Rainforest Revisited and the Beauty of the Journey

In yesterday’s post, I wrote about my revised recipe for Butternut Squash Soup. What I didn’t mention was the other post that I was dissatisfied with, my post about finding a rainforest in LA’s Fryman Canyon. Over the weekend I was able to go back to Fryman canyon with my little sisters and my amazing cousins, including Julie who had told me about the secluded rainforest in the first place.

As it turns out, I didn’t miss the rainforest on my first hike, I had walked right through it without even noticing. The first time around I had such high expectations for this natural treasure that its beauty was completely lost on me. In the middle of Studio City, there is a hidden oasis where the temperature drops noticeably and massive trees. Although there is no sign explicitly designating the entrance to the rainforest, those few hundred feet of shaded land are so different from California’s warm, sunny climate that we should have recognized it when we first went there.

My cousin Julie exalted “isn’t it beautiful!” as soon as we entered the rainforest, and although it was not at all what I had been anticipating, yes it was beautiful. There were no flowers or monkeys or hanging vines, like I had dreamed of as a child, but the 15-foot wide trees and naturally cool hideaway certainly were remarkable. The rainforest was beautiful in the truest sense of the word. It wasn’t flashy or in-your face, but rather it was an elegant, unique growth of trees that is unlike almost anywhere else in Los Angeles.

Leading up to the rainforest is a twisting, narrow trail through the relatively uninhabited region of the Hollywood Hills. I highly recommend that you make the hike. If you don’t live nearby and still want to see what the rainforest looks like, check out Jeremy Jacobus’s blog 1000 Hikes 1000 Days.

Revisiting this hike taught me is the importance of really enjoying every step of the journey and taking in the beauty of all of my surroundings, instead of focusing my efforts on trying to reach a specific end point. So lovely readers, always take the time to fully enjoy everything that you do or you could miss something wonderful!

Rainforest…in Los Angeles?

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, I took my two younger sisters on a hike to try to find the hidden rainforest on the Fryman Canyon hike. Sadly, although we hiked for nearly two hours saw various rainforest signs, our tummies started grumbling too much by 3 PM and we decided to abort the mission until next time.

Even though we failed to find the rainforest, we still had a lovely hike from the Nancy Hoover Pohl Overlook down to Wilacre Park. We saw beautiful views of Los Angeles as a whole and the massive homes in the hills too.

It was a surpisingly warm day for early January, so we were thankful that the tree cover which encases the narrow path was there to keep us cool during our hike.

Unlike the Franklin Canyon trails, which gradually build up the reach a cingular point, these paths cover much more land as they continually wind up and down the hillside. This enables hikers to look down on the valley of houses from various angles and elevations.

As we exited the trail onto Iredell Lane it was a bit of a relief to move narrow, rocky paths to wide, paved roads, but the real treat was getting to admire the massive house that studded the canyon road.

The wide range of architectural styles, from whimsical cottages to modern houses, pleasantly surprised me. The massive lots and more remote locations clearly allow more building freedom than most areas in Beverly Hills.

This was a great way to visit yet another new area of LA during the last few days of winter break. I’m so proud of my little sisters for climbing over the rocks and dealing with the slippery slopes without ever complaining, and even better,  ending the hike injury-free. The next time any of you, my wonderful readers, find yourselves with a little spare time, I strongly encourage you to explore the nature escapes near you! Whether you live in a big city and have to really search for grassy spots or you are surrounded by them in the countryside, I hope that spending a few hours exploring nature will give you the same sense of clarity and relaxation that it gave me.