The Verdant Hills of the East Bay: January 23-24, 2016

Looking east from the Berkeley Hills toward the cloud-covered flanks of Mt. Diablo

Trails used on this leg:

http://www.ridgetrail.org/pinole-watershed

http://www.ridgetrail.org/kennedy-grove-to-tilden-regional-park

http://www.ridgetrail.org/tilden-regional-park-to-redwood-regional-park

The hallmarks of this excellent weekend of walking were rain, mud, sparkling views, squelching shoes, and lots of laughter. Donna and I got about as muddy as was humanly possible from the ankles down; but the walks were so gorgeous, it hardly mattered.

With our hardy friends David and Ruth, we started in the Pinole Watershed, where we signed in at a little kiosk with our East Bay Municipal Utility District permit. The Horsemen of Contra Costa County had erected a plaque nearby in 1952, honoring county sheriff John A. Miller.

Miller was noted for his trick shooting, practicing a policy of scaring crooks away from the County so they would not work here, thus lightening the load of apprehension. He never wore a pistol during the eight years he was sheriff because, as he said, "I didn't have to." http://www.co.contra-costa.ca.us/83/John-Miller

The rain started as we ascended approximately 600 feet to the ridge above Fernandez Ranch. Between the clouds, the views were stunning.

Stormy skies above the San Francisco Bay

In time, our feet, the mud, and the cow dung all became one.

Bare branches of the oaks

On Sunday, washed and scrubbed, and with Michaela and Joe, we headed south to Redwood Regional Park.

Looking east from the Berkeley hills

Mt. Diablo

Mt. Diablo has been an almost constant presence on our hikes. When we began our BART circuit, we walked past the mountain as we headed north. Now we are walking past it again as we head south. While the mountain might resemble a volcano, it is actually a pile of many complicated layers. Its oldest rocks are basalt from 100+ million years ago, formed at a zone of seafloor spreading. That basalt is now on Mt. Diablo's summit. Below the basalt are mixed layers of "young" folded and faulted sediments that have formed sandstones and shales.

Photos of the weekend are here.

Photos of the whole BART hike so far are here.