HAIL TO THE TRAIL : NATION'S FOOTPATH'S NEED HELP.

Byline: Brett Pauly

I would gladly walk a mile in your shoes, as long as they are wafflestompers.

My first love of outdoors is hiking - any distance, any difficulty, anytime.

It's hard to imagine a wilderness without trails that beckon ``tread on me.'' But with the tremendous financial pinch that government agencies are feeling, the future of our national pathways is in doubt.

``Over the years, the Forest Service has lost personnel through money cuts to the point that there is essentially nobody left to maintain trails,'' said Bill Reilly of Altadena, trail boss of the volunteers who make up the JPL Trail Builders. ``It's up to volunteers to get out there and keep trails from closing; Mother Nature would just take back over if they don't.''

On Saturday you will have a great chance to save a trail. More than a million people across the country will take part in some 3,000 events slated for the fourth annual National Trails Day. Several projects are planned in the Santa Monica, San Gabriel and San Bernardino mountains.

``National Trails Day provides opportunities for trailblazers and trail novices alike to get out there and enjoy the trail. You don't need to pick up a shovel; get out there and take a hike,'' said Gwyn Hicks, spokeswoman for American Hiking Society, a Washington, D.C., nonprofit group dedicated to establishing, protecting and maintaining foot trails that organizes National Trails Day.

``You'll see equestrian groups working with biking groups and hiking groups. Those are important partnerships - groups that need to learn to work together for the benefit of the trails they share.''

Apart from the recreation they provide, trails offer economic and educational benefits, Hicks noted. They increase property values, attract visitors who patronize local retailers and provide outdoors classrooms for lessons on natural ecosystems and national history.

The 20-year-old AHS designates the first Saturday in June as a day to honor volunteers who serve as trail sentries and work to repair worn routes and expand trail systems with the big-picture goal of bringing a footpath within 15 minutes of the home or workplace of every American.

Trail builders suggest that all hikers donate two trail-work days a year; Saturday can be one of them.

Following are some local events. Organizers recommend long pants, a long-sleeve short, sturdy shoes or boots, a broad-brim hat, a bandanna, sunglasses, sunscreen, work gloves, insect repellent, a light snack and water. Tools and instruction are provided, unless otherwise noted; carpooling is strongly recommended.

Upper Solstice Canyon: Volunteers of all ages and abilities are encouraged to help rehabilitate a 2-1/2-mile section of trail in Upper Solstice Canyon in Malibu.

Take the Ventura Freeway (101) north to Las Virgenes Road south. Take it to the Pacific Coast Highway (1), and turn right. Drive 2.35 miles to Corral Canyon Road and turn right. Drive 5.45 miles to the parking lot at the Castro Crest.

Sign-ups begin at 8:30 a.m.; the project ends at 3 p.m. Registration: [phone]. More information: [phone], ext. 201.

Lower Solstice Canyon: The fifth annual Wildflower and Ride Amble will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Solstice Canyon Park. The event is purely recreational; no trail work is planned.

Follow the same directions to the Upper Solstice Canyon event, but drive to the park entrance instead, flagged by the double white gates 500 yards from PCH.

Equestrians will take one loop in the park, and hikers - the amblers - will be led through another loop by a geologist who will talk about the natural formation of the canyon.

Parking is $5 and participants are required to buy a $2 one-day membership with the Malibu Trails Association; proceeds will benefit the American Cancer Society. Information: [phone].

Silver Moccasin Trail: From 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., members of the Arroyo Seco Ranger District Volunteers welcome others to participate in a trail-work project between Three Points and Chilao on the Silver Moccasin Trail in the Angeles National Forest.

Meet at 8 a.m. at Three Points, a junction on the Angeles Crest Highway (2) several miles northeast of the Chilao Visitors Center; directions to work sites and parking areas will be given. Or carpool starting from the Oak Grove District Ranger Station in La Canada Flintridge at 7 a.m.

Jim Lyons, under secretary for Natural Resources and Environment within the U.S. Department of Agriculture, will work on the trail and speak at a ceremony to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Silver Moccasin Trail at 1 p.m.

After the ceremony, a free barbecue will be provided to volunteers. Reservations are required. For further information, or to make reservations, call [phone].

Stagecoach Trail: The Rancho Simi Trail Blazers invite volunteers to help them from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. with maintenance work along on the Stagecoach Trail in Simi Valley.

From the Simi Valley-San Fernando Valley Freeway (118), exit at Rocky Peak Road south, turn right on Santa Susana Pass Road and left on Lilac Road. Meet at the trailhead kiosk.

Participants should bring a tool, such as lopper, mattock or hoe. Information: [phone].

Chapparal Trail: On Sunday - the day after the official event - beginning at 9 a.m., volunteers will be working on a nature trail at the Lytle Creek Ranger District Station in the San Bernardino National Forest.

Take the San Bernardino Freeway (10) east to the Ontario Freeway (15) north, and exit at Sierra Avenue. Turn left, and drive 5 miles up Lytle Creek Road. Information: [phone] or [phone].

MEMO: Outdoors Editor Brett Pauly's column appears Thursdays in the Daily News.

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos

Photo: (1--color) Palmdale's Ron Azimi digs in to help r epair a portion of a local trail washed out during recent rains.

(2) Members of the Mount Wilson Bicycling Association carry reparation tools along the Ken Burton Trail in the Angeles National Forest.

Joe Binoya / Special to the Daily News