CALIFORNIA'S FIRST OCEAN KAYAKING TRAIL DEDICATED.

Byline: Luz Villarreal Daily News Staff Writer

It was foggy Saturday morning when Charlie Cooke, a Chumash elder, asked the crowd of kayak enthusiasts on the beach to grab a handful of sand and feel it run through their fingers.

He explained the importance of being connected to nature on land and in the sea and then used an empty abalone sea shell to burn white sage, a plant native to the Santa Monica Mountains used by the Chumash Indian tribes for ceremonies.

``First to the east, that's where our life comes in from the morning sun,'' said Cooke, holding the shell in the air. ``Then to the south for a full day, west where the entrance to the spirit world begins, and north, the time of rest.''

Cooke then encircled each person with the smoke to officially dedicate and bless the trail they would not walk but instead paddle.

The Lower Tomol Trail - from Point Mugu State Beach to the Santa Monica Pier - is the state's first ocean paddle trail and the first water trail of the Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council.

In reality, the 36-mile long trail is nothing more than a dotted line on a map, but to kayakers, it means more open doors and a chance to explore the shoreline and the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area from a new perspective.

Custom-made maps guide paddlers around private property and environmentally sensitive areas to nine approved landings and two new paddle camps specifically for kayakers.

``The trails invite people to get out of the parking lots, and when they see what's out there, they'll want to protect it,'' said Doug Kirk, a member of the Trails Council who started pushing the trail idea through state and national parks, the U.S. Coast Guard and Los Angeles County Lifeguard agencies three years ago.

``The trail is also a guide that helps you get from point A to point B and points out points of interest along the way,'' he said.

Jerry Esten of California Kayak Friends said his group welcomes the trail and believes it will make more people appreciate nature.

``I think it's a start of something that's been needed for a long time,'' said Esten of Northridge. ``It will get more people aware of the environment.''

Pam Schlotter of Ventura said she expects more people will try the sport because the trail makes it convenient.

``I think it's an opportunity to kayak and camp in our own back yard,'' she said.

The trail was named in honor of the tomol, a plank boat paddled and built by the Chumash Indians, who first inhabited the area. The Chumash used the vessels for trade, hunting and transportation up and down the coast.

Supporters said they hope other trails are eventually approved in central and northern California to connect to ocean paddle trails in Oregon, Washington and Alaska.

The campsites are on state beach property at Thornhill Broome in Ventura County and North Beach at Leo Carrillo in Los Angeles County. The two sites are primitive camps with no picnic tables or fire pits but are separate from regular public campgrounds. They do have restrooms and shower facilities, and kayakers are charged $3 per person. No reservations are needed.

Previously, kayakers had no place to camp.

``If people were paddling out there and wanted to camp, they probably camped illegally on somebody's property,'' Kirk said. ``Now, they can pull right up to the beach landings and camps.''

Maps will be available at national parks visitors centers, Malibu hotels, any beach state park, kayaking stores and sporting good stores.

On Saturday, most people drove to the beach for the dedication ceremony. But kayak enthusiast Joanne Turner paddled her way along the shore from Broome Beach. In her 1-mile morning journey, she encountered dolphins, was greeted by a sea lion and pelicans.

``This is allowing us to have more contact with this earth and this water,'' she told the crowd. ``We are about to join a network of water trails around this country. I challenge some of you to create another stretch of trail.''

As the sun burned through the morning fog, nearly 20 kayakers lined their boats and equipment along the shoreline. They planned to paddle to Leo Carrillo to camp overnight, then continue their route to just before the Santa Monica Pier.

One by one, they waited for the water to calm and then pushed and paddled their way into the ocean surf.

A small crowd of supporters cheered from the shoreline.

``Go for it,'' Karen Kirk yelled to her husband. ``Go, go, go, go go! ''

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos

Photo: (1) Patrick Neely runs to shore after helping Dav id Jaquette and his wife, Annette, get their kayak into the water after the dedication.

(2) Kayakers line up along Point Mugu State Beach near Mugu Rock.

Jeremy Greene/Special to the Daily News