Urban-ish Hiking

One of the coolest things about Los Angeles is the fact that there are plenty of major hikes either within city limits or within twenty miles. The entire San Gabriel range has some great steep hikes. I hiked up to Inspiration Pt. about a month ago - 10 miles round trip and 3000 ft gain. On the way we saw the ruins of an old hotel and train track.

This inspired me to join up on some Sierra Club hikes which I like because it's a rare chance to feel a sense of community in the mega-opolis. Also I've been pretty bored of my routine of running several miles a day, so it's good to mix it up and there are some nice elevation gains here.

Yesterday my buddy John flew in and we did a ten-mile hike from the backside of Griffith Park up to the Hollywood sign. We hiked across the ridge out to Mt. Lee, up behind the sign. What's neat about Griffith Park is that it's so much wilderness right in the heart of one of the world's biggest city. I had done the regular trails up Vermont before, but I only recently started going off the beaten path along the ridges and up the sides of mountains and such. One moment you're in the wilderness, and the next you turn a corner and you see Hollywood below. Such a cool experience.

I had no idea there was a reservoir in Hollywood until I ascended that peak. Also, if you look the wrong way you'll see a landfill that's been covered up! But that's on the Glendale side. Someone apparently built a "Tourists Go Away" sign visible from the top of Mt. Lee (also pictured above!). So many secrets from above!

We had a terrific time. It was about three and a half or four miles out to the sign, but on our way back we got horribly lost. The sun set and we got up to a ridge and just couldn't get back down. Our prospects were looking quite grim for a bit. Vultures and coyotes were heckling us no joke. I think we hiked about three miles going the wrong way before we eventually found a path back down to the car at 10 pm. Who knew you could have such a wilderness adventure right here in Hollywood? I seem to find trouble when I hike. Brett and I missed the last bus out of a very remote park in Chile three years ago and had to hitchhike back with some German tourists. Maybe I should always carry a survival pack.

Oh, and that espresso drink up top is a "Coffee and Jelly Donut" from LAMILL in Silver Lake. The milk was infused with donuts. It sounds great and it's totally disgusting. I drank as much as pictured.