I’m always looking for a semi-secret trailhead that helps me get a good hike off to a great start and avoid the sometimes maddening crowds. I figured I’d love the rather obscure Liberty Canyon Trailhead at the northern edge of popular Malibu Creek State Park.
 
I figured wrong.
 
I like hiking in the state park, one of my favorite locales in the Santa Monica Mountains, but so do a lot of other hikers, so I thought I’d access the Liberty Canyon Natural Preserve part of the park via this backdoor entrance.
 
In Calabasas, I exited the Ventura Freeway, headed southbound on Liberty Canyon Road and was immediately confronted by a northbound line of mostly late model cars parked along the road and portable signs that read: Special Event Ahead. A half mile down the road, which borders an upscale suburban neighborhood, I was halted by a traffic jam.
 
I hailed a middle-aged guy standing next to his Lexus. “Excuse me. I’m probably the only one on Liberty Canyon Road who doesn’t know this, but what ‘special event’ are all these people waiting for?”
 
“Flu shots,” he replied, shaking his head, as if doubting my sanity or his. Or both.
 
“Where are you going to get them?” I asked..
 
“The community center,” he answered, gesturing back toward the freeway. “They’re giving the shots from 10 to 2. I got in line hours ago, and I thought I was early enough to get a shot, but…” his voice trailed off.
 
It was 8:30 in the morning.  Glancing in the rear view mirror of my trusty Toyota pickup, I noted there were now a dozen cars in line behind me. No way was I going on a hike from the Liberty Canyon trailhead.
 
Reversing course, I drove over to Anza Park, another back entrance to Malibu Creek State Park and hit the trail. In my first mile of hiking, I saw more rabbits (4) and coyotes (2) than humans (1). I traipsed a path called Talapop Trail, which led me up to some oak-topped ridges for fine views of the Santa Monica Mountains. After two hours of pleasant meandering, I descended to meet Liberty Canyon Trail.
 
Now I had a decision to make: Continue with my peaceful rambling around Liberty Canyon Natural Preserve or give in to my curiosity and hike over to the Liberty Canyon trailhead, the very one I was unable to reach due to the Great H1N1 Jam.
 
I headed for the trailhead, wandering a lonely mile to the park boundary and the suburban edge. Standing in front of his patrol car, red light flashing, a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputy directed the considerable traffic of vehicles and vaccine-seekers around a U-turn at the end of Liberty Canyon Road.
 
I was also confronted by the distinct border between public land and private property. Separating the upscale neighborhood from the parkland was a fancy black iron fence, the kind of enclosure that more typically surrounds a swimming pool at a fancy resort. Nearby suburban streets were posted with “No Parking” signs by the local homeowners association. A faded sign posted by a would-be developer promised the construction of Bacara Estates, with prices beginning the low two millions. A bulldozer was parked just outside the park boundary and the unimproved lots screened from view by a privacy fence.
 
Liberty Canyon Trailhead is anything but welcoming and public parking is scarce, perhaps nonexistent. Even in the best of times, nothing about this trailhead welcomes hikers. And clearly this was not the best of times.
 
I hiked back up Liberty Canyon, breathing in the sweet perfume of the sage and trying to shake off the sights and sounds of modernity. As I hiked along I couldn’t help wondering: Didn’t we Americans used to be good at quickly mass manufacturing something crucial like a vaccine and rapidly distributing it to those who needed it across the nation and around the world? What happened?
 
I suppose the current health care reform debate, particularly the private vs. public insurance issue, is a uniquely American problem, reflecting our simultaneous embrace of the rights of the individual and what’s necessary for the public good. Apparently we haven’t found a balance that’s agreeable to most people whether it’s a health care system or a boundary between private property and public land in a place called Liberty Canyon.