On Clear Trail You Can Hike Forever

With saw, lopper and mattock, Ken Croker has been clearing, and even building, trails in the backcountry of the Santa Ana Mountains for more than 20 years, working closely with a small core of like-minded Sierra Club volunteers.

This weekend marks California Trails Days, and in light of the occasion, Croker is inviting the public to come out and lend a hand. On both Saturday and Sunday, volunteers are needed to help clear a section of the Morgan Trail, off Ortega Highway in the San Mateo Canyon Wilderness area.

The two-day event is sponsored by the Trails Committee of the Angeles Chapter of the Sierra Club, by Cleveland National Forest and by a pair of local outdoor retailers (REI on Saturday, the North Face on Sunday).

For hikers and other outdoor enthusiasts, it’s a chance to chip in on a worthy project and put in a day of hard but gratifying work in a rugged and beautiful setting. Most of the work will be general clearing and maintenance.

The Morgan Trail runs from South Main Divide Road--on the ridge overlooking Lake Elsinore--down to the Ortega Oaks Store, a hiker’s landmark in the tiny enclave of El Cariso, which is about 19 miles up the highway from San Juan Capistrano.

“We should not have to do a lot of heavy-duty brushing, but we’ll do what it takes to get the trail clear,” Croker said. The work sites are a short hike from the trail head, but “it’s not a death-defying trek by any means.”

The Morgan Trail survived the fires last fall, but some other local trails did not fare so well, notably the Lucas Canyon Trail, which Croker’s crew finished building only two years ago. Stabilizing that trail against erosion damage will be a project for later this season.

Trail volunteers this weekend should bring a day pack with lunch and at least three quarts of water, work or gardening gloves, sunscreen, lip balm, sunglasses and a hat. Work clothes and comfortable, closed-toe shoes or boots are recommended. Tools will be provided.

Croker asks that everyone who can meet at the car-pool point in Tustin; parking at the trail head is limited.

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The Laguna Beach Classic is Sunday. The event is expected to draw some 4,000 runners and raise as much as $50,000 to rebuild portions of Thurston Middle School, damaged in last year’s fire. Race-day registration opens at 6:30 a.m. The 5K takes off at 7:45 a.m., the 10K at 8:20 a.m. and a 1K kids’ event at 9:15 a.m. Race-day fees are $20 for the 10K and 5K, $15 for the 1K. Information: (714) 494-3980.

What: California Trail Days volunteer work party.

When: Saturday and Sunday, April 23 and 24, 8:15 a.m. until late afternoon.

Where: Morgan Trail, San Mateo Canyon Wilderness, off Ortega Highway.

Whereabouts: To car-pool, meet at 7 a.m. at the Stater Bros., 14171 Red Hill Ave., Tustin. From the Santa Ana Freeway, exit at Red Hill; the supermarket is just south of the freeway. To go directly to the trail head, exit Interstate 5 at Ortega Highway and drive east 19 miles, to a paved parking area on the left just past Upper San Juan Campground (across the street from the Ortega Oaks Store).

Wherewithal: Free.

Where to call: (714) 546-7016.

* RECREATION LISTINGS, Page 24.