Hiking The Diablo Trail: A Conservation Success Story

Wow! A real success story for the Bay area, plus an excellent and amusing article on your hike. Congratulations!

Although I'm not fond of them or their "leavings," I agree that cows (known as "slow elk" around here) are better than housing developments! Interestingly, in the Cevennes National Park in southern France, grazing is also allowed because it has been part of the environment for millenia.

Very cool take on an urban-rural treasure. I can see Mt. Diablo through the autumn haze from my office window, as I type this. Thanks for the fine article!

Cheers,

Rick

p.s. How were the ticks?

Nice report & photos. The mud looked like a hassle, surprised you didn't just go cross-country. Do you think a bushwack of the area would be an option?
Tom

Rick: I don't recall the ticks being out in force like they sometimes are that time of year. Tony can correct me if I'm just forgetting.

Tom: Cross country might be possible in some spots where there is only grass and not chaparral, but it can get pretty tall and wet in early spring and be more of a hassle than it's worth (and per Rick's question, you'd definitely find the ticks that way, and sometimes poison oak). Where there is cattle there are often faint trails that make cross country possible, and I've sometimes followed those trails, but more in the fall than spring. But for this trip I wanted to hike the official trail, even as muddy as it was.

-Jeremy.

I live within a mile of this trail and have run it many times. I've long considered an overnighter along the trail. The experience would be very different from running.

A fall weekend would have its advantages–no mud, a few colorful leaves, cool days and cold nights–though spring also has its charms.

Thanks for the report and a different perspective of the trail. I'm looking forward to the Diablo Grand loop and the Bay Area Ridge Trail completions.

As Huell Howser would say, "That's Amazing!" I've day hiked Mt. Diablo many times, but I wasn't aware of this particular trail. I am now. Thanks guys.

BTW the Mt. Diablo Summit is inside a building

Jim,

Yes, my pack is a GoLite Jam2…2008 or 2009 model.

In the photo, I have the water blader positioned sideways inside my pack at near the top of the pack about where my shoulder blades are.

The Tubing tends to be long as a result and I have run it through a port built in on the pack and down the shoulder strap. (And I loath the idea of cutting my tubing to make it shorter….I need it long too as it is part of my Sawyer gravity filter setup).

I am using the supplied clip that came with my Platypus Hoser 1.8 L hydration system to attach to my sternum strap.

I do this for a couple of reasons:

* I find it convient to be able to easily grab it and take a drink on the go…no reaching around to find a dangling hose

* The most important one for me is that I don't like the tube hangings straight down and flopping around as I hike or slapping against my body or leg while walking, where droplets of water can leak out of the bite valve.

Depending on how empty or full my pack is, this will cause my hydration bladder to sink higher or lower inside my pack and therefore shorten or lengthen how much tubing you see at my sterum strap.

As of now, I have moved to using two 1 Litter Playtpus bottles on the outside of my pack, using the two pockets on the sides of the pack. The bottle that is hooked to my tubing is inverted so that water will flow smoothly while using the hyrdration tube. I then run the tubing up the side of the pack, using the side compression straps to hold the tubing in place and then down the strap and to the sternum strap, as you see here.

I changed because in cases where I was using a Bear Vault, I found that having the bladder inside the pack made it very top heavy, so moving them outside and down low made my load more comfortable to carry.

Is this setup unique for the Jam2? Don't think so. All of my traditional backpacks had a hydration port for routing the tubing out of the main pack to the shoulder strap.

The Jam2 makes it easy with the black and gold GoLite strap to hold the tubing in place on the shoulder strap….again, think that other manufactures of traditional gear does this too.

Hope this answers your question.

-Tony

Great report and pictures. Will add the Diablo Trail to my To Hike list.

Thanks!

All those grassy trails and tent sights look like a dewey equation, but an interesting trip indeed. The trail reminds me of the scottish highlands. It's funny how a nice pair of socks and experience can make you forget about your wet feet.

there are ticks aplenty in the Mt Diablo Mt area. i have right now a granulating wound from where my buddy dug one out of my upper back 5 years ago. that's a long time to have a hole keep erupting. we dug nearly 1/2" deep and still found necrotic tissue.
it was a mess. (deep cooled the zone with ice, it did not hurt to dig it out)
this particular tick was acquired on the east side on the east side of the hill overlooking the waterfall. regardless, it is wise to Not Lay Down when in the area.
great article. did not find the map though. sometimes the diable people a kind'a picky about their maps and it's hard to find them on the net.

i have lived my entire life in the shadow of this exceptional mountain.

round valley gives access to a fine mountain bike downhill run off volvon ridge.

there;s poison oak on the hill too !

cheers,
peter v.