A very San Francisco weekend

...involves a day hike to the summit of Mt. Diablo, which, at an elevation of 3,800+ feet, is one of the highest peaks¹ in the Bay Area - well over 1,000 feet above the east peak of Mt. Tamalpais.

I'm occasionally in the area to play golf, but this was the first time I'd trekked up the mountain (credit for this suggestion goes to friend of the blog / East Bay celebrity Janelle G.).

A kindly oak savanna forms the southern boundary to the state park, where the trail begins.

I'd selected a pretty clear day for this hike, and for much of the early parts of it, I found myself alone² with the low, orbital hum of the empty sky above, the contrast of which gave crisp definition to my every step along the sandstone trail.

At about the halfway point there is a sudden outcropping of weathered rock formations, referred to on the map as Rock City.

Past this point, you can finally get a rewarding view down the ridge...

...or up to the summit.

The incline increases here, and so does the unpredictability of trail cyclist behavior.  And the belligerency of the local bee population.  I was told to be on the lookout for tarantulas as well, but those apparently show up more in the fall.

There's a parking lot near the top, and a distressing lack of sandwiches and cold beverages.  However, I managed to survive the day on the strength of my morning bagel and a bottle of water.  All told - about five hours round trip, thirteen miles, and probably not enough sunscreen.

¹ There's plenty of local hyperbole as to the quality of the viewshed from Mt. Diablo's peak.  Following a winter storm, it's said that the Sierras (120+ miles away!) can be spotted.  I was excited merely to see the towers of the Golden Gate Bridge (about a quarter of that other distance).


² Alone, until the decision to make a brief bio-break, at which point cyclists and trail runners absolutely come out of the woodwork.