Is LA starting to feel more like Lost Angeles?


Like many other students at USC, I find it easy to get disconnected from nature when living inside a concrete jungle. Today we are going to explore what it’s like to break free from routine and reconnect with nature in Los Angeles.













By Garrett Silverman



As I look outside my window on a bright Sunday morning, I see a similar sight: Idle cars hesitant to move from their precious parking spots; Students walking towards campus – mustering the energy to go study or eat; Stucco walls on the opposing building mocking me with their blandness. Then I spot the tree… something about the tree is jarring to me. The grand Sycamore is holding on to its last resilient leaves, and I remember that there is nature in Los Angeles. 

My goal for the next two weeks is to find my roots and reconnect with nature. Rather than watch the same cars, students, and stucco exteriors, I am going to explore a change of scenery. My journey leads me from the sandy shores of “El Porto”, through the trails of the San Gregorian Mountains, and concludes with a ride down the snowy slopes of Big Bear. Let’s Begin:

Surf’s Up

Silverman, Garrett. Sunset, 2019
About once a week I love to wake up before the Sun rises and set course for USC’s closest beach, “El Porto”. I was born and raised in Southern California, so my preferred way to reconnect with nature is to zip up a wet suit and plunge into the icy waves. Once my board and I sit outside the breaking waves, I immediately disconnect from my inland responsibilities.

For this article I wanted to explore how the average student would set off to connect with the Ocean. After a day of homework and studying, I take a surf board – instead of my normal body board – and brave the afternoon traffic to go on a sunset surf session. 

As I paddle out, my shoulders burn from activating my unused muscles, so it takes me twice as long to reach the outside. However, the same peacefulness overtakes me as I sit beyond the waves, and I feel my problems melt away. I exchange the beige stucco walls for millions of blues, yellows, and oranges that create the sunset in front of me.  

While I straddle my seven-foot foam board, I notice the boats puttering along the coast. Today I had read an article on George Freeth and his journey to bring surfing from Hawaii to California. In the early 1900s Freeth came to California and began teaching locals about the art of surfing, and his teachings came at an ideal time: “advances in surfboard design around the 1920's were making the sport far more accessible to the public… [and] using cars, surfers were able to easily venture along the Californian coast in search of the best waves (“History…”). As Freeth and his friends sat with the waves lapping at their board, I wonder if they could see the famous Aliso tree, like the sycamore that set me on this journey. 

I catch my last wave and emerge from the water embracing the life that surrounds me. 

Challenging Climbs

Do you like your calves to burn? If you answered yes to that question, then try out the hike to Bee Rock that passes though the Old LA Zoo (Lurie). Officially listed as an intermediate hike, I naively believed that my lack of hiking experience would prepare me for this journey! 

As I begin the four-mile trek, and I realize the abundance of nature surrounding me. Following the rains of the past days, the path is muddy, but the plants are green and alive. Also, the skyscrapers of DTLA are replaced by monumental trees with birds soaring above and critters whisking below.

At the culmination of the trial, I stumble upon the location of the former LA County Zoo. It’s hard to imagine such an iconic treasure hidden so deep inside the seemingly-empty hills of Los Angeles. There are many large animal exhibits, small animal cages, and other attractions which bring a touch of civilization to the landscape. 

As I mosey through the different exhibits, I rest on the wooden benches and begin to day dream about all the animals that once called this home. If I were in the mid-1900s I could be sitting next to a camel lazily sleeping or near a few penguins waddling about (Meares).

I walk back to my car, I ponder the changes in my life and I appreciate how nature has always allowed me to find my roots and stand tall. 

Powdery Peaks

Silverman, Garrett. Snowboarding, 2019
While the two other ways to connect with nature only take a few hours, sometimes I need to get away for a day trip with nature. This week, I take on a day-long excursion to Big Bear Mountain. 

I have recently taken up the sport of snowboarding, and I snatch at any opportunity to travel up to the mountains (even if it means I must put on tire chains). Although my boarding skills lag, I always deepen relationship to the mountains while on my trips. 

The snow falls elegantly on top of the mountain in front of me to create snow-packed trails which covers the flaws of broken rocks and thirsty grass. Meanwhile, I slide by the ashen trees that stand by admiring the fractals’ beauty. 

As I rest part-way down the green ski run, I remember how Californians first took up the sport of snow skiing. During the gold rush of the 1850’s, the miners were drawn to the mountains in pursuit of gold, but in the winter, they turned to skiing because they were “desperate for something to do” (Fox). One Norwegian immigrant, Charles Nelson, taught locals the art of skiing and created California’s first ski event in the winter of 1867(Fox). Their daring pursuit of wealth eventually pioneered a new sport in California.

I eventually refocus and continue my descent down the slopes, taking in the effortless beauty and history surrounding me.



The story of nature-oppressed USC students is a familiar tale to my ears. I hope to share a few of my experiences to influence others to break the grasp of oppression and explore. I urge you to go and hear the waves crashing, birds chirping and snow crunching, because at the end of the day, nature will be our guide to reconnect with Los Angeles.


















Works Cited
Fox, Patricia. “Sierra Heritage: History of California Skiing.” Tahoetopia, Sierra Heritage
Magazine, Dec. 2007, tahoetopia.com/news/sierra-heritage-history-california-skiing.
“History of Surfing.” Club Of The Waves, archive.clubofthewaves.com/surf-culture/history-of
surfing.
Lurie, Joshua. “Step Up to the Best Intermediate Hikes in Los Angeles.” Discover Los Angeles,
20 Sept. 2018, www.discoverlosangeles.com/blog/best-intermediate-hikes-los-angeles.
Meares, Hadley. “A Whimpering Roar: The Old Griffith Park Zoo, Then and Now.” History and
Society, KCET, 13 Apr. 2015, www.kcet.org/history-society/a-whimpering-roar-the-old
griffith-park-zoo-then-and-now.
Silverman, Garrett. Snowboarding, 2019
Silverman, Garrett. Sunset, 2019

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