We got a bunch of rain last week; typically that’ll knock a lot of the crud out of the air and create amazing vistas from the hills around the Bay Area. Sunday morning we could see San Francisco from the front porch (40-plus miles as the crow flies) so I figured this would be a great day to check out the view from Mount Diablo, which towers over the East Bay countryside.
On a clear day, Mount Diablo has a stupendous view. To the east, the foothills of the Sierra (over 100 miles away) are faintly visible. A popular belief in the Bay Area is that Diablo has the second-highest "viewshed" on earth, bested only by Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa (one guy goes to some trouble to dispute this claim).
Well, by the time I arrived at the summit parking lot at about 11:30 a.m., hazy clouds had started decorating the skies. I did see the Sierra foothills for the first time in three visits to the summit, but the view was otherwise merely remarkable vs., say, amazingly spectacular.
I only had a couple hours to spare so I decided to hike out from the summit for an hour, then head back. As soon as I left the car I was belted in the face by a 40 mph blast of harsh, gusting wind. Three layers plus a windbreaker were just enough to avoid freezing my fanny off up there. Had to walk 20 minutes just to get warm enough to overcome the extreme urge to race home to a cozy spot on the couch.
The vistas from near the summit are dazzling to the eye but my little camera can’t do justice to them. Instead of looking down, I looked up, and the skies rewarded me with a few pretty scenes.
Those rocks are just off the summit.
Lately I’m bored with a plain ol’ clear blue sky. Give me some clouds to dress things up.
How cold was it? This pond — 800 feet below the summit, sheltered from the wind — was covered with a light sheen of ice. (Hey, this is cold for around here.)
Another view of the mountain peak. I like the effect of the clouds looking like they’re blowing across it.
Another fine dead tree. The sun was just out of the image at left — the overexposure created this shadow effect.
A couple notes about hiking near the Diablo summit:
- The trails are really steep in places. Views are great, but be ready for a few hard slogs.
- The slopes are really steep nearby. Watch your step, it’s a long way down.
- It’s always windy as all get-out up here. Don’t bother coming up without your windbreaker.
- Don’t park at the lot right next to the visitor center; there’s plenty of parking nearby so your car isn’t taking up space that could be filled by a slack-jawed tourists.
- It’s excruciatingly hot here in the summer and the smog ruins the view. The best views are in the winter after the skies clear following a strong rain.