Mount Diablo State Park

Saturday we decided to go out for what we fondly call a "Diablo Death March." Basically, we head up to Mount Diablo State Park, and go out for a looooong hike with lots of vertical. It's a nice, cleansing sort of experience. This last one was especially awesome in that we finally managed to connect the five summits-- Twin Peaks, Eagle Peak, Mount Diablo, North Peak and Mount Olympus-- for a butt-kicking 16 mile round-trip, with somewhere in the ballpark of one mile of vertical climbing.

Mount Diablo State Park is a pretty unique place in it's own right. Located in the East Bay, Mount Diablo and friends stand alone in the middle of the Tri-Valley. Because of it's isolation, there are many species of plants and animals that live only on Mount Diablo. Parts of the land are literally turned upside-down, and fossils of ancient marine life, mastadons and saber-toothed cats have been found here. It's also held sacred by the California Miwok people.