Life on the California Coastal Trail for 96 days over 1,000 miles is a mix of beaches, bluffs, forests, highways and towns. But it also means awe-inspiring scenery and wildlife. You MUST plan around the tides, reserve campsites and be on the lookout for poison oak and ticks. But why do it? Two hikers told us their reasons and their experience on the trail at the latest ‘Venture(a) Out in the County’ program hosted by Ventura Sierra Club.
Both graduated from UCSB with a marine biology masters degree, but both had a desire to be policy wonks and do more for the coastal environment. Morgan V. and Jocelyn E. took about a year to plan a thru-hike on the trail and applied for an Explore the Coast grant from State Coastal Conservancy (SCC) for help.
The California Coast Trail is the state official trail (I didn’t know we had one!). It was put into the California Coastal Act (which made the Coastal Commission a permanent agency) and has been supported by a number of state laws and bonds for funding and protection ever since. Lots of trail background, scenes, tips and maps are on an official website: californiacoastaltrail.info and a non-profit volunteer driven organization, Coastal Trail Assoc., now champions the trail: coastwalk.org. The fascinating full story on the MoJo Coastwalk is on the Coastal Trail Association website at https://coastwalk.org/mojocoastwalk/
One key effort made this thru-hike different than any other. It wasn’t enjoyment, fitness, science, or exploration. Not even that a daily blog was written, or a GPS map recorded. The most important aspect was advocacy. Every day of the trip included meeting with a local official or state parks staff or media event. Everywhere they happened to be, they spoke with and lobbied mayors, County Supervisors, coastal advocates, and residents. The happy news is that every person contacted along this trip was supportive of the California Coastal Trail.
What next? The trail is not complete and still contains gaps unsafe for walking. Both Mo and Jo plan to continue to work on CCT advocacy. The trip has changed their life and making the trail a world class resource is a goal they want to accomplish. So wonderful to have them in the next generation of environmental leaders.
