On President's Day, Boy and Girl Scouts from the San Gabriel Valley hiked the residential areas of Altadena and Pasadena, but not to learn about trees, birds or rock formations. Rather, these hikers were learning about religious tolerance as they took part in the fifth annual "10 Commandment Hike" sponsored by the San Gabriel Valley Council of Religious Relationships.

This year, civic leaders including Pasadena Mayor Bill Bogaard, Rep. Adam Schiff, State Sen. Jack Scott, Assemblyperson Carol Lui and County Supervisor Mike Antonovich welcomed the Scouts to the annual hike.

During the near 4-mile hike, an estimated 250 Scouts visited various houses of worship, including Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Pasadena and, for the first time, a Jewish temple, said Jim Shivers, vice chairman of the Los Angeles Archdiocese Catholic Committee on Scouting, who also helped coordinate the hike.

The Scouts hiked to other Christian churches as well as an Islamic mosque, ending up at a Buddhist temple. At each location, Scouts heard a short lesson about one of the 10 Commandments as well as learning something about that religious institution.

"We want to kids to walk away from this with a little respect for other religions and a reverence for their own," said Shivers. "Ignorance breeds all kinds of problems. We want the Scouts to see a variety of religious denominations, see the clergy in their vestments, understand them a bit and ask questions."