Dan's Hiking Log: Mount Diablo - South Gate to Summit (ALL THE WAY)

I was still driving a 1986 Honda Civic Hatchback when I drove up to the summit of Mount Diablo the first time. It must have been before September of 1995. I remember I drove to the summit and rock city among a couple of other places. At the time, I look at the trail by the road to the summit and thought - who is crazy enough to hike all the way to the top? I might come back a rent a horse and ride it to the top, someday...

On April 6, 2008, after about 8 times hiking up this trail plus 3 time going up mission peak, about 6 months after picking up hiking again, I finally hike all the way to the top from the south gate entrance. I guess I am crazy enough... (I have to say it is also out of convenient that I live about 10 minutes away from the south gate).

4/6/2008 7:24AM to 12:44PM
South Gate to Summit
- 7:24AM to 10:20AM (Just a tad under 3 hours)
- Summit trail to Live Oak Campground
- fireroad to Rock City
- Trail through Time
- Summit Trail Shortcut/Summit Trail bypass
Summit to South Gate - 10:50AM to 12:44PM
(Just a tad under 2 hours, could be a knee killer)
- Only detour is summit trail bypass
Distance: 11.7 miles
Elevation gain: 3100 feet (+)

It was not a clear day to begin with. Low clouds was hanging around. It was because of this, I got a wonderful experience out of this hike. It is not every day that one can hike up into the clouds and hike out above it again. I hiked into the clouds a bit passed Rock City at the summit bypass. I came back out of it about half way between the water tank and Devil's Elbow.

It is thoughful of the architect of the visitor center at the summit to expose the top of Mt Diablo so people can still stand on the "original" top of the mountain.

It is in the midst of spring and the mountain side are blanketed with bea

utiful flowers. I took many pictures on the way up. This gives me a chance to rest and to enjoy the scenery as well. I also realized that out of so many kinds of flowers, I can only name the California poppy. The Mount Diablo Interpretive Association realize that many would be intrigued by this and published Mt. Diablo Wildflowers in 2005. Lots of flowers also means lots of pollen. I was sneezing so much when I was in Dan Cook Canyon that I thought I would not be able to complete this hike as planned. But the air is quick enough to clear of pollen once I climbed about 400 ft about the gate

Here are the pictures of the flowers I saw on this one hike. It is wonderful if you love flowers. I do have to warn fellow allegy sufferers to take appropiate precautions.