Mount Diablo
MVP
Aonijie Carbon Fiber Trekking Pole—Whenever I have to do a lot of ascent/descent these hiking poles prove their worth over and over again.
Hike Review:
Mount Diablo State Park is just a beautiful place to hike.
On my way to Diablo peak, I visited Mitchell Rock, Twin Peaks, Eagle Peak, Devil’s Pulpit, and Juniper Campground.
There was no potable water except at Mitchell Canyon Visitor Center, which forced me to carry an extra liter of water.
About a third of the trail was shaded, I can imagine how hot this hike would be in the middle of summer. I’m glad I went in early fall.
My favorite part of the hike was actually Mitchell Canyon, which was just beautiful.
The trails were mostly hard packed dirt trails, which are my favorite.
There were a few points on the trail where it was steep, slippery, and dangerous (I would have had vertigo if I looked back). There is a trail on GaiaGPS between Prospectors Gap and the Summit Visitor Center. That’s not a real trail and was the slipperiest part. I should have taken the North Peak Trail instead.
There were tons of bear scat all the way from Mitchell Rock to Prospectors Gap—I saw at least three dozen.
What I Learned:
I had such a hard time the first 3 miles of the hike. The book I was listening to wasn’t yet fully engaging and I had a lot of doubts on my mind. After that though, my brain gave in and it was a smooth ride.
At the Summit Visitor Center, there is no potable water, but they did sell snacks and soda. This was fortunate as I wanted some extra food.
I can be optimistic about how fast I’ll hike. I averaged 2mph (exactly), but on the way up, I was closer to 1mph, and on the way down I was closer to 3mph. I was hoping I could average 2.5mph, but near the peak, I really slowed down to a crawl.
I sped up my audio book so that I was listening to it at 1.75x speed. I usually stick with 1.25x, but I found the book to be more engrossing if I sped it up.
Because I started a bit later than usual for long hikes (8am vs earlier), I didn’t see as many animals as I thought I would. Just a few birds and squirrels here and there—no deers, coyotes, or bears (thank goodness for the latter).
Today was Sunday, which meant that when I walked through Juniper Campground a little before 1pm, it was almost completely empty.
Media Consumed:
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
What Happened?
13.5 miles, 6 hrs 47 mins, 3939 ft of ascent
I wanted to start hiking at Mitchell Canyon Visitor Center at 6am or earlier, but the parking lot opens at 8am, so 8am is when I got there and started hiking. For the first few miles, my mind was busy, I was haggard, and there was much thought about turning back early. But, after a few miles, my mind calmed down, and I got in a really good groove, and I felt great. Even the small soreness on my left knee went away.
The landmarks came early and fast, with Mitchell Rock, Twin Peaks, and Eagle Peak all coming in the first few miles. The trail up to Diablo is on a ridge, which means there’s a nice breeze, and the views are fantastic almost the whole way up.
I took the wrong trail from Prospectors Gap to the summit of Mount Diablo, but I kept at it slow and steady, and I didn’t slip or fall. Once at the summit, I first enjoyed a nice snack, then checked out the views from the top floor of the visitor center. I then started hiking down.
I deliberately walked through Juniper Campground, so that I could take an almost-anniversary picture of my camping trip with my brother last year (we went 357 days ago), and it was nice to think about how much I had grown since then.
I kept up a good pace on the descent, and really enjoyed Mitchell Canyon, which I thought had the best trail of the entire loop. When I got back to the Mitchell Canyon Visitor Center, I treated myself to a Mount Diablo State Park t-shirt, and headed to the nearest Jamba Juice for a post-hike snack.
