Usually we drive hundreds of miles and then hike in the wilderness. But recently a friend gave me a GPS hiking unit that tracks the distance I walk, my speed and elevation gain. I love data -- and it's motivated me to develop some "urban hikes" that leave right from my front door. Yesterday, we did one better. We took light rail from Long Beach to Hollywood then walked into Griffith Park and along a hiking trail up to the observatory. Along the way we saw runners, families and dog walkers. The observatory was jammed and the exhibits were great. My favorite part was a handwritten sign: "Restrooms located near moon exhibit." We walked back into Hollywood and had coffee and pasteries in a hip cafe packed with Mac laptoppers. The ride back on light rail from Hollywood was under an hour! Now for the data: 4.3 miles hiked in 2 hours with 600 foot elevation gain.
