06/18/2011 - Griffith Park

Hello Readers,

On June 18th, 2011, 2 days after the Catalina hike, I got the urge to see Griffith Park.  I have lived here in the Long Beach & OC area my entire life and I have not yet seen Griffith Park.  I'm sure it had something to do with crowds and my social anxieties.  But, it was time, so I made it to Griffith Park.  I almost turned back around when I discovered the parking situation (the observatory parking was closed and canyon parking for about 1/4 mile each way was packed) but I found parking near the Greek Theater off Vermont Canyon Road.  Originally my plan was to hike the observatory south to the overlook then down through ferndale & to Bronson Caves, well ORIGINALLY my plan was to go to Malibu Creek State Park and take in the ranch paths but I took off late and one turn after another took me to Griffith Park instead.  Not a bad trade at all, the ranches will be there when I make it in that direction.
So, since I parked on Vermont Canyon Road, instead of Western Canyon Road I did the hike going up past the bird sanctuary through the billy goat trail  up to Mount Hollywood (with the MH Overlook, Captain's Roost & Dante's View) then decided to take the summit billy goat trails through Mount Bell and to the Hollywood sign on Mount Lee.  When I refer to 'billy goat trails' that is what I call the idiot trails...usually on the highest summits and only about 2 feet wide, rocky & dirt, with a cliff dropping on one side or another and often having to travel through overbrush or bush tunnels.  Of course there are the paved paths and well-travelled 10'-12' wide dirt trails that are more commonly travelled with bicyclists and runners and walkers, the actual posted paths (which there are miles and miles of those in Griffith Park), but come on, it's me, and I do the billy goat trails because, well, the idiot in me tells me to.  hehehe.  All in all I think the round trip was some 10 miles or so. 
I do love it that So Cal has so many great places to hike & camp, along with the beaches and amusement parks, so there are ways to get away from the crowds without having to travel hundreds of miles away or going to tick-infested outbacks.  The San Andreas Faults do have a benefit... if not for it's constant movement So Cal would not have the crescent of mountain ranges around it like we have (Santa Monicas, San Gabriels, San Bernardinos, San Jacinto, and the Laguna, Palomar & Santa Ana Mountains), add to the mountain ranges we have the beaches to one side and we have the Mojave & Colorado deserts to the other side.  And even with all that, I still want to visit Utah, the Slot Canyons, the Poconos and Appalachians, etc.  Better work on my bucket list, huh?
   And now, back to the Griffith Park hike... please enjoy the pictures I have below.