We hiked the reverse of the route described at https://socalhiker.net/hiking-mitchell-canyon-to-mount-diablo/, starting from Mitchell Canyon Road, then to Meridian Ridge Road, Deer Flat Road, North Peaks, Prospector’s Gap Road, Eagle Peak Trail, Mitchell Rock Trail, and ending at Oak Road.

The climb up was uneventful, with a wide well-maintained path, ample shade, and an abundance of wildflowers. The summit was crowded with cars and day trippers, and we refilled our water bottles. The descent was along a single-track, rocky path that was at times very steep and technical. We took a wrong turn halfway, which added almost two miles to our total distance. The views were amazing, reminiscent of the Alps. The road down took us via Eagle Peak and Twin Peaks, so am I at 8 peaks now??

A fitting final hike to complete the Six-Pack of Peaks challenge! Perhaps it was the warm spring weather that I need to acclimatize to each year, but this was the most challenging climb and descent of them all. It was steep. Bring walking poles!