Hiked Sunday, August 12. Kind of a pointless hike. I was going to try to get to the base of the Hollywood Sign, again. I had looked at trail maps and confirmed that where the "trail" passed into a public street, a side-stairway should lead me to an access trail that would loop nearer the sign, and eventually lead me down to the Hollywood Reservoir.
However, I had to work before I could walk, and I had a relatively light lunch during my shift. By the time I hit the trail, at 5:30pm, I was already tired and hungry. And thirsty! It was probably still in the 90s as I walked, even as the sun dropped down towards the horizon. Had plenty of water, but I sure could have used a Power Bar!
I started near the observatory, then hiked down West Observatory Road, crossed Western Canyon Road, then headed up the paved but not-open-to-public-vehicles Mt. Hollywood Drive. It's about 1/2 mile down from the observatory to the gate, then west on Mt Hollywood Drive about 1.5 miles. From there, I got on the Mulholland trail, but only made it about another 1/2 mile before I came to a trail closed sign. Obviously, the sign was widely ignored, but, for several reasons (including my level of hunger), I decided it was wise to return to my car. I'll call it five miles total (took me about an hour each way, and I was moving at a fair but not strenuous pce)--long enough to qualify for a hike, but not a lot to see.
Well, not a total waste. I did see a flock of quail. One of them posed on a branch long enough for me to photograph him.
I also snapped some pictures on the Observatory grounds before heading back to my car.
If I decide to try to hike Hollywood Reservoir after work, I'll need to make a point of eating a snack before I hike, and maybe driving to a different trail head. Alternatively, I could have taken a higher, ridge-running route over to Mt. Lee Drive, then dropping down from there. That way would be longer, with more climbing, though.
My next clear afternoon is Wednesday. It's still supposed to be crazy hot then, so I'm not sure what kind of hike I'll be up for.
BTW, turns out
there's a mountain lion living in Griffith Park. I'll keep an eye out for him.
Too bad you weren't hiking to the Hollywood sign today. You could have helped save those kids who all panicked when they got lost.
ReplyDeleteWeather has been crazy hot lately. My normal 20 ounces of water is not cutting it!
Yeah, I heard about them on KNX while I was driving to work this afternoon. With the heat, it's not hard to understand the dehydration problem. I suspect they were more thirsty than lost, since the park isn't THAT big, and the Hollywood sign is a pretty hard thing to lose.
ReplyDelete