Oso Creek Trail- Mission Viejo, CA

"I like it when a flower or a little tuft of grass grows through a crack in the concrete. 

Its so fuckin' heroic." George Carlin

Sim practicing for our big camping
trip by carrying his empty pack

Sim and his Best Friend

Nestled in Mission Viejo is the Oso Creek Trail, boasting 5.5 miles of paths. It was created around a naturally occurring creek that meets with the Trabuco Creek to flow out into the Pacific. More than 15,000 volunteers have devoted time to create and maintain what so many enjoy today. It is a beautiful park that melds the beauty of nature and man-made arts into a single, lovely place.

Volunteers planted indigenous and drought-resistant plants near the creek bed and over the years the plant community demographics have shifted to reach a more natural state. Its sustained with minimal supplementary water. Native animal species have begun returning to the area to join the flora, which seems a sign that the volunteers' efforts to create a strong plant community were successful. It is nice to see such a pretty place full of native plants. Its living proof that there is beauty in the ordinary, that it is not just reserved for the exotic and rare.

It is not a hike really, more of a wandering walk. If you follow one of the looping trails you'll come across the art features. (Although there are plenty of signs and maps, so you do not need to wander blindly if you know where you want to go.)

The Peace Obelisk

The first feature Sim and I came upon was the 14' tall Peace Obelisk, a local monument to peace and unity. It was created to celebrate the Tierra Nativa Earth Day and in honor to the victims of 9/11 and all those affected by that tragedy. The word "peace" itself was carved into the base 16 times, each time in a different language. There are 400 copper plates that went into making the obelisk, each one a different representation of a volunteer's personal idea of peace.

Next, we found the hedge maze. Even though it is so small and cute and not threatening in any way whatsoever, I couldn't help but be reminded of The Shining by Stephen King. If you haven't read the book or seen the film adaptation,  there is an enormous hedge maze and large hedge animals in the story. You know, bushes cut into the shape of animals? And every time you look away from them, they move a little bit. They creep closer until you turn your back and run. Then they attack with their bushy, twiggy mouths. Its a good book by the way; I highly recommend it.

Sim and Me in the Hedge Maze

The Oak Grove

Back to the park. There is also a little grove of oak trees, a Butterfly Garden, and walls, columns, and paths of mosaics. Maybe you should visit it for yourself sometime and see what you stumble upon. 

I really enjoyed my time here. It is a nice place to walk or jog and clear your head.