OAK PARK HIKERS FORM TRAIL BLAZERS TO PROTECT OUTDOORS\Volunteer group hopes to maintain paths.

Byline: R.A. Hutchinson Daily News Staff Writer

A love of the outdoors and the desire to maintain a network of trails crisscrossing the community have inspired a group of Oak Park hikers to form a loosely organized volunteer "trailblazers" group.

Patterned after a 3-year-old hiking group in Simi Valley, the Oak Park Trail Blazers want to organize hikes and help the Rancho Simi Park District maintain the 20 miles of trails in the unincorporated Ventura County community.

"Our plan is this: to handle regularly scheduled hikes, one or two a week. Then as we hike we hope to become aware of problems on the trails that need repair," said Mike Anton, chairman of the Trail Blazers.

Anton said the group began meeting informally about two months ago, going together on two hikes along the China Flats Trail. However, rainy weather has sidetracked the hikers for the past few weeks, and the Trail Blazers have been on hold.

"What's next is for us to get off the dime and get the ball rolling again," Anton said. "One of our objectives is to build up the number of people who are interested."

At an organizational meeting around the first of the year, about a half-dozen hikers expressed interest in a forming a hiking group. Anton said the park district now has a list of about 15 interested hikers.

Michael Kuhn, a member of the Simi Valley Trail Blazers, said the idea to form a sister group originated because Oak Park hikers tend to travel the trails in their area while Simi folks hike in Simi Valley. Kuhn said it makes geographic sense to form a new group.

"We're just trying to give them assistance. We want to help them get a branch or independent group over there," Kuhn said.

In the three years since the Simi group formed, members have cleared several miles of trails, according to Sharon Hamilton, special projects and volunteer coordinator for the district. She said the Trail Blazers began the first quarter of a mile clearing of the Hummingbird Creek Trail in February 1993, eventually completing the 2-1/2-mile trail that goes from Kuehner Drive to Rocky Peak Road.

"That was using only hand tools. That is an incredible amount of work. It was very tough terrain. They rerouted one area of the trail three times because it was so steep," Hamilton said.

In addition to helping maintain the 19 miles of trails in the Simi area, the Trail Blazers also helped build the first phase of the Old Historical Stagecoach Trail that cuts through Upper Corriganville.

Hamilton said that three years ago, budget cuts forced the layoffs of a third of the park district's maintenance crew. There was no staff to send when there was a problem on the trail.

"We don't have problems anymore because the Trail Blazers are out there all the time. If they see a problem, they take care of it," she said.

Hamilton, whose last day with the district was March 15, said anyone interested in joining the Oak Park organization can contact Dennis Anderson, a recreation supervisor for Oak Park who is serving as interim volunteer coordinator. The telephone number is [phone].