Hiking Griffith Park to the Hollywood Sign

The LA Skyline is one of our favorite views. For me (Pam), it represents opportunity, ambition, and inspiration. Yes, I may be biased, this is where I’ve built some of my favorite memories. It’s where I’ve built my dream career and life with Ivan. Regardless, it is breathtaking and hiking Griffith Park gives you an amazing view of the skyline and a 360 view of its surrounding cities and the ocean.

The AllTrails app tracked this hike at exactly 7.0 miles from our parked car and back again. The trail took a total of 2hr 45m. Our snacks of choice: beef jerky, a turkey sandwich, fruit, greek yogurt, and Cheez-It crackers (Pam). The starting point of most trails around Griffith Park can be heavily populated This is a tourist hot-spot, but once you get deep into the trails the herds start to thin. We also tend to start most of our hikes on the Griffith Park side near the ranger’s station for easy parking.

The hike itself can be extremely flexible from relatively easy trails to more treacherous single tracks. This gives you the opportunity to get a hike in regardless of how beat you might be from your gym sesh, biking sesh, or anything else that keeps you active. Ivan and I plan our trail difficulty around our other planned physical activities for the weekend, which usually consist of gym and mountain biking. A hike never takes the place of a gym session though. It’s just an activity we add on to our day for fun and to soak in some great views.

2021: Getting Started

It’s January 3rd, 2021. It is a new year. Social media and nearby conversations are littered with talk of resolutions to improve and change. “2021 will be my year”, “I’m sticking to my diet this time”… the list goes on… Some people will make massive change and dominate their goals, but most won’t. Most will find an excuse: “I’ll start Monday”, “My gym is closed”, “I’m too busy/tired this week”, etc. Don’t be one of those people. Don’t sell yourself short. Stick to your goals. Stick to your word. Do what you say you’re going to do day in and day out. The more that you do as you say (or think), the more confidence you build in maintaining whatever goal it is that you are pursuing. Take steps daily toward your goal or “resolution” until it becomes part of your daily life. Only then will you be dominating your goal. Every step forward toward that goal is a choice.

Yes, life happens and things will come up. This happens to everyone. Longer work hours, family/friends events, free lunch at the office, bad days, migraines, you name it. You already know these things WILL happen so how do you make sure they don’t derail your goals? Have a plan and have discipline. Keep your focus on the goal and make choices that align with that goal. No time to cook fresh meals daily? Meal prep for one or two hours on a Sunday and have meals ready or subscribe to meal prep services. Free cake at the office for a colleague’s birthday? Does this cake align with your goal? Maybe eat some in moderation and cut out some fat and carbs from another part of your daily intake or say “no”.

Now, go dominate.