Little bit late getting this out … last year, I summited Diablo as peak #2 on New Years after hitting Mt Saint Helena before sunrise. This year, didn't want to tempt fate with the amount of rain we had on New Years Eve (flooding and a tree fell in front of our house). However, was blessed with clear, though crisp, skies for the annual ‘Beer Bucket New Year's Run' on Mt Diablo.
We started at 9 am with a pretty good sized group starting at the Mitchell Canyon trailhead with fairly muddy trails. About 1-2 miles in, parts of the trail were flooded, which led to some initial attempts to keep our shoes dry (this approached changed on the way down — when we went straight through the same trails masquerading as rivers). The downside of puddle avoidance, is I experienced one of my worst bouts of poison oak the following week. Lessen learned: just go through the damn water!
We winded up the trail and through Juniper Campground, enjoying the views on the way all the way up to the summit. Could see some snowy peaks in the Sierra in the spots where there was a break in the clouds in the distance. Views from the summit were great. Again, amazed at how clear it was, considering the amount of rain we had not 12 hours before (and after!).
A little plug for the group I was running with – the Beer Bucket Run can be found in the clubs on Strava, and they have a public Facebook page. They run on Sundays at different locations in the SF East Bay — but have also done Mt Tam and Marin Headlands. Many participate in the Broken Arrow Skyrace in Lake Tahoe, which is designed after European style “sky races”, characterized by ‘off-trail scrambling on steep terrain with massive amounts of vertical gain and loss at altitude.' I just run for enjoyment of it.
So, Diablo was a worthy start for 2023. I'm also doing the Lake Tahoe challenge as well. Looking forward to a great year!
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