So on Thursday, June 1, Fritsche, 69, and his wife, Sue, will put their commitment to education into action by leading a series of hikes totaling about 108 miles along the length of the San Gabriel Mountains to raise money for scholarships in Northridge's Department of Geological Sciences.

The Fritsches are asking supporters of their "GeoTrek" to donate to the CSUN Geological Sciences Endowment, which provides scholarships to students in the department.

"Because the cost of education today is so high, many geology students need financial aid if they are going to complete their degrees in a timely fashion and become the geologists of the future," said Gene Fritsche, who retired in 2000.

Fritsche said the GeoTrek should take about 10 days, beginning June 1 at the Whitney Canyon Trailhead near Newhall Pass and culminating on Monday, June 19, at Cajon Pass. He said hiking days will be interspersed with rest days, during which pictures and a geologic description of the hikes will be posted on the Internet so people can keep track of the trek's progress.

Members of the public are invited to join the Fritsches on any or all portions of the hike. They have set aside the weekend of June 17 and 18 for alumni of CSUN's geological sciences department to join them. There will be a geology alumni dinner at Wrightwood the evening of June 17.

To contribute to the scholarship fund, contact Mari Flores in the department at (818) 677-3541 or via e-mail at mari.flores@csun.edu. Checks should be made out the the CSUN Foundation, with Geology Endowment in the memo line, and can be sent to the Department of Geological Sciences, California State University, Northridge, 18111 Nordhoff St., Northridge, CA 91330-8266.

For more information about the geotrek or to follow the hikers' adventures, visit the Web site http://www.csun.edu/~hcgeo007/sgmhikeindex.htm.

The hike's itinerary is as follows:

• Thursday, June 1 -- Whitney Canyon Trailhead to Los Angeles County Fire Department Camp 9 via the Santa Clara Trail, about 7.3 miles.
• Friday, June 2 -- County Fire Department Camp 9 to Magic Mountain (the mountain, not the amusement park) via the Santa Clara Trail, 10.4 miles.
• Tuesday, June 6 -- Magic Mountain to Messenger Flats Campground via the Santa Clara Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail, 12.8 miles.
• Wednesday, June 7 -- Messenger Flats Campground to Mill Creek Summit Picnic Area via the Pacific Crest Trail, 11.8 miles.
• Saturday, June 10 -- Mill Creek Summit Picnic Area to Three Points (Camp Valcrest) via the Pacifico Mountain Road and the Silver Moccasin Trail, 11.6 miles.
• Tuesday, June 13 -- Three Points to Eagles Roost Picnic Area via the Pacific Crest Trail, 11.8 miles.
• Wednesday, June 13 -- Eagles Roost Picnic Area to Little Jimmy Campground via the Pacific Crest Trail, 6 miles.
• Saturday, June 17 -- Little Jimmy Campground to Grassy Hallow Campground via the Pacific Crest Trail, 13 miles.
• Sunday, June 18--Grassy Hollow Campground to Wrightwood via the Pacific Crest Trail and the Acorn Canyon Trail, 10 miles.
• Monday, June 19--Wrightwood to Cajon Pass via Lone Pine Canyon Road and the Pacific Crest trail, 13.7 miles.