A windy day on Mt. Diablo

My first time hiking Mt. Diablo all the way to the summit after living in its shadow for 3 decades was a real experience! I started from the Mitchell Canyon Staging Area and headed up Oak Road to the Coulter Pine Trail and then on the Eagle Peak Trail up to Eagle Peak.

The views from Eagle Peak were magnificent.  There were about 8 individuals up there resting when I arrived.  Everyone was in good spirits and enjoying the day (which was sunny with only a few scattered clouds.). The “dip” after heading forward from Eagle Peak made me very glad I brought trekking poles as it was steep and rocky! As I progressed from the Eagle Peak Trail to the Bald Ridge Trail, Prospector’s Gap, and then the North Peak Trail the wind picked up big time. It seemed like the gusts were directly in my face for miles. The Summit Trail was a calmer area and it was great to reach the visitor’s center and see the actual summit on the 2nd floor of the building.

Going down was much easier hike (Juniper Trail, Deer Flat Road and eventually the Mitchell Canyon Road).  These last two roads are fire roads, wide and flat.  The Mitchell Canyon Road followed Mitchell Creek for miles which made it a nice way to get back down to the parking lot.