As you "walk through time" is your Journey taking you to the right Destination.....
Day 248
11-10-2006
Started: Mitchell Canyon Rd., CA
Finished: Walnut Creek, CA
Today's Miles: 19.6
Total Miles: 4041.9
We actually woke up at about 4:30 a.m. this morning and discussed a pre-sunrise hike up to the top of Mt. Diablo. The discussion lasted roughly a minute and then one of us, maybe even both of us rolled over and the long moment of silence allowed us to slip back into dreamland where we stayed until at least 8:30 a.m. We didn't make the summit for the sunrise, but after some beautiful hiking to get to the visitors center that sits on top of Mt. Diablo, we were glad we hadn't rushed up to the top too early because the summit is actually inside the building. We are sure we would have enjoyed the views from just off the summit, outside the locked doors of the visitors center, but it was nice to be able to stand on the summit and enjoy the displays inside the center that highlighted some of the areas wildlife and showed a "walk through time" that described the tectonic activity that gave Mt. Diablo its island-mountain appearance. The area was created by the geologic compression and uplift of the movement of the earth's plates. The Mountain lies between converging earthquake faults and continue to grow slowly, growing 3 to 5 mm a year. While most of the area is affected by the slip-strike type faults, the continued weathering and erosion combined with a significant Thrust fault have exposed ancient oceanic Jurassic and Cretaceous age rocks that form the summit. The views from the top of the 3,849 foot Summit and Visitors Center Lookout definitely didn't disappoint! We could see as far as our eyes would allow. There were spectacular views of the Santa Cruz Mountains, the Coastal Range, the Cascades, the Sierra Nevada views to the east and Pacific Ocean views to the west. We could make out the towers on the Golden Gate Bridge and the peak of Mount Tamalpais near the coast on the north side of the San Francisco Bay giving us a great landmark to set our sights on knowing our goal of a swim in the Pacific Ocean at Limantour Beach is getting very close. We spent some more time with Jacob and Tamar at the top of Mount Diablo this morning and might have hiked most of the day with them if we hadn't hung out on top as long as we did. We had just started our hike off the summit when we met the nicest California family and found ourselves enjoying reminiscing about our Journey while sharing stories with and answering questions from three generations of the Brightbills. They even gave us their phone number and asked us not to hesitate to call if we needed anything while we were in their area. This country is full of wonderful people! Our hiking today started as vigorous climbing to reach the summit, became a stumbling decent as we dropped off the top, and then became an afternoon of ups and downs, also known as PUD's in the hiking world because it seemed as though we were either hiking a short distance uphill or a short distance downhill in a roller coast type effect not really gaining and not really losing any elevation. The Pointless Ups and Downs (PUD's) eventually gave way to a smooth decent down into the town of Walnut Creek. We say town, but we should probably say city. We reached the city, which is definitely within reach of the Bay Area and which starts the Suburban walking that we will be in and out of the rest of the way through Walnut Creek, Berkeley, Oakland and San Francisco, and rush hour was starting to swing into full force. We hiked the last few miles of the day with Jacob and Tamar and we all followed the wonderful bike paths into the heart of Walnut Creek. California cities all seem to have excellent bike paths incorporated into their roadways and urban trails, kudos to California for that! Jacob and Tamar had been in touch with Marsha and Ken earlier in the day and had made arrangements to meet them in Walnut Creek and then spend another night at the beautiful Power's house. We all made our way to a trailside shopping center near Heather Farms Park where we couldn't resist the fresh baked goods from the local bakery and then we sat and enjoyed being off our feet while Ken and Marsha made their way through traffic trying to get to us. Once they had arrived we decided to try Marsha's favorite Burrito Shop, the High Tech Burrito, for dinner. Having another night to spend as a group of six long distance backpackers is a real treat and we can't say enough how valued our time with Jacob, Tamar, Marsha and Ken has been to us! After trying the "nuclear" hot sauce at the High Tech Burrito we all piled in to the Powers truck and made our way back to Ken and Marsha's for another comfortable night with hikers. Before we retired for the night Marsha treated us all to a big slice of chocolate cake, the Powers have their finger directly on the pulse of the long distance hiker and knew just what we would be hoping to see, well just what we were hoping to taste! We had great conversation, wonderful company and thanks to Ken and Marsha we are entering our last stretch of this Journey feeling refreshed and energized. Now that we have had a chance to place our eyes on the Pacific Ocean we feel a magnet inside us trying to pull us toward it. We can truly feel ourselves being pulled apart, half of our mindset can't wait to take a swim in the Pacific, knowing that our goal for the last nine months has been to touch its shores and feel its cold water all around us, and yet the other half of our mindset wishes we could continue on this incredible Journey forever! We have refused to use the word, "destination" when we talk about the Pacific Ocean because we honestly believe that the "Journey is the Destination" and being on this Journey is where we have been and where we have been trying to get the whole time, every step of this adventure! That being said, it is a difficult thought to think that this adventure is nearing its "western terminus". We've reached our "Destination" every day for the past 248 days and know that this "Life" we are living is truly the "Journey" we have been seeking, and knowing that has enabled us to always feel at home, right here or right there, wherever we are, at our "Destination"! Are you living "Life" as if it were your "Journey"? Is your "Journey" arriving at the right "Destination" each and every day? Our "Destination" is the "Journey" and our "Journey" is an enjoyable "Life". We find ourselves only days from a "western terminus", but we know "Life" can start fresh with every new "Journey" and that the path leading to the next "Journey" will begin at the intersection where the last path ends! If we always search out that next path we will always feel at home, comforted that our current location is the "Destination" and the "Destination" is the "Journey" and the "Journey" is ultimately an enjoyable "Life"!
Your Friends on the ADT,
Randy and Sheri
Follow our Journey at www.treckusa.com
