The Hollywood Intern: Part 12- The Hike

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I slid out of the office like a bat out of a cave and left my first internship that day dragging all of my work materials behind me. I jumped into my car, slammed my seatbelt buckle into the car’s appropriate orifice and quickly sped out of the parking lot and onto the street like the building was on fire. It was definitely my time to leave since I had been cramped in a corner inside the frigid confines of the workplace and basically just felt blah all day.

I thought back to my previous weekend with one of my good friends from college, and the conditions that I endured in the office felt even more like an urban jail cell. By that time, I was not even half way home and stuck in the usual Los Angeles traffic. Always busy and never lets up, to get anywhere in this crazy city you have to double your usual traveling time due to wall-to-wall madness. I figured that then was good as a time as ever to think back to my hike.

I rose off of my blow up mattress beating the sun that morning and slipped on my running shorts and tennis shoes. I took my time lacing them up, making sure that they wouldn’t come loose during the day, and then I found myself sliding out of the front door before anyone in the house woke up.

I got in my car and drove down the street to a gas station and pulled up next to one of the pumps. I let my thirsty car gulp the gas as I ran inside to purchase a small breakfast. By this time the early morning sun was hitting the back of the gas station’s convenience store lighting my path to the energy drinks and flavored coffees in the fridge. I grabbed a double shot espresso, and while waiting in line to pay for my beverage, I grabbed a packaged piece of banana nut bread and took out some cash from my purse.

I left the store after paying, partially consuming my mini breakfast, and jumped into the car ready for the adventure up ahead. My half-hour drive would take me winding through the mountains and onto the vast open land on top of a hill where my friend lived. I passed avocado and lemon trees, a group of horses, and an insanely happy dog before I stepped out of the car and greeted my friend.

We sat down for a chat and then immediately went outside for a hike through her property’s mountainous terrain. I stuffed my water bottle in my satchel and we left for our two hour trek through farm land.

Although the temperature rose until it was incredibly hot, the hike felt like a refreshing fall back into nature which was something that I definitely missed. We then ended our adventure by jumping into the pool and cooled off by playing Marco Polo with her two younger brothers.

It was all fun and games until the time came for me to get back into my car and make way back into the city, but for some reason when I drove away I felt as if I had left my heart back there without me in the fruitful and rural little slice of heaven.

I was obviously a little tired of the big city—but I still hoped that the city didn’t grow tired of me.