This podcast is about a short day hike I took with my daughter Lindsey  from the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles to the nearby summit of Mt. Hollywood. Few places in the Los Angeles metropolitan area afford such a tremendous view with such little effort. With over 4,102 acres of both natural chaparral-covered terrain and landscaped parkland, Griffith Park is the largest municipal park with urban wilderness area in the United States. It's only a little over 3 miles round trip but its got about 650 feet of elevation gain making it a good early morning workout hike.

Our trip begins at the Griffith Observatory parking lot and we take the Charlie Turner Trail up to the summit.  Along with way we take in spectacular view from high above the observatory with all of the L.A. Basin and downtown below us.  A special treat is a magnificent view of the famous Hollywood Sign across the hills on Mt. Lee.  We've got lots of company on this hike.  Folks of all ages and physical conditions take this hike that seems just about right for everyone.

Check out the short video I took of our hike along the way at Youtube.  Just search for Mt. Hollywood Day Hike.

After watching this years Academy Awards I started thinking about how much enjoyment I’ve had over the years watching films set in the great outdoors.  Some of my favorite scenes have been shot in fabulous locations throughout the world and on days when I just can’t get outside; I head to the DVD cabinet to fulfill my desire to get out and smell the pines or feel the frosty chill of a mountain breeze. I compiled a list of my top adventure films from my DVD collection. I know you’ve probably got your own list of favorite adventure films like I do.  

Hollywood’s been great at entertaining us over the years and the stories they’ve told satisfy an inner desire to get out into the wild and experience nature in all its fury; epic stories of pursuit, survival, tragedy, greed, revenge and adventure. 

 In this episode I talk about my favorite outdoor adventure films and feature some movie trailers and music.