hc sr04 with 1 wire for trigger and echo?

Can you get it to work the "normal" way, with one pin for trigger and one pin for echo?

How are you powering the HC-SR04? I think it is supposed to operate on 5 volts, not 3.3 volts.

Also, when operated on 5v, the echo pin will output 5 volts, which could damage the ESP32...so you'd need a voltage divider on that pin.