As a preface; The second weekend of April we hiked the Trans-Catalina Trail (TCT) from Two Harbors to Avalon, while we did not have the time to complete the Starlight Beach and Northern portion of the trail, this trip was still extremely rewarding and a great weekend challenge. The beauty of this trail is that while it is only an hour away from Los Angeles, you truly feel as if you’ve transcended latitudinal regions and made your way to a remote Pacific Island. The exciting thing about this is that anyone in Los Angeles can find themselves conquering this great experience, on an average weekend. If you have the ability, departing Friday night and setting up camp in the port town of Two Harbors would have been ideal, but with her flight and my work, we were unable to make the last flight of the evening, and the charter helicopter service will not fly at night.
On the evening of Friday, the 8th of April we met up at the REI Huntington Beach location to stock up on some last minute goods (see: her whole setup). We sleepily made our way to the San Pedro Ports and did some final gear prepping and turned in for the night.
We awoke the next morning to overcast skies and sleepy eyes. Several cups of coffee and a quick drive to the Catalina Express Terminal in the San Pedro Ports, we were ready to take off… this was to be our first expedition without the Land Rover, dismounted to our own foot-power. Ambitiously overpacking, the sadistic nature in me prefers to carry heavy loads, and have every single item I could possibly want. Though seeing the new gear at REI has made me consider swapping out some of my decade-old backpacking gear for the Gucci Ultralight setups people run with now… what a difference! Anyways… on to the ferry we went, and an hour later we saw the island of Santa Catalina through the rain and wake-soaked portholes of the ship:
When we disembarked the ferry, the rain was coming down quite significantly, so fortunately Two Harbors has great accommodations for grabbing a bite to eat, stocking up on any last minute items, seeing if a storm will bypass, or in our case… all of the above. Shortly after, we found the trailhead (pictured below) and began our trek up the joint trail/road. Both the ladies we encountered at the permit/campsite registry, and at the Two Harbors General Store strongly advised we not journey on the TCT due to the recent rainstorms and mud we would encounter, but we determinedly decided to pursue..
After an admittedly begrudged ascent, climbing over (1,200) feet in about (2) miles, we were greeted with the beginning of some wonderful views:
Stealing a unwarranted shot as she trudges through the cactus-patch. (below) The trail often was surrounded by cacti on both sides, and was fascinating… as a desert climate on this island made it that much more unique. It is of note, as many have stated before us, there is no continual cover from the sun. On one of the very rare days which we experienced, this is not an issue, but in the height of the summer, the un-acclimatized hiker could succumb to this natural point of friction
Making the way along the tops of the ridgeline, the trail has a great ability to provide breathtaking sights in all directions. From the microterrain in front of you with cactus and wildflowers in bloom, to the sweeping cliffs into the ocean, this trail is truly special. Below is a great example of the macro/micro focus that is possible when trekking the TCT. the zoomed photo shows the shoreline, while the full-frame is the same perspective.
Some of the best parts of this trail are completing challenging, or not-so-challenging portions and looking back and realizing not only the magnitude of what you’ve just accomplished, but how special it is to behold.
After a few hours of these views, we made the first contact with out campsite at Little Harbor. I cannot express how grateful I am that we were able to secure a last-minute spot at this site. The online reservations mandated a two-night stay at this campground, but the premier spot (in my opionion), Pad #12, was reserved through Friday, and then again Sunday, leaving only one day’s vacancy. I phoned the Catalina Island Conservancy direct and was able to secure a special one-night stay in this window, due to our hiking through and the availability. The closest palm tree to the beach in the photo below was Pad #12, our home for the night.
Upon reaching camp, we quickly took to our priorities of work… which this day meant setting up our shelter and fly… rain was inbound! To our surprise, a fully booked campground online (all spots but two in the rear were reserved) played host to us and one other couple. It was a secluded paradise that we were fortunate to have. This picture was taken shortly after setting the fly, before we had settled in:
One of the storied aspects of Santa Catalina Island is the wildlife, particulary the Bison (later to appear) and the Catalina Island Fox (pictured below). I encountered this friend when exploring the area surrounding our site. He was very curious of us, but friendly, and was not invasive to any of our gear throughout our stay. We’d heard stories of squirrels invading the sites, but utilizing proper food storage techniques, we had zero issues.
The rest of the evening was much-needed downtime and peaceful enjoyment of the private harbor show we had front row seats for. Waves crashing and splashing against the rocks, the sun setting in the West, and birds peacefully flying overhead was a perfect end to our day. Shortly after sundown we were manufacturing the ZzZ’s…
The next day, and major mileage of the trail is covered in the next page, Day Two.
