I explored Hog Farm, an abandoned hippie commune located on top of a mountain, at night. This is the long, strange trip along the way.

An abandoned hippie commune, once run by Wavy Gravy, sitting on top of a mountain in California.
This abandoned hippie commune, once run by Wavy Gravy, sits on top of a mountain in California. I used a red light to illuminate the interior of the building while the camera, perched on a tripod, soaked in the light during this long exposure night photo.
A PT Cruiser, a more recent addition to an abandoned hippie commune, once run by Wavy Gravy, sitting on top of a mountain in California.
A PT Cruiser, a more recent addition to an abandoned hippie commune, once run by Wavy Gravy, sitting on top of a mountain in California. The location amidst the mountains were spectacular, and offered stunning views of the city below.

The Hog Farm

The Hog Farm is likely the longest running hippie commune in the United States. Activist Hugh Romney, more famously known as Wavy Gravy, and his wife Jahanara founded this commune. 

An abandoned hippie commune, once run by Wavy Gravy, sitting on top of a mountain in California.
An abandoned hippie commune, once run by Wavy Gravy, sitting on top of a mountain in California.

Wavy Gravy and Jahanara needed to find a place to stay. They heard about a place for free on top of a nearby mountain. They could stay there in exchange for taking care of some hogs. every Sunday, they would have a celebration. 

It’s easy to see why they loved this place. It’s perched on a promontory overlooking the city. So close, yet so far, sitting among gently-sloping mesquite slopes. Unfortunately, a fire some years ago destroyed much of what was there.

An abandoned hippie commune, once run by Wavy Gravy, sitting on top of a mountain in California.
An abandoned hippie commune ravaged by fire looks down at the city lights below. Once run by Wavy Gravy, the site sits on top of a mountain in California.

Walking, walking, and some running

An abandoned hippie commune, once run by Wavy Gravy, sitting on top of a mountain in California.
Darkness envelopes an abandoned hippie commune, once run by Wavy Gravy, sits on top of a mountain in California. Check out how I went about light painting this particular photo here in this article.

Earlier that day, I had walked three miles for my usual exercise. Then in the evening, I made the 1.3-mile night hike up the steep mountain trail. 

I probably walked (or sometimes ran) for about two miles while photographing. I used shorter exposures so the city lights from below wouldn’t become too bright. Consequently, for many of my photos, I ran quickly to get to my spots to light paint the subjects with my handheld light while the camera shutter was open.

During the hike back down, my knees began feeling the weight of the camera bag and the day’s mileage.

An abandoned hippie commune, once run by Wavy Gravy, sitting on top of a mountain in California.
An abandoned hippie commune amidst the spectacular mountains of California, once run by Wavy Gravy.

How did Wavy Gravy get his name?

Romney was working at the 1969 Texas International Pop Festival, just two weeks after the Woodstock Festival. He was exhausted after spending hours trying to get members of the audience to put their clothes back on. Yes, it was a different time. He said, “They had these conga drummers on the stage, and I said, ‘Don’t dance on the ‘wavy gravy’.”

An abandoned hippie commune, once run by Wavy Gravy, sitting on top of a mountain in California.
A window to the north at an abandoned hippie commune, once run by Wavy Gravy, sits on top of a mountain in California.

Later, BB King came up to him and said, “Are you Wavy Gravy?” Romney replied, “Yes, sir.” BB King stood him next to his amplifier, and he and Johnny Winter played all night long. Inspired by this, Romney changed his legal name to Wavy Gravy.

More on light painting!

If you want to learn more about what sorts of lights you can use to light paint, here’s an article for you. And no, it doesn’t need to be expensive! Also, have a look at how I went about light painting the photo with the red-colored windows enshrouded in darkness in this article.