Hello Fellow Hikers,
Sharon was feeling a little under the weather today, so Rose, Cindy, guest Chris T. and I set off to hike in Diablo Foothills Regional Park. The first mistake I made was driving south on 680 instead of north. Duh! We were talking so much we didn’t even notice until we saw the exit for Alcosta Blvd. We quickly turned the car around and headed north. (I’m sure you find this amusing Sharon!)
The weather was nice for hiking, not too hot thanks to the fog layer atop Mount Diablo. From the Livorna Staging Area our hike began on the Alamo Trail which wanders past some new homes, then climbs through grassy hillsides dotted with oak trees and small rock formations. We took a slight detour on the Briones to Mount Diablo Trail and crossed over into Mount Diablo State Park which descends to the China Wall, a rocky reef formation. Rose told us about a recent benefit dinner/auction that she attended for Mount Diablo which took place right at China Wall in the evening. It sounded awesome.
From there we backtracked onto our original path and proceeded toward Stonegate Trail, not without passing it up on our first attempt. We then finished the hike along Foothills Trail. There were a few tricky unsigned junctions along the way, but we were able to stay on track (for the most part) and finish the 4.4 mile hike in slightly over two hours. Good job ladies.
It was nice having Chris hike with us today. I hope to see you on future hikes.
Happy Trails to All!
Cathy
