Belated Post -- Hike at Mount Diablo

This blog is a little bit late, so you'll have to forgive me. One activity that I love is being outdoors and hiking, backpacking, camping, etc. As a former Boy Scout, I spent a considerable amount of my weekends grwoing up doing outdoor activities and high adventure sports. From Rock Climbing to Mountain Biking to Water Sports like White Water Kayaking, being outdoors is something I love and makes me feel alive. While I definitely got my fair share of "hikes" living in New York City (walking from 86th street to 23rd street, etc), it wasn't the outdoors life I was looking for. And while living in my Bay town of Port Washington did give me the opportunity to go the beach or play in the beautiful park right near the house, the distance to true hiking and outdoor activities turned me off from that lifestyle.

I'm sure you can figure where this is going as, ultimately, this is a blog about my move west and my personal growth. Thus the proximity to great hiking and outdoor activities was a top draw of the move for me. Everyone knows of Yosemite and Muir Woods, both which I look forward to truly exploring, but there are so many outdoor adventures that I just get excited thinking about all the possibilities that lie ahead. One of these parks is Mount Diablo, which is in Danville, CA. This past weekend I was able to explore a little bit of the park with my sister-in-law and her close friend. Here are some photos from the weekend:


While we did not make the summit because we needed to get back for a previous commitment, it was a great hike and in all we did about 6 miles up and back. It was truly wonderful getting back into nature and being away from society. Ironically, we listened to the "Into the Wild" soundtrack on our way there. We had lunch on top of a beautiful rock formation called Rock City and just had a fantastic day conversing and taking in nature. One of the most interesting pieces of nature that I saw, and that I had never seen before, were these trees:

The tree's bark was almost encased in a second tougher layer of red and almost paint colored bark. It was like the true tree was hidden underneath this cool looking outer layer, which is viewable to most everyone. A protective shell if you will. I'm sure you can see where I can go with the cliched moral of the story. The tougher outer coating protecting the true inner self. So take it for what you will, a very cool piece of nature or a natural representation of the human condition. What I thought had to be the coolest were the parts, like in the second picture where you were able to get a sense of both barks and the true essence of the tree. Ok...I'll leave it at that.

As for today, I have a HUGE interview, so please don't mind me if I run off and prepare for that. As for my running progression: On Monday I ran a nice easy 3 1/2 mile run and started to feel better. Still have a ways to go, so hopefully Friday, after my Tuesday-Thursday routine in the weight room, I will be able to get a nice 4-5 mile run in. I will keep you updated. And this weekend, I head home to see Melanie and help a friend celebrate his bachelor party. Should be good times. Ok....till then. I will blog with you later.

-Nice Guy SMA-