The constant uphill climb gets that heart pounding fast and I felt it right away. It was a huge eye opener. My body was telling me that I needed to get back to my workout and running routine. But we took a bunch of rest stops and went on our way.
It was nice and quiet. Quite cool in the morning, but pleasant. The fog was in so we couldn't see much of the area below, but being surrounded by the beauty of nature was breathtaking. Reading signs about how old the section of the mountain we were hiking was a joy to read. This rock, this HUGE mountain is millions of years old. and if you look hard and long enough, you'll find some fossils. Nature is so amazing.
I am also amazed by those who bike up the mountain. There were SO many of them and they make it look oh so easy. Walking up it was tough enough lol. We saw many others with walking sticks. I've never used one. I wonder if they're beneficial.
When we made it to the top we looked all around. Unfortunately the observation deck was under construction, so we checked out the visitor center. At the very top is a tiny room. In the middle of the tiny room is a hole where the true point of the mountain is exposed.
We hiked down the Summit Trail. The fog disappeared and we passed more people on the trails. We were on our downward hike which was a nice change of pace. I didn't have the greatest shoes, so I got a blister on my left pinky toe. I felt the constant painful rub as we were heading back down. Funny thing about going down is that sometimes you have to go up. Without a map, one could definitely get lost. When we finally made it back to the Diablo Valley Overlook, we were now able to see the points of interests since the sky was clear.
I've hiked from the bottom of the mountain from Mitchell Canyon Road about 14 years ago. I was in much better shape back then. But even then, the mountain kicked my butt. The trail we took was literally all uphill. It was so steep. And it was over 100 degrees that day. But I sluggishly conquered it and it felt GREAT!
Afterwards we checked out Rock City. (There's so much to do on the mountain.) It was so cool. The rocks had little caves in them. The rock itself was so soft that they were covered in carvings by visitors. The floor of the rock was so smooth it looked like marble.
By this time we were STARVING so we had to say bye to the mountain. We tried this Peruvian restaurant I've been eyeing during my commute. It's named Inca's Grill. The food was delish and comforting. It was an awesome treat at the conclusion of our day.
I was tired when I went home, but not achy. Yesterday and today, I am feeling the aches. My bad for not stretching after the hike.
