Bucket list item complete: hiking to the back of the Hollywood sign – at night!
Full story – tonight was the last night of my roommate Jay’s SoCal trip, and he wanted to go back to LA to hike to the Hollywood sign (we tried the night before but couldn’t find the right trail).
Determined to go through with the hike, we invited our buddy Wayne to join us and drove back to Hollywood in search of the trail. This time, we were much better prepped – I’d brought along a giant flashlight and some warm clothing. We found the entrance to the trail (thanks to Yelp) and started our hike, in pitch darkness save for the flashlight beam.
It was a foggy night with a slight breeze, and apart from our shuffling feet, everything else was quiet. The road was pretty well-maintained, so we didn’t have to worry about shrubbery or ungainly plant roots. We walked along the side of the mountain on a slight incline, and after 2.5 miles, we finally made it to the top, at the fences behind the Hollywood sign. There were signs warning us not to hop the fence and cameras and infrared sensors perched on top of tall poles, so we were content to keep our distance.
Since it was so foggy, it was hard for us to spot the giant blocks of letters, but we celebrated our success, took some pictures, and explored the area around. Apparently, someone (probably a guard) spotted us on the cameras and through the intercom told us that the place was closed. We took one more look at the area and embarked on our hike back.
We ended the hike with some In N Out and decided to walk back to the Walk of Fame on Hollywood Boulevard afterward, taking in the nighttime sights and sounds. While walking, we stumbled across an open gate leading to the field of Hollywood High, so we decided to explore the campus – just so happened that upon exiting the high school, we were back at the parking lot, a great end to an awesome time in LA.
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Tinseltown at randomtidbitsofthought.wordpress.com.
