Russell Peak, Briones Peak, Mott Peak

 Briones is one of my favorite parks in the area, and it is also home to three peaks on the nifty ninety list. I decided to do them in a big loop one morning.

Sunny views at the start.

I started at the Bear Creek area, and headed up the trail towards Russell Peak. It was nice and sunny when I left the car, but it quickly got cloudy and overcast. It was pretty cool up on the ridge, with the wind blowing in the cloud.

Starting to get overcast.

There was no view from Russell, and I doubt there is one even in the sun. There is a picnic table however, and it would make a nice place for a lunch.

Russell Peak summit.

I took a somewhat roundabout route from Russell over to Briones, dropping off the ridge then climbing back up. There were quite a few people near the entrance I went down to, and a surprising number of them seemed to have no idea where they were or where the trail was going. I was asked by multiple people for directions.

Somewhere near Briones Peak.

I got to Briones Peak just after 10, and set up the radio. I was hoping to make some contacts to Europe, but I think I got there a little too late. Next time. After making some contacts, I packed up. It was much colder than I was expecting in the fog.

Mott Peak.

Mott Peak is an easy walk along the ridge from Briones. There is no trail to the summit, but it is easy to walk up the hill from the trail to get there.

Heading back to the car.

After tagging Mott I made my way back down to the car. In the end I had done just over 13.1 miles, a nice half marathon to start the weekend.

Mt Wanda

 Mt Wanda is a small mountain in Martinez, part of the John Muir historic site. The hike up is easy, and there are some decent views from the top.

Trailhead.

The parking area is just off of Highway 4, and there is a big sign there. The lot was almost full on a Friday morning when we got there, but there was still a spot. Seems like a place the locals use for daily walks.

Up a small canyon.

There are a few trails in the area, and we took most of them in a loop. The high point of Mt Wanda is just off the trail. A short distance away, a trail leads to the top of Mt Helen. The two peaks are named after John Muir's two daughters. He would take them up to these hills to camp and hike when they were kids.

Mt Wanda Summit.

Back at the car, we drove to the John Muir house to walk around. It was pretty interesting, and I'd definitely recommend going in if you're there. The displays at the site had Wanda and Helen backwards from what all the maps say. I asked a ranger, and he said no one is really sure which one Muir meant when he named them.

Fire!

As we were getting ready to leave, we saw smoke across the street on a different hill. Turns out a fire had started in a homeless encampment. Found out later the firefighters contained it at less than an acre.

Mt Olympia

It was the weekend before a Sierra trip, so I decided to do a run that had some elevation to prepare. I picked a loop on Mt Diablo, over Eagle Peak, North Peak, and Mt Olympia. I got to Mitchell Canyon parking around opening time, and headed up.

Shaded forest near the start.

There is a lot of vertical to get up to the summit. There's a lot to get up to Eagle Peak, which is only halfway. 

Starting to get some views.

I made good time up, stopping for some pictures on the way. It wasn't too busy yet.

North Peak from near Eagle Peak.

As I climbed higher, the wind picked up quite a bit. It was quite chilly and breezy on the summit. I had brought my radio, but didn't feel like setting up HF in the cold and wind, so I just used my HT. The band pass filter worked its magic and I could hear all the chasers.

Looking over at the main summit.

I wasn't prepared for the cold wind, so I didn't spend too long on the summit. I warmed up once I got out of the wind and started moving again. The trail down to Olympia was pretty steep in places.

Mt Olympia summit, just ahead.

The summit of Mt Olympia is underwhelming. It isn't really a peak, just the high point at the end of a ridge off of North Peak. I took some pictures at the high point, then continued on the long long descent back to Mitchell Canyon. 

Open forest in the sun.

W6/NS-113 Peak 9115

 It was the last day in the Sierra, and still time for one more peak. After a leisurely morning packing up camp, we drove back to my car at the end of the road. I then drove to the Woodchuck Basin trailhead to get this peak. I decided it would be easier not to go straight up like some others on Peakbagger had done.

Part of the cliff bands.

I headed up the trail to get around the cliff bands that surround much of the ridge. After about a mile I left the trail in a break in the cliffs to climb up to the ridge. This is also about where the cliff band ends. A more adventurous person could probably make a shorter hike than I did.

Almost on the ridge crest.

It was steep, but a short climb. The top of the ridge was magnificent. It was super clear, and just an awesome day to be out. On the ridge it was an easy walk around to the summit area.

The rocky summit of 9115.

The last bit is exposed rock. From a distance it looks difficult, but it is not hard to find easy ways over or around the rocks. To get to the top of the summit block requires a short, easy class 3 move. Compared to the rock on Airola the previous day, this seemed like solid granite.

Summit just ahead.

On the summit I took out my HT and made a few contacts on VHF. I figured it would be better there than down below where there was space to set up my antenna. I made a few contacts, then descended to a reasonably flat area.

On the air, just below the summit.

I thought 20m would be good, since I had made a bunch of contacts to Europe that morning, but I only got one contact. 30 and 40 were in good shape however and I made a bunch of contacts. 

Looking down into the wilderness.

It was such a nice day, I didn't want to get off the ridge, so I took a long way back to the car. I stay on the ridge until it met the trail that would take me back down. I was tempted to go all the way to Mt Reba, but decided that going that far would be a bit ambitious. The hike down the trail was quick and I was soon back at the car.

Lake Alpine, I believe.

Lucky for me, the traffic back to the bay area wasn't bad, and I made it home in time for dinner.

Trailhead: Woodchuck Basin Parking.
Website: SOTA Site.
Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.
Route: Follow the trail to past the cliffs, then hike up to the ridge. Follow the ridge around to the summit.
Red Tape: None.

W6/NS-070 Airola Peak

From the col between Hiram and Airola, we picked our way through the trees to the base of the climb. There were a fair number of footprints in the dirt, so this route must be more popular than it seems. The first section of the climb in the forest is steep, but not difficult.

The peak from Hiram. It is a nice looking mountain.

As the forest ends, however, the slope goes up. The first section of scree was steep, especially for those who forgot to bring poles. There was a short grassy section, then more steep scree.

Looking back down at the first steep section.

As we climbed we kept looking at the class three section at the top of the scree slope, wondering if it would be passable. It was hard to tell from so far away, so we kept going closer.

Getting closer to the crux.

Eventually we got close enough and high enough we decided it would be safer to climb up rather than go down. 

Looking down.

Thankfully the climbs were short, but the rock was incredibly loose. I had to reach for hand holds multiple times to knock out loose rock before putting weight on it. Luckily Rex had a helmet and agreed to go second. I am not a climber, and the crux section was uncomfortable, but I did it. It was a great feeling to walk up to the top of 9545.

Last walk to the summit.

The final ridge to the summit is a straightforward walk. The summit is rather narrow, but not scary. There was enough room to stretch out our antenna along the summit. Neither of us had cell service, so we relied on RBNHole to spot us. It worked well, and we got plenty of contacts.

Knife edge right before the summit.

We had a long hike back. Going back down the same way would have been unpleasant and dangerous, so we took the usual route back to 9545 then down the ridge to the left. The ridge gets steeper as it goes, but the talus wasn't too bad. There are cliffs that block a more direct route back to the trail in the valley, forcing you to take a longer route. 

Some interesting rocks on the way down.

There were some use trails and lots of evidence of camping in the valley. It is probably a popular area in the summer for backpacking. 

Tree clinging to the steep talus slope.

It was a bit of a slog hiking back up to the Highland Lakes, but we did it. The afternoon sun made for some pretty scenes behind us once we got above the trees. 

Climbing up to the trailhead.

Back at the campsite we quickly put on our warm clothes before the sun's warmth totally disappeared, then started looking for dinner. Overall, a great day in the mountains.

Trailhead: Highland Lakes Campground.
Website: SOTA Site.
Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.
Route: From the Hiram-Airola col, go up the scree slopes along the ridge. There is a loose class 3 section just below Peak 9545. From the sub-peak, follow the ridge to the summit.
Red Tape: None.