Mountain Bike Ride Up Mount Diablo
What a great ride! If you haven’t been up Mitchell Canyon either hiking or biking – you need to go! Make sure it’s a clear day because the views are simply amazing.
We were a little late arriving at the Mitchell Canyon parking area. There was a run being put on by Redwood Trails (those are some seriously crazy people) and there was a back up as people were paying to get into the park at the self pay station.
The ride up Mitchell Canyon is quite gradual at first and rather shady. Just watch out for the birders. They’re too busy looking up to notice other people on the trail. A recumbent passed us going in the other direction. We wondered where he came from. Since there was a run going on, we had mile markers – very cool! At about mile two the trail begins to get steep and has switchbacks. Just after the turn around point for the run’s 10 K we stopped and had a banana, chatted with the course worker for the run, then continued on to Deer Flat. I couldn’t get over how clear the views off to the Delta were. There were lots of flowers in bloom, a nice breeze blowing - very pleasant.
At Deer Flat I had wanted to continue on to Prospector’s Gap and take the North Peak trail up to Devil’s Elbow. Thom was cool with that plan, but I was a little indecisive. So, we decided to do what seems to be the more conventional route and head up to Juniper to get to Devil’s Elbow. I’m really glad we decided to go that way!
This next section is not for the faint of heart. It starts off fairly gradual, but that’s just to trick you! We could see the first runners below us now. I told Thom that as slow as we were going they’d catch us and pass us. The road here has a fairly serious gain in altitude! I’m partway up this monster hill when the first runner passes me. We chat a little and then he takes off. I can hear another runner behind me, and I’m sort of taking up the whole road as I ride. Can you say steep and loose? I decide to pull over to the right and let the runners go by. Oh, and it was a good time to let my heart rate come down. I was very pleased that it only took me two tries to get moving again.
I swear this hill gets steeper. You think it’s going to end and you’ll be at Juniper, but no, it just keeps on going. And it doesn’t even have the decency to have switchbacks. My front wheel pops up just past the intersection with Burma Road. It’s a sign that my lungs can do with anther break. Thom is just below me down the hill. I’m thinking there is just no way that I’m going to be able to get started back up this. But I so don’t want to walk my bike. Looking back down the hill I notice the Burma Road intersection. The folks coming off Burma have a short little downhill before having to tackle this devil I’m stuck on. Hmmm…I turn around, roll partway up this little hill. Turnaround again and continue on up the steep monster to Juniper.
At Juniper we decide that given all the runners on Mitchell Canyon, we’ll continue to Devil’s Elbow on the road and go down the single track. I was rather apprehensive about the single track – and rightly so! If you’ve never done this bit of the ride – don’t! But do go hike it. It’s absolutely beautiful. It hugs the side of the mountain. There are lots of jutting boulders, large tree roots and other obstacles that I just don’t have the skills or courage to navigate. A fall the wrong way could be deadly. I spent more time off my bike, and wishing for my trekking poles and boots than on it. But the views!
Prospector’s Gap was a little bit better in that if you fell, you probably wouldn’t fall a thousand feet. But it is very steep and very loose. In fact at one point Thom locked the front wheel on loose rock and just laid the bike down. It was actually kind of fascinating to watch. He rolled right off the bike, almost a somersault and stood right up. I’m glad it was him. I don’t think I know how to roll and I’d have ended up smeared across the rocks.
Meridian Ridge is also very steep. But the trail surface is much better. There were a couple of groups of hikers in this section. There are sections of washboard through here. Tough on the arms, one of these days maybe we’ll get suspension. Once you’re down to Donner it’s much less steep.
We had a great time! I’m hoping that we’ll have a few more cool weekends before summer is firmly upon us. We won’t go up to Devil’s Elbow again, but do the ride as a shorter loop, omitting that section.
Veronica
