W6/NC-323 Black Point

Black Point is a low foothill of Mt Diablo, and was the third peak of the day for me. I stopped by on my way down from the summit of Mt Diablo and North Peak. I was heading down the Mitchell Canyon Trail, and turned off onto Red Road. About a half mile up the hill is the turnoff for the trail that goes to the summit.

Taking a break in the shade.

I was hot and tired at this point, and had less water than I realized. This narrow, overgrown trail was in the full sun, and felt very steep. I struggled up to the steep sections, taking many more breaks than I usually do. By the time I got to the summit, I just plopped down in the shadiest spot I could see to sit and rest for a few minutes.

Circling vultures. I'm not dead yet.

After drinking most of my remaining water, and eating a bar, I started feeling much better. So, I started to set up the antenna.

North Peak on the left, Diablo on the right. Eagle Peak just behind the pole.

Conveniently, there is a post at the summit, perfect for strapping a pole to. I did this, and strung out the end fed, and was on the air. There were many fewer chasers than earlier in the day, but I didn't have to struggle to get enough contacts. After working everyone I could hear on HF, I tried VHF, but only got one response on 2 meters. Surprisingly, 440 was very noisy.

Getting close to the trailhead again.

I was still hot and tired, so I packed up and headed down the hill for the two mile walk back to the car. The descent was still overgrown, but much easier and shadier than the ascent. Back on Mitchell Canyon Road I walked out, surprised not to see any others. Back at the parking lot there was a little bird helping itself to the dog water.

It was nice to be in the air conditioned car for the drive home, which had very little traffic, thankfully.

Trailhead: Mitchell Canyon Visitors Center.
Website: SOTA Site.
Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.
Route: Take the trail up Mitchell Canyon to the Black Point Trail. This trail loops over the summit.
Red Tape: None.