Trans Catalina Trail (part 2)
You may recall last week’s newsletter covered my adventure on the Trans Catalina Trail, on Catalina Island from Two Harbors to Shark Cove. This week we finish the story with the section from Shark Cove to Avalon.
Day 4
Day 4 took us from Shark Cove to Black Jack campground. Yes, Black Jack is spelled with two words. The distance traveled was 8.2 miles with about 1500 net feet of elevation gain and about 2000 total.
After taking pictures of a grazing bison in Little Harbor (see last newsletter), we began the long and gradual climb into the interior of Catalina. Previously we were never far from the coast, so the change of scenery was nice. After about four hours, we arrived at the Catalina Airport, known as the Airport in the Sky. There we rewarded ourselves with a long and delicious lunch of bison burgers.
About an hour after leaving the airport, we arrived at Black Jack camp. Next to the campground was Black Jack mountain. At the time I thought it was called Blackjack Mountain, so I just had to climb it. Unfortunately, fenced off cell phone towers kept me from reaching the actual summit, as is sometimes the case in summit bagging.
With it getting dark by 6:00 PM and no campfires allowed, it was getting harder to find new topics to discuss at night. The comedians of the group, including me, did our best to tell jokes, but we mostly ran out that evening. By about 7:30 PM, we were all tired and perhaps bored of sitting around in the dark. So we retreated to our tents early.
On this day, Luis, one of my campmates, gave me a tongue twister in Spanish. I enjoy the study of languages because I’m big on rules and structure. However, it bothers me when I hear a language spoken in a way contrary to how I was taught. The tongue twister raised a number of questions, which I ask Luis in my new YouTube video Tres Tigres Tristes Tragan Tringo en un Trigal
Day 5
Our final day on the trail took us from Black Jack campground to the end of the trail in Avalon. This would be our longest day at 10.7 miles, but with a net elevation loss of about 1500 feet. Plus, the last 1.5 miles we could do without heavy packs.
The day started early as we were all up at first light or before. That is what happens when you go to sleep at 7:30 PM. Most of the day was moderate ups and downs in the interior of the island. By this point we started to see a lot of tourists from Avalon on jeep tours or on mountain bikes. We could see the light at the end of the tunnel. This was unfortunate, for me at least, because I wanted to stay in the tunnel.
After about five hours on the trail, we reached the top of the Hermit Gulch trail. From here, it was a steep hike down to the Hermit Gulch campground. I would like to remind the reader, from last week’s newsletter, that the trail was rerouted some time since I hiked it the first time in 2014, making this section an official part of the trail as opposed to a short cut. So, I don’t want anybody to comment that I cheated.
What felt like the end of the journey was Hermit Gulch campground, which is an easy 1.5 miles from Avalon. Here we pitched our tents and enjoyed coin-operated hot showers. 25 cents bought about five minutes of hot water – it’s hard to beat that.
After we cleaned, we walked down the road to Avalon. After passing the golf course, we reached what is now one of my favorite restaurants anywhere – The Sandtrap. During happy hour, which we carefully planned to be present for, they offer $2 tacos, $3 draft beers and $4 lime margaritas. Between a hard five days on the trail, the cheap price and competition with another of my hiking partners, I ate a personal record of ten tacos. Not to mention, I drank most of a pitcher of margaritas.
The Sandtrap. This Mexican restaurant is an outstanding value, especially in Catalina, which is notoriously expensive.
After a decadent meal, we walked the rest of the way to downtown Avalon where we spent a few hours. On our way back to the campground, we happened upon a gender reveal party at a park. I thought the big reveal was usually done with a cake, but this time it was revealed in a balloon. 50.5% of births are male, so I bet $5 on a boy. I lost. I think the friend who I bet with asked somebody about previous births of the mother and was told she previously had one girl. That was a good strategy on his part as I believe there is a slight correlation of siblings having the same gender.
After that, we took the shuttle back to the campground. I was told it was a noisy evening as other groups were partying and playing Christmas music. Fortunately, I slept through it all.
Day 6
The next morning, we walked back to Avalon where we enjoyed a nice breakfast at the Pancake Cottage, which I recommend. I would also like to put in a plug for Island Donuts. There was a half marathon and 10-K going on. Before breakfast, I chatted with some of the runners. After dinking around Avalon for a second time, we boarded the 10:30 ferry back to San Pedro and then carpooled back to Vegas.
Overall, it was a very enjoyable trip. I am sorry it’s over. My other campmates report having withdrawal as well. This wasn’t one of the biggest challenges of my life, but one of the most fun. I would highly recommend the Trans Catalina Trail to anybody who can handle backpacking up to 10 miles a day.
Here is a summary of wild animals seen:
- Two bison, both at Little Harbor campground. Others in the group report seeing a third one in the same area, but at different times, so I wasn’t there to witness it. This is in comparison to when I hiked the TCT in 2014 and saw about 100 bison, although I only saw several close up. I was told in Avalon there is a sterilization program in effect to reduce the bison population.
- One mule deer. I came across him on my way down from Black Jack mountain. There is a controversial proposal to allow hunting of mule deer on Catalina to reduce the population.
- Several island foxes. This small species of fox is found only in the California Channel Islands. I saw many on Santa Cruz Island last year when I did a backpacking trip there.
- Sea Lions. There were a few sitting on a buoy off shore of our campground at Two Harbors. They were frequently heard barking at each other.
- Cats. Catalina seems to have a lot of semi-tame cats. I’m not sure if they are pets that are allowed to roam around or wild and simply adapted to be friendly to get free food.
In closing, here is some general advice about hiking the Trans Catalina Trail.
- Be sure to bring a current map. As I mentioned in the last newsletter, the trail was rerouted some time between 2014 and 2023. You can tell if you have the current map if it does NOT go to Starlight Beach on the western end.
- Get campground reservations early. There are very few spots at Parson’s Landing, Little Harbor, Shark Harbor and Black Jack camp. Here is a link for more information on reservations:
- Do not go in the summer. In 2014, I went in July when it was very hot and crowded. Going in November was much better. The downside is it gets dark very early, but it’s worth it for the cooler weather and fewer people.
- I would go backwards and start in Two Harbors. This way, you’ll have two of the easiest days at the start of the trip.
- Celebrate the end of your journey at the The Sandtrap!