Thursday, September 17
Start: Black Jack Campground
Via: Airport In The Sky
Stop: Little Harbor (Shark Harbor)
Unceded land of the Tongva peoples
9.16 miles
1246’ ascent
2716’ descent
I awake about 5:30 am. My body can’t lay on the ground anymore so I’m ready to get up even though I’m totally exhausted from the night-long drone activity. I crawl out of my tent just after 6 am and my uncle and I just stare at each other through an elongated pause. We launch into a expletive-filled discussion about last night’s drone and shooting saga. I see two hikers departing Black Jack Campground South towards Avalon. Today is a short day of hiking for us so we’re not in any rush.
We leave camp at 7:15 am and climb up to a road before dropping down into the next canyon. There’s another brand new “Warning” sign about 1.5 trail miles before the Airport but I don’t take a picture of it. Just seeing the sign causes all the traumatic memories from last night to flood my system.
The trail descends into a small canyon before climbing back up to the airport. I hike past tall palm trees and water lines that are sitting exposed on the ground’s surface. There are even fresh bison prints so I keep my eyes and ears pealed. After an hour of hiking we arrive at the “Airport In The Sky” just in time for the opening of the restaurant at 8:30 am.
“Welcome – You are entering the protected land of the Catalina Island Conservancy – Treat the land with care and respect”
But what about the animals who call this home?
I order a breakfast burrito and a coffee. Uncle places his order and we fight a bit about who’s going to pay. And then serendipidously, his zippered pants pocket with wallet inside won’t unzip. As we wait for our freshly cooked breakfast, I get out my manager knife with tiny scissors so that uncle can break into his pocket. I happily consume my breakfast burrito and then finish off my coffee while I work through wordle. I had thought about getting a breakfast burrito to go but the day is short and mostly downhill from here. I opt instead for an ice cream and a bottle of Stone Brewing IPA. I read about the Pimu Tongva peoples and their history with this island as Dusty the airport cat saunters through. He’s happy to get a few scratches between the ears.
We’re back on trail just after 10 am and skirt the ridge before descending to the Buffalo Springs Reservoirs. There are two mallard duck pairs in the water and a killdeer patrolling the water’s edge on the second reservoir. The irony of this bird’s name is not lost on me. There’s a pole sticking out of the water and a black phoebe is perched on top of it bobbing its tail with each salutation.
After the reservoirs, the TCT turns left on Empire Landing Road which we follow for just over a mile. There are big views to the East. And then we make a left turn and start descending the ridge between Big and Little Springs Canyons.
I find an “emergency kit” box tied to a shrub with webbing. The lid says “In case of emergency, take 1 foil packet and wave to attract drivers attention on nearest road. Use first aid kit as needed. Stay hydrated during your hike.” Maybe during peak season there are more cars on the nearest road but today, you would be out of luck waving the foil.
I catch up with uncle who’s stopped for a break, and we chat about tomorrow’s plan. He’s feeling a bit enervated from yesterday’s hot climb and subsequent sleepless night. The first idea is just that he’ll hike to Two Harbors tomorrow and get a room at Banning House. Then the idea evolves into not hiking to Two Harbors. We luck into some cell service half way down the ridge and can sit at a partial shade gazebo. We find out that there are no rooms available at Banning House and no camping spots at the Two Harbors campground. The plan grows into him getting a transport to near Parsons Landing, where we have a camping reservation tomorrow evening.
With the strategy set in motion, we hike the rest of the way down to Little Harbor, where it turns out that there’s some event in full swing. The trail dumps us into the middle of the campground about 2 pm and we look around a bit. A ranger immediately comes over to us and tells us that we won’t be camping here. I assure him that everything is ok and that we have a reservation for Shark Harbor. We hike an additional quarter mile South over a small ridge to Shark Harbor where there are three peaceful camp spots.
Uncle takes a quick dip in the ocean and then a water faucet shower, achieving full refresh. Our reserved firewood is nowhere to be found so I trek back over to Little Harbor in search of the ranger. There are tents everywhere and the campground is filled to the max. There’s a food truck running on a loud generator that’s prepping dinner and there’s big tents with tables and chairs. Then there’s the tent with a stage for music plus several bars ready to serve an array of drinks. This is definitely some kind of cowboy horse event complete with vendor booths and even a few cowboys walking around in their jinglebobs. The ranger is nowhere but I decide that it’s a good time to do a little reconnaissance to find the TCT and where it will exit this whole mess. I try one direction and that’s not it. I open my FarOut app and find that the trail heads down the road through camp. I get to a point that’s blocked with horse fencing and can see a trail sign off to my left. I squeeze through and check my route straight through a campsite with a large horse trailer, water hoses and two large horses behind fencing. The cowboy looks at me quizzically but I just keep walking like I know what I’m doing.
As I head back over to Shark Harbor, there’s a couple walking towards me who ask if I was looking for the ranger. They’re actually camped next to us at Shark Harbor and have made several attempts to find the ranger as well. They fill me in on the all-men horse event called Los Caballeros. I guess the all-women’s event follows this one and is called Las Caballeras. These folks spend a fortune to bring over their horses and trailers to Catalina. I’m grateful that we are separated from all the hustle and bustle of the cowboy scene.
I get back to camp about 3:15 pm and decide to explore a faint trail leading off to the South. There’s a Black turnstone harvesting from some seaweed and plant matter that has washed ashore. As I approach, it runs over and joins a group of birds that are working the surf’s edge. It seems like they are all turnstones but maybe there’s a sanderling in there too. The trail takes me up the cliff and is washed out in some places. It’s not the safest hiking but I push on and get up above the water on some rocks. From here I can see how clear the water is. I see the hiker camped at the third spot enter the water with a snorkel mask and fins. She swims in my direction and continues along the coast line as I return to camp.
Because it’s only 4 pm and the sun is still blasting, I take refuge in the shady side of the pit toilet as a group of kids descend onto the beach. I lean my back against the outhouse while I sit on my long thin mat. I take off my shoes and socks and type into my bluetooth keyboard. I spend about an hour and a half getting down the details from the last two days of hiking. Just as the kids are leaving, I return to camp and set up my tent with an ocean view out the front window.
The “ranger” magically appears and drives in with the firewood about 5:30 pm. It’s a pretty good sized bundle with a little starter piece. I eat dinner at the table, still trying to avoid the sun. Uncle mentions that the hiker who was snorkeling was able to see Garibaldi fish. Cool! We are treated to a spectacular sunset as the molten ball of sunlight descends into the ocean. I’ll get an early start tomorrow so I’m ready for my sandy bed. And uncle is tired, so we end up skipping the firewood.
