This was a hike mostly for exercise but I did find that the spring bloom is grudgingly getting under way. The hike from the trailhead at Lake Avenue is about 5.5 miles roundtrip, and is really enjoyable given that the end point is the famous locale of the White City complex including the Echo Mountain House, the Echo Chalet and numerous other buildings such as a power station, a zoo, an astronomical observatory, and a casino and dance hall, all of which were destroyed by a series of fires and windstorms within a decade of their opening. The remains of stone steps, water tanks, and rail lines stand mute testimony to nature's lack of concern for the works of man, and one can only imagine what it must have been like for that brief period of time to arrive atop Echo Mountain via the funicular railway and be greeted by the spectacular views and the grandeur of the accomodations. One thing that does still remain is the ability of the surrounding ridges to cast back a startlingly clear echo of one's voice, from which the area derives its name. In most cases my introductory photo is of the place featured in the gallery, but in this case it is from the mountain toward downtown Los Angeles with the Palos Verdes Peninsula at the far left. |
