Tarantula Trek

As a suburbs kid raised in Lafayette, I grew up beneath the long shadow of Mount Diablo.  But it was only last year that I learned about the large and hairy arachnids that call the slopes of Devil's Peak home. To my embarrassment - because for no good reason I like to think of myself as a bit of an authority on local flora and fauna - it took a front page article in the Oakland Tribune to open my eyes to the giants around the corner and re-awaken the spider-loving nerd in me.  Luckily I have two young daughters on whom to foist my enthusiasm for all things crawly. So last October our family (and hundreds of other curious folks with newspaper subscriptions) converged on the Mitchell Canyon entrance of the esteemed state park to meet these tarantulas for ourselves.  On that outing, we encountered at least six new gentle spider friends - plus far too many less-gentle humans  - and vowed to return again under less crowded circumstances.

And so it was that on a recent Friday afternoon we found ourselves battling eastbound traffic and unseasonal heat en route to the dusty, horse-poop sprinkled trails to search for the eight-legged legends.