Week 4: Mt. Diablo, Donner Creek Trail

Climbing higher

This was a good one, though more so for the quiet and the pace than for the views. Tackled on a late January afternoon, it was a very empty trail that offered Eric and I plenty of time to think and talk in peace. Lina was kept occupied by her aunts and uncles at the beach, so it was just the two of us.

The incredible drought that the Bay Area (and California in general) is experiencing has sucked most of the moisture out of the area - most plants are brown, the creeks lay still, and the 4 waterfalls that once flowed along this trail aren't worth seeking out.Still, it was a good trek up and down Bald Ridge (I think that's what we climbed. We followed the Donner Creek Trail). Felt nice to stretch my legs and to clear my head. And based on this one East Bay hike, it seems people are far friendlier here than in North Bay.

The trail and the mountains

The incredibly parched fire road that we started out on.

Beautiful Manzanita bushes on our way up.

A peak into the valley. The "view" from the top. Our particular route only gave us a view of the valley and homes that lay below. Not the worst, but certainly not breathtaking.

The return hike, as the sun began to set. Two trees on a hill.

Week 4