MOUNTAIN CONSERVANCY FOUNDATION

A reconstructed Chumash village is planned at the base of Boney Mountain, another trailhead of the Backbone Trail.		 THE BACKBONE TRAIL WINDS ALONG RIDGES and through valleys and canyons of the Santa Monica Mountains, linking southern California's megalopolis with the rugged, wild, and solitary beauty of its past. A few miles from urban edges, you can travel along the trail's 70-mile route on foot or horseback, passing streams that flow year-round, stopping at waterfalls, breathing in the rich fragrances of wildflowers and woodlands. You can encounter deer and bobcats and even mountain lions.
"This trail is the thread that sews together the major parkland areas spanning the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area to yield a marvelous fabric of recreational experiences," writes the Recreation Area's Superintendent, Art Eck. "As more users find their way to the magnificence of the Santa Monica Mountains, they will be irresistibly drawn to the realization that these mountains must be preserved."
The Backbone Trail has been a work in progress for two decades. Original plans called for it to begin at Griffith Park in Los Angeles and to span the entire Santa Monica Mountain range. By the time land acquisition began, however, so much development had occurred in the Griffith Park area that this plan no longer seemed viable. The eastern starting point of the Backbone was therefore set at Will Rogers State Historic Park. From there the trail runs west along the highest ridgelines to Point Mugu State Park. At present, all but six miles of the 70-mile trail corridor have been acquired. Of these 64 miles, all but six--which are currently under construction--already exist as functional trail.
Since 1978, when the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area was created, the National Park Service has acquired more than 21,500 acres, which, combined with lands acquired by the California State Parks Department, the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, and other partner agencies, have brought the total acreage in the Recreation Area to over 60,000. To complete the last link, the Park Service has proposed acquisition of 460 acres of corridor owned by nearly two dozen landowners between Zuma Canyon and Triunfo Pass. This land is some of the most scenic in the area. It offers panoramic views of ocean, islands, valleys, sheer rock cliffs, and unique volcanic and sandstone formations. The price tag could be well over $4 million.
Because government funds for land acquisition in the Santa Monica Mountains have been exhausted, the Mountains Conservancy Foundation last fall launched a Backbone Trail Completion Campaign designed to raise the necessary funds from private and corporate donors. In January 1997, the Foundation's efforts were substantially enhanced when the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy voted to match every dollar raised, up to $2 million, from its share of funds from Proposition A, the Los Angeles County Safe Neighborhood and Parks Act of 1996. This voter initiative provided $319 million for parkland acquisition, community restoration, and youth programs.
In its campaign, the Foundation developed a strategy designed to promote a sense of personal ownership, a stake in the trail. It offered to "sell" the planned six-mile trail segment foot by foot. Donors receive "certificates of ownership" for pieces of the trail-to-be. One foot goes for $100, 10 feet for $1,000. A corporate gift of $20,000+ "buys" 200 feet. The biggest seller over the winter holidays was the $400 trail marker. Thirty-eight numbered markers will be installed by June at trailheads and junctions. A map and trail guide will show the names of the donors for each marker. The sales pitch was delivered by the irresistible Gregory Peck on a four-minute video being shown on cable TV and at public functions.
Some people develop a sense of ownership by donating to the Backbone Trail's completion, others by getting to know its routes intimately. I recommend both. I began to hike the Backbone eight years ago on Saturday mornings with a group of friends. My father was dying of cancer, and because he had been a great athlete and outdoorsman, these rather tough walks seemed an appropriate way to honor him, as well as a way for me to deal with the stress of his illness. We couldn't find signs, guideposts, or good maps. Often we couldn't even find the trail. The Backbone Trail became a metaphor to me for life's mental, physical, and spiritual challenges. Since my father's death his memory has continued to fuel my personal and professional efforts in behalf of the trail and the still-incomplete National Recreation Area. With others who share the dream, I am working for the day when you can hike or ride for 70 miles continuously on the Backbone Trail, stopping at wilderness camps and trail camps along the way.



The Santa Monica Mountains are world famous--not necessarily because of their parklands but because of the communities that continue to spread into them: Malibu, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Bel Air. The Backbone Trail and trail connectors link these communities in a jigsaw puzzle of over 60,000 acres of vast canyon land, historic sites, streams, unusual geology, native and not-so-native grasslands and oak woodlands, and luxury beachfront properties. It was in part because Twentieth Century and Paramount Studios owned large tracts of land in the mountains that it was possible to preserve so much here. People meandering along the Backbone pathway may have a sense of déjà vu. Something seems vaguely familiar. They have seen this place, but where? It may have been on TV, disguised as Korea in M*A*S*H or, most recently, as the Old West in Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman.
When hiking or riding the Backbone, you see country walked by the Chumash and Tongva for thousands of years. Their presence is still felt in the canyons, which appear velvety from a distance but are actually rough with chaparral and oak. They have left rock paintings, which are now protected, and names on the land, including Topanga, Malibu, Zuma, Piuma, and Mugu. As you move along, you come upon historic buildings and bits of old fencing--remnants of old homesteads, prospector camps, and the Spanish and Mexican land grant eras. Here and there, the trail is a 75-foot-wide corridor bounded by tennis courts and cyclone fencing. Elsewhere it is a scientifically documented wildlife habitat corridor, over a quarter-mile wide.
The proximity of Los Angeles can be seen as a detriment, but it also adds interesting dimensions to a trail adventure. After a vigorous and relaxing morning in the mountains, you have the option of spending the afternoon at the Getty Museum, a movie theater, or on the beach.
The trail begins at Will Rogers State Historic Park and ascends the steep slopes to Topanga. From there it follows a mainly western route, linking park enclaves, some of which are surrounded by development. From the former home of Will Rogers, 48 miles of trail link Topanga State Park, Malibu Creek State Park, and Zuma and Trancas Canyons. The six-mile gap waiting for acquisition is bisected by the Los Angeles-Ventura County boundary. Currently, four campgrounds operate along the trail. Plans are under way to locate additional sites for camps, at 10-mile intervals.
One place where trailside campsites will be expanded beyond the gap is Circle X Ranch, a former Boy Scout camp now owned by the National Park Service. From the Ranch, the trail descends 18 miles to Point Mugu State Park on the coast. Of course, one can hike from west to east as well, but westward is the historical direction for adventure in this country. Either way, you may meet bobcats, and see hawks and perhaps golden eagles. You will cross 14 year-round streams--except in rainy winters, when some of those streams turn into dangerous torrents. Looking along the coast you can see Catalina Island and the Channel Islands. During gray whale migration season, you may observe their passage offshore.
The Backbone Trail is the main accessway into the Santa Monica Mountains outdoor classroom. More than 30 schools and universities are within an hour's drive, and much research is under way. Since 1979 more than 200,000 children and adults have walked along the trail under the auspices of environmental education programs. Many come through the Recreation Transit Program, which serves schools and other groups that want to learn about the region and its history.
Walking or riding in this landscape, you can't help noticing how tenuous the human hold on the land is. The mountains are geologically unstable, they burn each year, they incur floods, and they slide toward the ocean. If that isn't enough, Mother Nature throws in earthquakes to loosen 30-ton boulders, reminding us of her ultimate authority. These are healthy reminders, and the trail offers the opportunity to ponder them, even as we enjoy its pleasures and the respite for mind and spirit.
The task at hand is to fill that last six-mile gap. That will not be easy, but it's a challenge we are determined to meet.

Ruth Taylor Kilday is executive director of the Mountains Conservancy Foundation. To learn more, contact her at 5775 Ramirez Canyon Road, Malibu, CA 90265, (310) 589-2400, FAX (310) 589-2430.

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