COASTAL WALKERS : THEIR FOOTPRINTS WILL REPRESENT PLEA FOR ACCESS.

Byline: Brett Pauly Daily News Staff Writer

As a child growing up in St. Louis, Barbara Johnson developed a fascination with the romance of the California coast. The distance and what she perceived as long odds getting there fueled her passion.

So, naturally, when she moved from Missouri to Chatsworth 35 years ago, one of the first things she did was pack up her children and drive over to Malibu.

``I wanted to beachcomb, dig for clams,'' said the magazine writer and community college English teacher. ``But when we got there we couldn't get to the beach because of all the houses. It was frustrating.

``Finally this one lady saw these three kids with sad faces and she let us go to the beach along the side of her house.''

It had been decades since she recalled the story, but it couldn't have been more appropriate for a woman who has designs on hiking the length of the state to stride for public access to the entire coastline.

She is one of a handful of dedicated trekkers who will embark from the Oregon state line and hoof some 1,100 miles of beaches, bluffs and occasional roads in 112 days to the Mexican border. The unprecedented grassroots project is sponsored by Coastwalk, a nonprofit volunteer group dedicated to draw attention to the 400 miles of California coast where public access is blocked by private property or public-utility land.

The sojourn departs June 1, on National Trails Day, geared to promote community trail planning and conservation and to celebrate the immeasurable value of the country's pathways. In keeping with that spirit, Coastwalk hopes to bring its efforts to create a continuous ``California Coastal Trail'' - stemming from 1972 legislation guaranteeing public access to beaches - into sharper focus.

``The beach should be for everyone to enjoy. You can't just say, `I have the money to build here. I can enjoy the beauty, no one else,' '' said Sean Scoular, 20, of Palos Verdes, one of a dozen or so other Coastwalkers planning to walk at least a third of the distance for the cause. ``It's selfish.''

Johnson explained that insurance concerns and a string of conflicting controls and laws governing county, state and federal lands also have conspired to delay completion of the California Coast Trail.

``It's already been 25 years; our patience is running thin,'' said Johnson, 67, a former journalism professor at Cal State Northridge and Pepperdine. ``Coastwalk wants these people to think of themselves as good neighbors. In the long run, it will be to their benefit.''

Geologists, ecologists, biologists and local guides will be tagging along on at various stages of the walk, which is supported by the state Department of Parks and Recreation and the California Coastal Conservancy. State Parks Director Don Murphy plans to hike portions of all 15 counties the event encompasses.

``To experience the majesty and magic of the coast, one has to walk it,'' said Peter Douglas, executive director of the California Coast Commission, who encourages others to join the hikers as they migrate down the state.

Tiny vials of sand and saltwater will be carried from Del Norte County, the northernmost county, and the contents will be deposited at significant stops en route - San Francisco Bay, Santa Monica Beach and the Mexican border. Those who complete the hike will carve an appropriate design for each coastal county on walking sticks and present them to Murphy at the Mexico line on Sept. 20.

The walkers, who will pay their own way (about $30 a day), will cover seven to 17 miles daily and carry only knapsacks; heavier gear will be transported in a support van. Meals arranged by volunteers, as well camping and other lodging, are provided.

``It really gives you an appreciation for what development has done to the beaches - how marinas have decimated our wetlands, how sea walls just raise havoc with the way sand is distributed,'' said Jimmie Renner, 59, of Downey, a retired administrator with the Los Angeles County Superintendent of Schools who is donning her wafflestompers for the trek.

Coastwalk, a 13-year-old entity headquartered in Sebastopol, will hold press conferences to discuss the status of the California Coastal Trail Hike on July 16 in San Francisco and Sept. 4 at the Santa Monica Pier.

Coastwalkers will mosey into Ventura County at Carpinteria State Beach on Aug. 25; a slide show featuring the trekkers will be staged Aug. 27 at the Great Pacific Iron Works in Ventura.

Participants will step into Los Angeles County - where coastal access is largely prohibited by private property - on Aug. 30 at Leo Carrillo State Beach.

Los Angeles County spans 74 miles of coast, with more than 50 miles of coastal trail. Yet strips of beachfront homes in Malibu exclude public entry to the beach, while in the south county private residential communities block access to more than 10 miles of coast.

Coastwalkers would enjoy company on their journey along the local coastline. Plenty of people should be available; after all, 80 percent of California's population lives within 30 miles of the coastline.

``We would like people to come out and walk with us, or at least wave to us,'' Johnson said.

MEMO: Some slots for the California Coastal Trail Hike may still be available, especially for shorter sections of the trek. For more information, call Coastwalk at [phone] or [phone].

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3 Photos

Photo: (1--color) no caption (person walking on beach)

( 2--color) Barbara Johnson, left, Jimmie Renner and Sean Scoular, seated, consider the coast their pathway.

(3) Hikers know that life can't be a beach if private ownership blocks you from getting to the water's edge.

John McCoy/Daily News