Solo Mission: Finally Finished the Wisdom Tree Hike to the Hollywood Sign!

Every time that I go here my friends never want to go past the actual Wisdom tree hike part. And I get it, that first mile straight up is pretty brutal… like 800+ ft elevation kind of brutal. I’ve been here twice already and both times I had to go straight back down afterwards because my friends did not want to go on. Last Saturday, I decided that I really wanted to go hiking and I wanted to do it by myself so I decided to do a solo mission and conquer the wisdom tree hike.

If I haven’t mentioned it in my previous post about this same hike, some people call this wisdom tree hike, or the giving tree, the wishing tree, and the tree of life trail.

I think I hiked to the Cahuenga Peak last time I was here but I did not realize that this hike would lead to the Hollywood sign also. I was pleasantly surprised. I’ve done a hike over a year ago that lead to the Hollywood sign also, but it was one of the ugliest hikes I have ever done so I’m very glad I explore this trail more. I do not recall the exact trail name but it started in Griffith Park. You know what else was surprising? I found out Hugh Hefner has his own overlook! Color me surprised. He supposedly donated a lot of money to preserve the Hollywood sign… I guess money really can buy most things. On the way to the Hollywood sign, I think it was either right before or right after Caheunga Peak, the trail looks like it just stops… but you know it doesn’t because you see people further up ahead. Well, keep walking to the end of that path because the trail just drops down. It’s not a hard climb, only 8 ft tall or so, but it caught me off guard. Don’t let this fool you. I like that this trail had a lot of rocks on a wide path. After the climb up to the Wisdom Tree, it’s a good amount of ups and downs, pretty gradual.

Overall it was a really beautiful day for a hike. The weather was still low in the 50s but I wore capris and a jacket and warmed up very fast. The wisdom tree peak had a lot of people so it was not very peaceful, I think there was a dance group celebrating up there. But it was still really nice to hike solo; I’ve realized how much I enjoy my alone time in the last year.

This is why I enjoy hiking alone:
♠ The solitude. The peace. Whether it is just with nature’s background noises or my headphones. I feel like I appreciate nature more when I’m out there by myself, rather than getting distracted walking and talking to my friends.
♠ Going at my own desired pace. This seems to be a factor for me when planning a hike. I like to move at a faster pace until I get to the destination, then take my time exploring. I would rather not take breaks on the way up unless I absolutely have to, or for a kodak moment. A lot of people I know prefer to take their time through it all as if taking a walk, which is great, but I prefer to make it more of an actual workout.
♠ Schedule: I like to start wee early in the mornings… like 7-8am. I regretted my late start to this hike. If you are not a morning person (which I am not, but I am willing to wake up to hike), or you go drinking the night before but still manage to drag yourself up early, you will not have the stamina to endure a hike. Which brings me to my next point…
♠ I am not anyone’s mother or coach and I am so sick of pushing people to continue on, encouraging them to move forward. Chances are the hike is already kicking my butt so having to motivate my friend also really sucks. I may workout a decent amount but I am not in shape enough that I won’t be huffing and puffing like you. I just suck it up and push myself.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s great hiking with friends. It’s nice to have the company. It’s nice to spend time with people I care about doing things that I love, but sometimes it is just nice being by myself, hiking solo, and not having to wait on anyone.

Overall, this took me 2 hours. It’s about a quarter mile walk from the parking, took me 17 mins to the top, enjoyed the view for a good 20 mins or so, found the Hollywood Sign half an hour later, enjoyed that view for another 15-20 mins, and then headed all the way back and down. Hiked 3.88 miles from the car, 800 ft elevation gain. This has become one of my favorite hikes.