Getting to Sea the Old Way--by Foot

He would appear in the late afternoon, walking south through the hills toward Mulholland Drive--a man in his early 60s in street shoes, his head covered by a terry cloth cap.

He carried no water, and Jill Swift of Tarzana, coming down the mountain from her afternoon hikes, was curious and concerned.

“Where are you bound for?” Swift finally asked one day. Just walking home, he replied, to the other side of the mountains.

His name was Chris Clegg, an Englishman who had competed as a race walker on three continents. For exercise and diversion, Clegg would hike from the San Fernando Valley through the Santa Monica Mountains to Pacific Palisades.

Swift, a Sierra Club member, was impressed.

“To me, he epitomized some of the things that we’re lacking in the Los Angeles area in terms of . . . using public transportation and being able to get to some of these natural areas for a very unique outdoor experience,” she said.

And Swift also thought: “If he can do it, we can do it too.”

Swift’s meeting with Clegg more than eight years ago inspired the “Valley-to-the-Sea” hike, now something of an institution among local hiking enthusiasts.

One Sunday a month, hikers meet at the end of Reseda Boulevard for the trek to Pacific Coast Highway, a distance of 10 to 15 miles depending on the trails used. And although a few hikers leave cars on the other side, most return to the Valley by RTD bus--as rare an adventure for some as the hike itself.

“It’s a destination hike,” said Swift, 60, who usually serves as leader. “People love to be able to say, ‘I’ve walked from the San Fernando Valley to the ocean.’ ”

About 25 hikers usually show up, with others choosing from a smorgasbord of hikes the Sierra Club leads in area mountains on Sundays. But to avoid competing with volunteer trail building on a recent Sunday at Point Mugu State Park, the selection of hikes was limited, creating a heavy turnout for “Valley-to-the-Sea.”

A mob of 48 hikers showed up at the trail head at the end of Reseda Boulevard in day packs, lug soles and T-shirts. They were from Northridge and Chatsworth, but also from Long Beach, Fullerton and Costa Mesa. They were professors, aeronautical engineers and homemakers, a bank teller, a film projectionist and others. And although a majority were in their 40s and 50s, others were in their 60s or 70s.

Most did not look their age, which one man attributed to hiking.

“I’m actually 150 years old,” he quipped.

“And I’m his father,” another said.

Dirt Road and Sycamores

The group moved out just after 8 a.m., heading south along Fire Road 28. The dirt road climbed gently along the floor of Caballero Canyon, past sycamores lining the sandy bed of Caballero Creek.

The road soon crossed into Topanga State Park, bent sharply southeast and climbed steeply to Mulholland Drive. In front of the hikers, Rustic Canyon, loaded with dense, green growth, opened to the south.

Crossing Mulholland Drive, the hikers turned southwest along the Bent Arrow Trail, a rugged footpath clinging to the wall of Rustic Canyon.

About 9:15 a.m, the hikers turned south onto the Garapito Creek Trail, which corkscrews to the bottom of Garapito Canyon.

The trail turned southwest as it climbed from the base of the canyon, opening up to beautiful views of the summits to the west. Just before 10:45 a.m., the trail turned onto Chocolate Ridge and reached Eagle Rock, a huge outcropping of conglomerate rock that, at 1,957 feet above sea level, was the highest point on the hike.

Turning down a fire road and then onto the Musch Trail, the group tramped through hilly grasslands into the heart of Topanga State Park. Often during this season, these meadows are ablaze with color, but this has not been a good year for wildflowers. Still, scores of flowers and plants were on display, including nicotiana, Chinese houses, wild mustard, yellow and sticky monkey flower, golden yarrow, fireweed and deadly nightshade.

Asked why they go hiking, here is what some of them said:

“It’s very invigorating. It’s a basic thing,” said John O’Sullivan of Woodland Hills. “You go from Point A to Point B, and you feel like you’ve accomplished something. And you’ve done it without a skateboard or turbo power.”

“I like the exercise. I like the fresh air. I like the people,” said Dave Morafka of Los Angeles.

“I hike once a week, and I hike for the beauty,” said Cathy Govaller of Pico Rivera. “This is my beauty fix. Then also there’s the camaraderie of kindred spirits, all out for the beauty of it.”

Towers of Downtown L.A.

About 1:30 p.m., the hikers reached Parker Mesa above Pacific Palisades. To the south and east, foam piled up along the beach and boats scooted in front of the fog-shrouded hump of the Palos Verdes Peninsula. The Century City skyline stood out to the east, with the towers of downtown Los Angeles beyond.

Turning off the East Topanga Fire Road, the hikers descended steeply through dense thickets and a garden of ferns to Los Liones Drive.

A short distance beyond, Pacific Coast Highway served up a rude dose of reality. It took a full five minutes for a red light to part the sea of cars rushing by at near-freeway speeds. But finally there opened a path to the beach, and a chance to dip tired feet in the ocean.

It was a little after 2 p.m. All over Los Angeles, people were coming off the back nine, or battling the crowds at shopping malls, or watching the game of the week. And 48 hikers were completing a walk from the Valley to the sea.