A Mother's Day march by a corps of hikers on a disputed trail in Monterey through private land added more fuel to a controversy over public access to the area.

About 50 people walked the trail Sunday as part of a "community hike" organized by a group calling itself "Right to Hike." The group wants the Skyline Forest trail to remain open to the public as they say it has been for decades.

But a resident whose property abuts the trail and opposes the public access said she and another family filed complaints with Monterey police Sunday after marchers began clapping loudly as they walked by.

Cathy Giammanco, whose family has pursued legal action for years in an attempt to preserve their rights to the disputed property, called the group's applause "inflammatory" but said she and her family remained inside to avoid a possible confrontation.

She said Sunday's march "was quite uneventful because we made it uneventful. But I couldn't use my backyard on Mother's Day."

Several marchers flatly denied that they initiated the clapping, and described the event as peaceful and nonconfrontational. One marcher said she heard people on a balcony in a nearby home begin to clap as marchers passed by, prompting waves and applause in return.

"I couldn't be more surprised" by the complaints, Right to Hike marcher and longtime area resident Joan Jeffers McCleary said. "We were the most well-behaved, orderly, peaceful group, from people in their 80s to kids with their dogs.We stayed on the trail and minded our own business."

McCleary said marchers were careful to behave themselves and stay on the trail to avoid any appearance of impropriety.

In allowing the march to proceed, Superior Court Judge Kay Kingsley warned last week that any misbehavior could be presented as evidence that the trail should be closed in the future.

The Giammancos are squared off in court against the city of Monterey over a 12.5-acre parcel of land where the trail is located. The land was deeded decades ago as an open-space easement to a group of homeowners under the auspices of the Huckleberry Ridge Homeowners Association. But public use of the trail, which some longtime residents say has been ongoing since the 1930s, continued.

The Giammancos, including Cathy, her husband Anthony Sr. and his brother Vincent Jr., filed suit several years ago against the city and the homeowners association seeking to force the two entities to enforce terms of the private property deed. They said it prohibits public trespassing and requires the city to maintain the property as open space.

But city attorneys contend the trail has been used by the public for decades and that the city has maintained the property for a number of years. As a result, they say, the public has a right to continue the historical use of the trail.

Cathy Giammanco accuses the city of trying to strong-arm the residents into giving up their claim to the land by imposing exorbitant bills and rules for the property's upkeep on the homeowners while continuing to allow public access. Though other residents oppose the Giammancos' efforts, Cathy Giammanco said she's sticking to her guns.

"As far as I'm concerned, it's unconstitutional," she said. "It's taking private land for public use. I paid for this (land) and (the city) never offered me a dime. I'm standing on principle. I'm not going away. I can't, it's in my backyard."

State appellate court Justice Nat Agliano issued a decision in March that found the property deed did not include public right-of-trail or recreational access. But he ordered the city not to prohibit use of the trail nor advocate its use until the matter is settled.

A hearing originally set for May 20 has been postponed until May 27 at the earliest, said Assistant City Attorney Christine Davi.

Jim Johnson can be reached at 753-6753 or jjohnson@montereyherald.com.