Carol Leacock, president of the Temescal Canyon Association in Pacific Palisades, picked up a copy of the magazine National Geographic Traveler while in her doctor’s waiting room this summer. She had noticed the cover headline”The World’s Most Scenic Drives”and as she leafed through the story she saw an even more intriguing headline: ‘Sunset Boulevard,’ and a subhead touting ‘Stunning strolls’Unforgettable characters’True glitz.’ Sounds like the Palisades, right? Sure enough, here’s what the writer had to say: ‘Heading east on Sunset from Pacific Palisades, start out spiritually (so California) at the Self-realization Fellowship Lake Shrine, which underscores the highly ecumenical nature of L.A. Hinduism and offers a meditative environment. ‘A left on Bienveneda takes you to the Topanga Trailhead and some mighty fine hiking through the Santa Monica Mountains. The Phil Leacock Memorial trail comes with views of the [sic] Pacific Palisades and the Pacific Ocean.’ One can imagine Carol Leacock’s amazement at reading that passage in a national magazine. She lives on Bienvenda (below St. Matthew’s) and her husband was Phil Leacock, a film director who died in 1990. ‘The trail was Phil’s idea, as far as I remember,’ Carol said this week. ‘After he died, I asked our local trailbuilder Ron Webster to scout out the trail, which he did, and then I asked State Parks personnel if we could go ahead with it. I repeatedly got turned down. They would say they couldn’t afford it and I would say TCA would cover the cost. Time went by and I forgot to pursue it. Then a new superintendent for Will Rogers State Historic Park arrived, Susan Ross. She came to TCA board meetings and we got to know her well. After a few months I realized that I had not asked her about the trail. I called her and we met at the trailhead on upper Bienveneda. We looked it over and she said, ‘Go ahead.’ I called Ron Webster and he told me the Sierra Club trails crew were available, and also the L.A. Conservation Corps. So a process that had taken three years was suddenly completed in less than three months!’ The half-mile long Leacock Trail starts at the Ridgeview Country Estates on Bienveneda and initially goes uphill to pass the Bienveneda Trail junction (which veers to the left to go higher up to connect with the Temescal Ridge Trail). After this junction, it is about 400 yards to the overlook offering dramatic ocean views. About halfway along the trail on the left, set into a rock in a shady area of the trail, is a memorial plaque that reads: ‘This trail is dedicated to the memory of Phil Leacock, president of the Temescal Canyon Association, who worked so long and hard for its completion.’ In 1980, the California Coastal Commission had mandated that a trail be built to provide hiking access to nearly 200 acres of chapparal donated to the state park system by the developer of Ridgeview Country Estates. The trail was paid for entirely by Temescal Canyon Association members, and was built by master trailmaker Ron Webster, with the help of volunteer crews. The rest of the National Geographic Traveler story? It reads as follows in regards to the Palisades: ”Back on Sunset, pause at Gelson’s, the local favorite supermarket’part of an iconic California chain’where there’s Wi-Fi (free), sushit made fresh daily, and loads of road trip snackables. Stop and nosh at nearby Will Rogers State Historic Park. The well-loved humorist deeded his estate to the state of California, which continues to maintain his home’and polo field. In the park is Inspiration Trail, nice to hike in the late afternoon when the fog rolls in.’
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