Cottonsox TikTok vlogger puts out vids that inspire hiking, fresh air and distancing myself from TV
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The trails available to hike at Griffith Park are listed here. I stay on the main trails for fear of rattler snakes which caution signs all over the trails warn hikers. The trail that leads to the Hollywood sign is called the Lonesome Pine trail. Although it would've been nice to reach the very summit to see the sign (and the lonesome pine), I was mostly interested in finding the Haunted Picnic table which is only half the entire trail. I figured it was 2 miles up, then another 2 miles back down, but the information I had gotten online was that people could park adjacent to the compost location, a hop skip and jump to the start of the Lonesome Pine trail.
From the parking spot I found, near TravelTown, I had to walk another mile. I didn't mind as the walk was described as a trail lined by trees like oak which I have been hunting for for another minor project to obtain oak galls. I've always wanted to gather all the ingredients for making oak gall ink for my calligraphy pens.
Also, the walking stick arrived in the mail and I was anxious to use it. Walking with a cane when you don't need it is awkward, but I'm thankful to have had it with me near the end of my hike as my hip was beginning to give out, leaving my stride with a Charlie Chaplin style hobble. Upon reaching my destination, it wasn't hard spotting it. Articles online describe an alter of devil worshippers, wicca fanatics, and ceremonial trinkets left behind at the location. A group of people, when I entered the picnic area, gathered along the trail — I'd say five individuals, give or take one or two, had paused there possibly looking my way and wondering what I had plans for as I began my photo taking ritual of measuring the light.
Afterwards it dawned on me whether I had just witness ghosts as I had walked the trail completely solo, only encountering few hikers going back down the trail. It was a surprise to see people there talking amongst themselves. My first thought was that I had an audience that wanted to see me enter the wicked location where people have claimed to witness ghosts and evil occurrences.
It wasn't until later that I filled my head with all the ghost stories about the sight. A good thing as I probably would've been overly concerned about my safety if I had known about the dead gardener, or the tree removal crew who witnessed the picnic table shaking on its own as if it were the bed Linda Blair used in the Exorcist movie. Overall, it was a pleasant hike. My iPhone camera seems to be set on LIVE mode, which also uses the microphone. Listening to the photo contains a sound not unlike the ocean from a conch shell.
On the way down from the picnic table location, a chirping bird spoke to me. I couldn't lay eyes on it. It sounded like a baby chick the way they chirp for food when their mother arrives. Maybe I should've recorded it, but I was too busy trying to pin-point where the sound was coming from. I know that if I had all those haunted stories about the location embedded in my head, I would probably have been listening intently to any sounds heard along that trail with attempts to decipher "Leave us alone" and/or "Next time you die."
It's going to be awhile before I get the pinhole camera results. I may decide to return during a different time of day to see if the lighting improves my exposures, but for now I'm really just eager to burn off the ten pounds I gained as a result of Covid19.
