On a Saturday morning, the second day of the new year, the Bolsa Chica Junior Stewards hiked through Griffith Park to the Hollywood sign. We had a great time hiking about 6.5 miles round-trip, although everyone was a bit sore the next day. We started on Canyon Drive, near the Bronson Caves, the filming site for the Batcave from the original Batman series.

The kids were eager to get started: EJ, Shani, Danielle, Sage, Annaleah, and Tommy. I brought my schnauzer-yorkie too. Lincoln had a fun time as the kids took turns walking him. The first stage of the hike has a decent incline, but we pushed ourselves and took quite a few hydration and picture breaks. The sign came into view as we gained elevation, along with beautiful views of Los Angeles and the Pacific. We passed the native toyon, often called California Holly, which is how Hollywood got its name. We have quite a few toyons on the mesa too.

We traversed across a level path, mingling with horses and other Angelenos before the final climb to Mt. Lee, home of the 45-foot letters. The final stretch goes around Mt. Lee, with views of Burbank and the valley.

During the hike, kids were challenged to pick up trash and help beautify Griffith Park. The dynamic duo of Shani and Annaleah collected 209 pieces of trash and won some cool prizes.

We headed back down the mountain after some time at the summit. Kids were somehow still running around and having fun. Everyone made it back, and we didn’t lose anyone…I think.