She Hikes Just Like a Woman

Last night I had a horrible night of sleep due to the goopey phlegm in my throat. I even woke myself up snoring, and that has never happened! Anyway, I went to the bathroom for the neti pot solution and it worked like a charm. If only I'd thought of it at 10pm instead of 5am. Then I clipped my toenails. Then I was too awake to go back to sleep.

I decided that there was no better way to celebrate my easy breathing than with a hike in Griffith. I went on an old favorite trail, which just yesterday I decided to name the "Santa Maria." I'll explain why another time.

There were two men in their sixties, friends, hiking a fair distance behind me the whole time. I finished the "Santa" portion of the hike, but I decided I didn't have it in me to go for "Maria," which takes you to the very peak. It offers a stunning 360 degree view of LA.

As I passed the two guys on my way down, they teased me for stopping, they said I'd been inspiring them to keep going. I told them I really wasn't up for it today. One guy, the white-haired Brit, or maybe Aussie, said, "But, it's about..." He searched for the word in his native English, "... the satisfaction of getting to the top. Oh, you wouldn't understand, you're a woman."

I'm sure my nostrils flared and my eyes bugged out. He was dead serious. His friend nodded in agreement. "You should really finish." And in my huffy, puffy, just-like-a-woman way, I spun on my heel and stomped up to the top of the hill. I made sure to go extra fast and leave them in the dust.

To the gentlemen of the "Santa Maria," my firmer fanny thanks you for the encouragement. There's nothing like a shame-induced workout.

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To those that saw the fire in the Hollywood Hills two weeks ago (started by two genius teenagers from Illinois who were burning sticks for fun), below are photos of the now-barren land blowing dust in today's strong winds.
View from Pass Ave heading South:

View from a hill in Universal:
Pretty wild, huh?