(Click on this line to see PICTURES OF GEOLOGY ALONG THE TRAIL
and the hike route traced on a Dibblee geologic map.)

	Gene and Sue traveled alone on May 21. Here's Sue at the north edge of Griffith Park near Zoo Drive at the head of the Rattlesnake Trail.
	The first 2.5 miles were all uphill along some of the Griffith Park horse trails. Luckily in the early morning a lot of the trail is in the shade.
	On most trails you don't expect to find drinking fountains, but here in Griffith Park we were pleased to find two combination drinking fountains and horse-watering troughs as we trudged up the mountain.
	Part way up the mountain we got a good view back at Glendale and the Verdugo Mountains, which we had crossed on the previous hiking day.
	This is Mount Hollywood Drive in Griffith Park. It used to be a busy access road for park goers in days gone by, but now it is blocked off and relegated to serving as a park service and fire road and a pleasant traffic-free road for hikers.
	We made it to the top of the mountain and had a good view of Burbank and the San Fernando Valley.
	View across Forest Lawn Cemetery and Burbank into the San Fernando Valley and beyond. In the background on the right are the San Gabriel Mountains, in the center are the Santa Susana Mountains, and on the left are the Simi Hills. We will be walking along the tops of these three mountain ranges in the next couple of weeks.
	As we crossed over to the south side of the mountains in Griffith Park we got a good view of the city of Los Angeles.
	The Buckwheat bush was common along the trails in Griffith Park.
	Closeup of the flowers on the Buckwheat bush.
	This grass with the soft, fuzzy tops was also a common sight along the trails. It is called Fountain Grass.
	A closeup view of the soft, fuzzy tops of the Fountain Grass.
	Here's Sue, posing with some oleander and palms, in a mandatory photo of the Hollywood sign.
	This garage door must be at the home of an artist. The bookshelves and books look amazingly real.
	We had a nice lunch in the shade beside the Lake Hollywood reservoir.
	Except for Griffith Park, the density of homes in the eastern Santa Monica Mountains leaves no room for extensive hiking trails, so we were relegated to walking along residential streets for most of the rest of the day.
	We found a sidewalk along Passmore Drive that is 81 years old.
	As we continued along Passmore Drive in this residential area, we were surprised when two coyotes crossed the road in front of us. They climbed up the hill and stopped in someone's back yard while Gene took their picture. One of them is obvious, but you have to look hard on the left side of the photo to see the head and ears of the second one.
	Usually when hiking, nature calls are done in the bush. Luckily along our route in the residential areas there was sufficient construction going on to provide the necessary facilities.
	Here we see construction of a new house that will someday have a great view of the San Fernando Valley. In the background are the San Gabriel Mountains on the right and the Santa Susana Mountains on the left.
	This photo is looking northeast across Universal City with the Verdugo Mountains in the background and the San Gabriel Mountains behind them.
	Here's Gene taking a break and having a snack at the Fryman Canyon Overlook.
	Here we are at the Summit Overlook, our destination for the day.

If you have questions or comments, you may leave a message at:
a.eugene.fritsche@csun.edu