OVER THE RIVER, THROUGH THE WOODS : SIERRA CLUB HIKE TOURS HILL COUNTRY.

Byline: Lisa Van Proyen Daily News Staff Writer

As Lori and Mike Osborne leaped over slippery rocks to cross streams and straddled downed tree trunks to reach a waterfall, they recalled their childhood days of frolicking in the Santa Susana Mountains.

``We used to have to sneak back here,'' Mike said. ``I grew up here and played in the hills as a kid.''

On Sunday, leaders from the Santa Clarita Valley Sierra Club led a group of about 35 hikers through the Santa Clarita Woodlands Park in Rice Canyon, filled with flowering ash trees, tall bunch grass and fragrant purple sage along the canyon edges within half a mile of the Golden State Freeway off the Calgrove exit.

Much of the pristine land was privately owned until the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy recently purchased it.

Lori remembered cherished childhood times as she strolled through a small meadow, lined with tall grass that her dog Bear rolled in.

``The poppies used to be solid in the hills. We would lay in the poppies or play war,'' she said.

For others, the six-mile hike was an opportunity to get away from the hustle and bustle of their jobs and tiresome chores at home - even if it meant traversing muddy waterways and braving poisonous plants.

``I know I've got stinging nettles in my hand, and I'll probably have poison oak welts tomorrow, but I'd say it's worth it. . . . I just like being in the outdoors after sitting in the office all week,'' Mike Farrell, a graphic artist from Valencia, said as he stood next to the 50-foot cascading waterfall called Shangri-La, with a forest of trees peeking out from the top.

The Osbornes encouraged other Santa Clarita residents to traverse the varied landscape to appreciate what they have.

``We need to appreciate what the valley once looked like, so next time when they want to tear something up, they'll have a lot more of an uproar,'' she said, with the echoing sounds of croaking frogs around her. ``I'd rather have this than a mall any day.''

The leader of the hike, Henry Schultz of Saugus, pointed out areas of historical significance throughout the lush land filled with deer and mountain lions. Oil is abundant in these parts, he said, showing hikers natural oil seeps on the land.

``The Indians would use the oil and spread it on their baskets to seal them. The Tataviam Indians would then trade their items,'' Schultz said.

Schultz also pointed out live bedstraw, a plant once used to fill pillows. He also led the group through areas where rock slides had occurred and shifted the land because of the 1994 Northridge Earthquake.

Many of the hikers, ages 20 to 70, had hiked these backwoods before but found the guide's historical background helpful.

Jasper Colebank, 65, of Westchester used to live in Santa Clarita but did not realize how vast the canyons were.

``It's beautiful. I didn't realize how deep it was back here. You don't realize the complex depth of the canyons only a quarter-mile from the freeway. I think it's life-extending - good for your brain and for your soul,'' he said.

For more information about this hike or others throughout the Santa Clarita Valley, call the local Sierra Club at [phone] or the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy at [phone] Ext. 126.

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4 Photos

Photo: (1--Ran in SAC and AV editions only--Color) Jill Conway of Canyon Country balances from stone to stone while crossing a small stream in Towsley Canyon on Sunday.

(2--Ran in SAC and AV editions only--Color only in SAC edition) Ed Benison uses his staff to help him along a three-mile hike (each way) through the Santa Susana Mountains to a waterfall.

(3--Ran in SAC and Conejo editions only) Bear, a 2-year-old Rottweiler, stalks the trail with companions John and Lori Osborne on a hike Sunday led by the Sierra Club.

(4--Ran in SAC and AV editions only) Hike leader Henry Schultz, center, led about three dozen people on the woodland trek.

John Lazar/Special to the Daily News