Doc Hop

It’s been a longtime dream of mine to hike to the Hollywood sign, and this week I made it happen! I spent most of Wednesday hiking (and climbing) those lovely Hollywood Hills, and boy, oh boy, am I sore today! What a beautiful way to kick off my first full summer break in California.

I mapped out my route and worked out a game plan on Tuesday night, and I have to thank the Social Hiker for making that part of the trip the least of my worries. Their blog post on the Burbank Peak, Cahuenga Peak, and Mt. Lee trek was easy to follow and kept me on the right path. I borrowed the two images directly above this paragraph from their site, which provides interesting data on the trail’s location and elevation.

There are quite a few trails that offer great views of the Hollywood sign, but this is the only one that leads directly behind it. It also allows hikers to visit the Wisdom Tree, so I knew I was all in, even though it is not the easiest trek. But more on that later.

I left Long Beach for LA around 12:15ish and arrived in the Hollywood Hills about an hour later. Traffic wasn’t too heavy getting into the city, and it was wild to see all the fancy, Richie Rich houses on the drive in. I parked on the street, which was just a short walk from the start of the trail and free. (I’ve heard the Griffith Observatory has some great views of the Hollywood sign as well, but their trails don’t get you nearly as close, and parking is $15/hour. That said, I still want to check it out one day soon. I’ve heard it’s a pretty easy walk.)

This rock plaque was at the start of the trail, but I wish I would have thought to grab a photo of the mountain ridge. It was initially pretty intimidating, because the first half-mile up to the Wisdom Tree was pretty dang steep! It required quite a bit of climbing along the rocky edge of the ridge, but the views were INCREDIBLE! I kept stopping to catch my breath and catch a view of that beautiful California skyline. The higher I moved, the more breathtaking the view.

I’ll also take this moment to note that I was listening to Last Podcast on the Left‘s second and third episodes on the Manson murders during this hike. I finished Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi last week, so I’ve been on a bit of a deep dive into that time period. More on that later.

After quite a bit of huffing and puffing I made it to my first stop — Burbank Peak, home of the historic Wisdom Tree.

The Wisdom Tree is a solitary pine and you can see if for miles. From everything I’ve found online, its origins are unclear, with theories suggesting it was either an Arbor Day sapling planted in the 1980s or a live Christmas tree placed there by someone named Vince. The tree gained prominence after surviving the 2007 Barham fire, which destroyed surrounding vegetation. As such, it’s largely seen as a symbol of resilience for Los Angeles County.

The tree is located on a 138-acre lot of land that also includes Cahuenga Peak — originally owned by Howard Hughes. In 2002 investors purchased the land with the intention of building additional luxury homes, but public concern caused the Trust for Public Land to purchase the land for Griffith Park. In 2010, with $1 million left to raise, Hugh Hefner contributed $900,000, facilitating the $12.5 million deal. This act preserved the area, integrating it into Griffith Park and ensuring continued public access to the Wisdom Tree and its surroundings. (This is also why there is an observation point dedicated to Hefner further down the trail. More on that later.)

An American flag that serves as a memorial dedicated to victims of the Sept. 11 attacks stands at the edge of the peak. I hung out for a few minutes while I caught my breath and enjoyed some cold water by the cliff. I saw a couple of small groups or solo hikers pass through, but I did get to enjoy a bit of alone time, which was super peaceful. I actually saw more people at the Wisdom Tree than I did at the Hollywood sign, which surprised me.

There was a little metal box at the base of the Wisdom Tree for hikers to leave little notes and trinkets, so next time I visit I’m going to have to make sure to bring something special to leave behind.

While I read the map wrong and backtracked a bit too far from the correct path to the Hollywood sign, I soon righted myself and headed up the Aileen Getty Ridge Trail, which runs from the Wisdom Tree, past Cahuenga Peak, and on to the sign. This part of the trek was longer than the first, but not quite so steep. It also provided a view of the opposite side of the ridge/city and was much more shaded. (At times the trees reached right up to both sides of the path, which made me feel like I was walking through a tight tunnel of trees. I imagined what it would be like to camp out there overnight, but then I thought about all of the rattlesnake warnings and decided that it would likely be pretty dang scary at nighttime. I’m so glad I didn’t run into any snakes, rattle or not!)

From Burbank Peak I marched on to Cahuenga Peak, which I believe is one of the tallest points of the ridge. At this point I was about two-thirds of the way to the Hollywood sign and my destination was in eye sight, which was just the motivation I needed to finish my hike off strong. I grabbed a quick selfie, crushed some cold water, photographed the landmarks and mile markers, then headed into the last leg of my forward journey.

My last stop before hitting the Hollywood sign was Hugh Hefner Overlook at the top of Mt. Lee, and honestly — whomp whomp. Maybe it used to be something, but from where I stood I just saw a fence and some power lines. Maybe someone moved the rock? There just wasn’t a real overlook to speak of, and after all the other amazing peaks and views, this one just left me underwhelmed and slightly confused. (I’m sure that’s not the only time Hugh Hefner has left someone feeling that way, am I right?!)

As I exited the trail and rounded up a paved hill I caught my first glimpse of the Hollywood sign up close, and I’d be lying to deny goosebumps.

As a lifelong cinephile, this experience was literally a dream come true. And it means even more to me because my mom is the one person who inspired my love of film. When I was growing up and probably at my most impressionable, my mom worked at my Aunt Mary’s family owned video store, Video Town, and she’d bring me home a different movie (or sometimes the same ones, again and again) every night. At some points we didn’t have much, but we always had lots of love and a good movie. (And also many terrible ones.) It’s a passion that I’ve held close, and I really wish I could have shared this experience with her. I wanted to shout, “Look momma — I made it to Hollywood, home to the stars! I shot for the stars and I made it, just like you knew I would!”

I walked up to the overlook, and after catching my breath and chugging some more water, I introduced myself to Colton and Colton’s mom, the latter being SUPER jazzed to be there. They were both locals, but despite having lived here for 26 years, this was the mom’s first time completing the hike. She was so proud of herself, which made me think of my mom, which made my heart so warm. She just kept saying, “Colton! Can you believe we’re so close to the sign?! Colton — can you believe we did this?! Colton — can you believe I did this?!” She also insisted on taking a photo for me. It was super sweet, and I couldn’t help but to feel super proud of her as well. I sure hope Colton made a big deal of her that night.

The duo left after about 10 minutes, leaving me completely alone for the rest of my time on the peak. So cool! I felt like the King of Hollywood. I took a ton of photos, and then I just sat in awe and thought about how much I love my momma. I also thought about how much I would love to bring a friend up here some day.

Facing away from the Hollywood sign is a view of Cahuenga Peak — the spot I’d just hiked from. I’d imagine that the peak feels quite overshadowed by the sign, but it’s just as lovely and just as deserving of a long look. Looking at it also made me feel proud of how far I had come that day. And this year.

It’s not every day that I get to feel like the god of the Hollywood Hills, so I enjoyed a peaceful bowl to meditate on my beautiful life before lugging myself back down the mountain. It was probably the most peaceful pack I’d smoked since celebrating my birthday at the Grand Canyon.

The walk back down the mountain wasn’t nearly as tough as the walk up, but there was still plenty of climbing and sliding involved in the trek. My quads sure are a-burning today! I felt like a pile of Jell-O walking back to my car! My legs were Pudding Pops.

I always tell myself that I am going to take myself out to eat while I’m in the city, and for some reason I never actually follow through. Not this day! As soon as I got to my car I set my GPS to El Coyote for some authentic Mexican food.

As I mentioned toward the start of this post, I recently finished the book Helter Skelter about the Manson Family murders. And as with anything that interests me, I fell down a pretty deep rabbit hole. After I finished the book I watched a few true crime documentaries about the murders, and then I rewatched Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood, which presents a fictionalized (and funny) re-telling of the tragic night. I even rewatched the cheesy 1976 made-for-TV movie that I remember watching countless times at my Aunt Sherry’s house growing up.

As you may know, El Coyote is the last place that actress Sharon Tate et al. ate the night that they were brutally murdered. (It was also a filming location for Tarantino’s film.) Given the theme of my day, I had to check it out.

I was going to change into clean clothes in my car, but there was valet parking for the dinner shift, and I made it to the restaurant just after 4 p.m., which was the cut off. That said, the atmosphere was extremely laid back and it wasn’t very busy, so I don’t think my hiking attire offended anyone.

I ordered the green chili tamales, and even though many reviews have said this place was mediocre at best, I really liked it! All of the Mexican food in Georgia was made by white people, but in California you can only get the real stuff. My standards might be low, but I very much enjoyed my meal and I’ll definitely be going back sometime soon. Plus, I didn’t get the Sharon Tate booth, so I have to keep coming back until I do. 🤣

And speaking of coyotes — I ran across another LA totem a couple of weeks ago, bringing me one step closer to becoming a true Angeleno! I was biking down the San Gabriel River Trail when I saw this little dude straight chillin’ in a park. There were bikers, walkers, joggers all around, and everyone else seemed completely unfazed, but I was jazzed. I guess one day I’ll get used to all these “totems,” but I still think it’s pretty dang cool!

In other news — I’ve renewed my lease at my current apartment complex, which means at least one more year at Bixby Village Pathways! I’m more than happy here, and it’s so close to campus that I can’t see any reason to leave quite yet. Once I have tenure I’ll consider investing in a house of my own, but for the time being this place checks all of my boxes.

Lemon also had her first annual vet check up in California, so she got all of her shots and bloodwork out of the way. For the most part everything looked great, but she was a bit dehydrated. Our appointment was first thing in the morning and her levels were not high enough to cause concern, so the vet assured me that it was nothing to worry about. (The vet also said she was a very good girl, but I know that was a lie!) Let me knock on wood that this is my last trip to the vet until Bernie’s annual visit in October. ✊🪵

That’s it for this post, but check back in with me next week. LA’s pride is this Sunday and Alaska is headlining! She’s been in New York for Drag the Musical since I’ve moved here, so it will be great to have her home. LET’S GO!!!! 🌈 ♥️