BLAZING HILLSIDES HIKING GROUPS EXPLORE AREA'S PUBLIC TRAILS.Byline: Eric Leach Staff Writer SIMI VALLEY Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. - When a group of volunteer nature enthusiasts formed the Rancho Simi Rancho San José de Nuestra Senora de Altagarcia y Simi is one of the land grants in California by the Spanish government. The name derives from Shimiji, the name of the Chumash village here before the Spanish. Trail Blazers The Blazers (in some cases, short for Trail Blazers) is the name of several professional and collegiate sports teams:
Now, a dozen wind through the hills, offering spectacular views of Simi SIMI Sea Ice Mechanics Initiative SIMI Search for Intelligent Monkeys on the Internet SIMI Students Islamic Movement in India SIMI Society of Irish Motor Industry SIMI Smallholder Irrigation Markets Initiative , San Fernando San Fernando, city, Argentina San Fernando (săn fərnăn`dō), city (1991 pop. 144,761), Buenos Aires prov., E Argentina. It is a district administrative center in the Greater Buenos Aires area. and Conejo valleys - even the ocean and the Channel Islands. The Trail Blazers has more than 100 members and sponsors hikes and work parties open to the public four days a week. They are planning to join thousands of others across the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. June 4 to celebrate National Trails Day, and also are planning a number of new excursions to expand the club's activities over the next couple of months. ``The Trail Blazers started out building the trails, and now they maintain them,'' said Mark Gilmore, who began volunteering several years ago. ``I started out not being able to hike two miles, and now I can do 20. I can't tell you how good I feel.'' Gilmore said he wants to take advantage of his new position as hiking chairman to set up some unusual and adventurous trips, including one June 18 to Santa Cruz Island San·ta Cruz Island An island off southern California in the northern Santa Barbara Islands. , where the Simi Valley hikers hope to see dolphins and whales, if they're lucky. On June 23 the Trail Blazers are going to walk to the beach eight miles downhill via Sycamore Canyon Sycamore Canyon is the second largest canyon in the Arizona redrock country, after Oak Creek Canyon. The 21 mile (33.6 km) long scenic canyon reaches a maximum width of about 7 miles (11.2 km) and is located in North Central Arizona below the Mogollon Rim northwest of Sedona. from Newbury Park to Point Mugu, where they will have some cars waiting to bring them back home. ``I want to try to get more interest going in the club, so I've tried to find some hikes we haven't done before that will be a lot of fun,'' Gilmore said. The group is planning to stay overnight Aug. 6 on Mount Baldy Mount Baldy or Baldy Mountain may refer to:
``Even the view from the outhouse is spectacular. ... All you need to bring is some food and your sleeping bag. We can cook our food on the hut's wood-burning stove,'' according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the writeup in the Trail Blazers' May newsletter. The group is a volunteer arm of the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District. It schedules regular hikes on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays in the Simi Valley area, including the beginners hike on Tuesdays in the hills between Wood Ranch and Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. . ``It is our most popular hike, in Long Canyon,'' said Gilmore. ``We get about 10 to 12 people on average, and at times we've gotten about 30.'' Because it's a beginners hike, people sometimes say they have been sent by their doctors to get exercise. ``Once they get in better shape we encourage them to come on the Thursday and Sunday night Sunday Night, later named Michelob Presents Night Music, was an NBC late-night television show which aired for two seasons between 1988 and 1990 as a showcase for jazz and eclectic musical artists. hikes, which are moderate to strenuous. I got involved with the Trail Blazers in order to improve my physical condition and was an absolute rank beginner. I could barely make it, but I slowly worked my way up, and now can keep up with anybody. The more I hiked the better I felt,'' Gilmore said. The three-mile Long Canyon hike starts Tuesday evenings at 6:30 p.m. in the Wood Ranch Trailhead parking lot at Long Canyon Road and Wood Ranch Parkway. It rises quickly up a hill with views over Simi Valley and then Thousand Oaks, with the ocean and islands visible on a clear evening. Along the way there are fossils embedded in the rocks. ``It's a little tough when you go up the first part,'' said Doreene Morgan, who joined the group at Long Canyon for the first time recently. ``But it's a kind of mind-blowing experience to see this kind of nature close to home. You wouldn't even know on the other side of these rolling hills Rolling hills are like a mountain chain, only a "hill chain" of hills that roll on and on continually. You will often find them in between plains and mountains, near major rivers, or randomly anywhere. The only places without rolling hills are deserts and flood plains. there is a city.'' She and other hikers expressed interest in joining the trip to Santa Cruz Island on June 18. ``I'm excited about it,'' said Ursula Christie, a longtime member of the Trail Blazers. ``I used to dive off Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, city, United States Santa Cruz (săn`tə kr  z), city (1990 pop. 49,040), seat of Santa Cruz co., W Calif., on the north shore of Monterey Bay; inc. 1866. , but I've never been ashore. I'm sure it will be something different, something special.'' Arlene Altshuler joined the Trail Blazers 1994 and helped build a number of the trails in the area, learning about wildflowers along the way. This spring has been one of the best for flowers, said Altshuler, who said some of her favorite areas are around Corriganville at the valley's east end, Mount McCoy at the west end and the Chumash Trail in the hills to the north. ``We get all different types of people,'' she said. ``Some just want to hike, some are interested in the flowers, some the geology and the history. They can learn about all of those things.'' ``The main reason the trails around Simi Valley are as nice as they are now is because of the Trail Blazers,'' said Colleen col·leen n. An Irish girl. [Irish Gaelic cailín, diminutive of caile, girl, from Old Irish. Janssen, a liaison between the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District and the volunteer group. ``They aren't in this only for fun and fellowship, but it's also with a purpose. They want to keep the trails open and available for the community. Our trail system is pretty incredible, and when you go on a hike, the hike leader is usually knowledgeable.'' Most of what the Trail Blazers do is free and open to the public, although the trip to Santa Cruz Island costs $42 for the boat trip. Subscribing to the Trail Blazers newsletter is $10 a year, but free copies and maps of some of the Simi Valley area trails are available at the park district headquarters at 1692 Sycamore Drive. One of the Trail Blazers' first and most active members is Mike Kuhn, a retired Simi Valley environmental planner who is working on a book containing some unique information on the geology and natural history he has learned about the area. Kuhn said he loves to share his knowledge, and contributes stories to the Trail Blazers' newsletter and Web site, at www.simitrailblazers.com. He said one of the city's goals has been to keep the hills relatively free of urban development. ``I love it here,'' said Kuhn. ``I'm going to live here for the rest of my life. I think that people who come to Simi Valley like mountainous topography and like hills. I think they come here to live because of the natural setting, because we are surrounded by hills.'' Gilmore said as much as the hiking, he enjoys the people in the Trail Blazers. ``The bottom line is that there are genuinely good people in the club, and you can't help but enjoy their company. They are very friendly, very welcoming.'' National Trails Day, billed as one of the largest celebrations of America's outdoors, is held on the first Saturday in June across the nation The Simi Valley Trail Blazers plan to meet at 8 a.m. June 4 in the Corriganville parking lot at the end of Smith Road off Kuehner Drive at the east end of Simi Valley and work on trails until about noon. Eric Leach, (805) 583-7602 eric.leach(at)dailynews.com IF YOU GO The Rancho Simi Trail Blazers has hikes and trail-maintenance parties scheduled four days a week, plus special weekend excursions listed in their newsletter available at www.simitrailblazers.com or at the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District Headquarters at 1692 Sycamore Drive in Simi Valley. Information on the American Hiking Society The creator of this article, or someone who has substantially contributed to it, may have a conflict of interest regarding its subject matter. It may require cleanup to comply with Wikipedia's content policies, particularly neutral point of view. and National Trails Day is available at (301) 565-6704 or www.americanhiking.org. CAPTION(S): 4 photos, box Photo: (1 -- color) Danny Briggs makes his way along the Long Canyon Trail above Simi Valley on a hike with the Rancho Simi Trail Blazers. (2 -- 4) Hikers with the Rancho Simi Trail Blazers, above, walk the Long Canyon Trail above Simi Valley. The three-mile Long Canyon hike starts Tuesday evenings at 6:30 p.m. At left, a group of hikers pauses to enjoy the view. At bottom left, Ursula Christie of Simi Valley pauses to nibble Half a byte (four bits). (data) nibble - /nib'l/ (US "nybble", by analogy with "bite" -> "byte") Half a byte. Since a byte is nearly always eight bits, a nibble is nearly always four bits (and can therefore be represented by one hex digit). on an edible native plant along the Long Canyon Trail. Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer Box: IF YOU GO (see text) |
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