The
first hike of the year is always special; it sets the tone on the trail for the
rest of the year. I had hoped for an easy jaunt on the southwest slopes of
Mount Diablo State Park. But I got a little more than I bargained for with a cold, soggy
adventure to start my new year of hiking.
My
jump off point for the hike was the Macedo Ranch staging area near Danville.
There are several hikes in the park that start from Macedo Ranch and I chose
the Shell Loop Ridge.
The
hiking trail winds through foothills and pastures eventually joining with an old
stage coach road. I made this 7-mile hike in late August of 2012 and with a
warm summer breeze the golden hills and dusty trails made for a pleasant hike.
Saturday's hike would be far different as I would
tackle
the trail in mid winter.
Weather
forecast called for chilly morning temperatures and standing at the trailhead I
made a quick check of the weather with my iPhone. Danville was listed at 30 degrees as I
started out on the trail just after 8 a.m.
The
hike would take off from Macedo Ranch and head out along Wall Point Trail. I would pick up the Briones-Mt. Diablo
Regional Trail which would take me into the neighboring
Diablo
Foothills Regional Park. Continuing along I would make a decent on Buckeye
Ravine Trail to Stage Road which leads to Dusty Road and Wall Point Trail again
for my return to the staging area.
Heading
out along the Briones-Mt. Diablo Regional Trail I tried to make the best of the
chilly morning weather. I tried to stay warm with a brisk pace but the ruts in
the trail from the rain and countless hoof prints from grazing cattle made for
slow going.
Nearing
Diablo Foothills Regional Park I made a short detour to the sandstone China
Wall rock formations jutting out of the hillside for a few pictures as the sun
rose above the hills.
Back
on the trail I came cross my first indication of how cold the trail really was.
I came across a section of trail still in the shade of a nearby hill to find a line
of frozen footprints in the mud. The path of a hiker or jogger had iced over
leaving a series of silvery footprints shining against the mud.
Reaching
Buckeye Ravine I began a slippery descent down along the narrow trail. Pockets
of ice clung to the path making the slick mud even trickier to navigate.
Reaching Stage Road I thought I had left most of the difficult trail work
behind but I was about to receive a soggy surprise.
One
of the reasons I had picked this hike was regional hiking book described that
the seasonal Pine Creek that parallels the trail crosses it several times in
the rainy season. It might make for good photos I thought. Starting the back
end of the loop along Stage Road I could hear the creek as it rolled along next
to the trail.
The
creek had spilled across the trail in several places. I looked for easy ways to
cross the creek making use of rocks and shallow spots as it flowed downstream.
One
section of trail was flooded for about 20 yards. A nearby bed of reeds looked
to be dry and I decided to try and cross the creek there. Unfortunately the
reeds were floating on top of the creek runoff and as I stepped in I could feel
the water pouring into the top of my hiking boots.
With
waterlogged boots I headed along Stage Road to find the creek had flowed into
the trail even further. Stage Road it looked like I was hiking through a stream
bed as I sloshed along the trail, my feet growing cold in the wet socks.
Looking
down the trail I could see the ribbon of water flowing through the trail. I kept walking with my feet were wet to the
point where I didn't even try to find the driest parts to walk on.
Eventually
I reached the Dusty Road junction and began a steep climb up away from the
creek. At the Wall Point Trail marker I began the last leg to the staging area
on feet that were getting numb from the nearly three-miles of wet hiking.
Back
at my car I was glad I had remembered to pack a towel and a pair of dry socks
for the drive home.
The
first hike of the year had turned form a simple hike to a cold and wet adventure.
There were plenty of photo opportunities and a lot of funny moments as I
splashed along the trail.
It
was great way to start the hiking season and I am looking forward to another
year of adventures on the trail.
