On March 7th, 2009 I visited Mount Diablo, a major landmark in many of my favorite Bay Area views, for the first time. On March 28th, I took Clara. On both trips we took the same route, climbing to the summit from the North Gate entrance. On April 5th we went with the Sierra Club on a wildflower hike from Mitchell Canyon to the Eagle Peak Trail and down the Coulter Pine Trail, from the Northern entrance. On April 11th we hiked from Mitchell Canyon, up and around to the waterfalls, to the summit again and down. This article contains pictures from all four hikes. And now it contains pictures from even more! Since we keep going to Mt. Diablo, there will be no more commentaries about each trip. Because of some problems at worldisround.com, the pictures are not in chronological order. They are however, together by hike.
March 7th: I had heard that one can hike to the top, but hadn't realized just how arduous it was! I prepared for a usual hike. Instead, I hiked about 14 miles, gained 3000 feet in elevation and then promptly lost it back, and barely returned to the car before sundown and the closing of the gate. The trails were among the steepest I've taken--or at least sections of them were--and neglecting the effects of high altitude, this hike is comparable in length, difficulty and elevation gain to a Sierra hike.
Despite a relatively hazy day, the views from various parts of the hike were unbelievable. I could see: the hills of Napa and Sonoma, including Mt. St. Helena; the whole Bay Area, the bay and even the ocean beyond the hill'd headlands of Marin and South of San Francisco, to the rise of the Santa Cruz Mountains; the Delta and windmills I had not known existed; more windmills on the Altamont Pass; the great Central Valley; even the rise and snowy tops of the Sierras! (Barely and obscurely.)
March 28th: Clara and I went the same route, from the North Gate to the summit and back. We saw a coyote and a profusion of wildflowers.
April 5th: We learned the names of all the flowers, saw the world's two largest varieties of pine cones and watched a coyote cross our path!
April 11th: Clara and I took a long loop around the Back Creek, which looped by two waterfalls, up to Prospector's Gap, elevation 2990, and up to the summit of Mt. Diablo (3,849 feet). On the way up we saw the elusive Mt. Diablo Fairy Lantern (or Globe Lily), an endemic plant that mostly grows on this mountain, although it has been reported in other parts of the county. We also saw our usual wildflower friends, plenty of poison oak and a bunny. We descended more steeply, but on a shorter route. We think the total distance was 13-15 miles.
