout.  We totaled 6.7 miles in 2.5 hours.  If the ups and downs weren't so steep I would say we took a leisurely pace.  But our legs were definitely sore by the time we made it back to the car.  A great recovery hike on a lovely day.

I think we may well make it back here.  With a little more time the summit isn't so far away.  We've made to the summit from the other side, so it would be a fun challenge to attack it from this direction.

***Update - later that day, the weather station on Mt. Diablo would clock 80+ mph winds!***

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...