Friday, September 18
Start: Shark Harbor (Little Harbor)
Via: Two Harbors (Isthmus)
Stop: Parsons Landing
Unceded land of the Tongva peoples
17.1 miles
4634′ ascent
4686′ descent
I have my watch alarm set for 5:30 but wake up before it goes off. I snooze it and then slowly rustle to life. I start hiking at the edge of day just before 6:30 am and walk through the silent cowboy campground. Grateful for yesterdays recon, I push through the horse fencing and head directly to the trail. I climb up the ridge above Little Harbor as hints of color hide among the clouds.
I head straight up the ridge on the western edge of the Catalina Island, overlooking the vast Pacific Ocean. I’m grateful for the clouds on this otherwise exposed and shadeless climb.
I look back towards the Southeast and can see Black Jack Mountain and its cell towers. I check and sure enough, I have cell service. I am distracted briefly before resuming my climbing.
The trail momentarily flattens out as I greet a couple ravens. Then it’s straight up again to a 1,195 ft. high point labeled on one of my maps as just Goat.
One more short climb to another high point where there is a partial shade gazebo. It’s about 8:15 am so I set my pack down and take a break. I make electrolyte water and eat an oat bar while taking in the big panning views. Just as I am hoisting my pack, a hiker approaches from the other direction. We chat a bit and he tells me that he hiked the AT a few years ago. He says he’s headed to Black Jack Campground but I resist saying anything about my horrible experience there two nights ago.
The trail climbs before yo-yoing along the ridgeline. I join the Banning House Road and climb to over 1,200 ft. About 9 am, Two Harbors appears on the horizon as I start the steep descent.
I pass several people getting a real workout climbing the road that I’m descending. It’s 9:40 am when I walk into the little berg of Two Harbors aka Isthmus. It takes me awhile to figure out that the locals call it Isthmus because that’s the name of the cove. I pass the public bathrooms and head straight to the Catalina Island Company office. I ask about getting the combo for the reserved locker at Parsons Landing but the ranger is heading out today so I won’t need a combo. I’m a bit skeptical but hope for the best. I message uncle who, as it turns out, has actually already made his way to Parsons Landing Campground via his arranged transport.
I head over to the General Store which is the social hub of Two Harbors. I stow my backpack in a shopping cart as I mosey around the store. At first I had thought about going to the one restaurant in town but now all I want are donuts. I find old fashioned donut holes and that will do. I add raspberries, two bottles of gatorade, sea salt and barbeque chips, salami and cheese, snickers bar, peanut m&m’s, and a can of moscow mule to my cart. I also peruse their shirts and find several choices for the Trans-Catalina Trail. Since they have several in my size, I decide to wait until my return tomorrow to purchase one.
I pay $58 for my groceries and roll my cart outside to the tables. It’s a breakfast buffet of sorts as I gorge on donut holes and raspberries. I pour several instant oatmeal packets into my hard plastic ziploc container and add half of the raspberries. Top it off with water and it will soak to perfection the rest of the warm day in the outer mesh pocket of my backpack. I eat the majority of the donut holes and then pack the remaining nine into a ziploc bag. I repackage the salami and cheese into a ziploc. I open both chip bags and combine them. The one bag is so full that I have to eat some for breakfast too. I drink one 20 oz. bottle of gatorade, some of my premade coffee mocha and the moscow mule. I pour the second gatorade into a water bottle. I officially reach the too full status. I get everything packed into my backpack and return the cart inside the store.
I head over to the restrooms where I have to get creative to fill my water bottles. I use my smaller coffee bottle to fill my Smart water bottles that won’t fit under the faucet head. It’s only about 7 miles to Parsons Landing but given all the climbing, I leave Two Harbors with 2 liters + one 12 oz. bottle full of water.
I head out of Two Harbors about 11:30 am and see the high school kids from the ferry grouped up in circles at the park. I’m still too full and drag myself along the Cat Harbor Road as I watch a pelican getting stalked by a gull out on the water. The road turns right, goes through a construction area and then starts to steeply climb towards the ridge.
I pass through a gated entry point before finding a canyon live oak to take a short break under. It takes about 40 minutes of climbing before reaching a sweet view of Catalina Harbor and beyond. I hear music and see three hikers coming downhill towards me. They stop and rest their weary muscles but pointing themselves uphill. They kindly turn off their music as we chat for a few minutes. They started their day at Parsons Landing and I confirm that’s where I’m headed.
I top out at one of the semi-shade gazebos about 1:30 pm. I set my backpack down and take a break. The wind is really ripping up here which actually feels pretty good across my sweaty body. I follow the undulating ridge on the Silver Peak Road aka Silver Peak Trail. From way up here, there are panoramic views in all directions. I can see Cherry and Fourth Of July Coves to the East and a lone sailboat to the West. The Silver Peak Ridge stretches out before me to the North.
It’s far downhill from me, but the profile of a hawk is obvious. Or at least I’m pretty sure it’s not one of the gazillion ravens that call Catalina Island home. I arrive at the junction where the TCT takes a nose dive straight over the edge down Fence Line Road towards Parsons Landing at 2:45 pm. The FarOut App shows an additional 5 mile loop. The Silver Peak Trail sign shows the distance as 6 miles to Parsons Landing. The distance straight down Fence Line Road is two miles. It’s only a difference of 3-4 miles so I decide to go for it.
Just past the junction, Parsons Landing comes into view and I can see a boat just offshore.
This end of Catalina is really beautiful with a lot more reddish-orange iron-rich soils present. I’m making good progress when I reach a section of the road at the end of the ridgeline that has slipped out, obviously a long time ago. I decide to take the line to the right which presents some challenges as I do the leaping cacti dance. I emerge spine-free and rejoin the road that starts to steeply descend.
At 4:20 pm I pass a sign reading Old West End Road that sits at a faint trail. I don’t give it a second thought and continue down the road. I hike another 10 minutes and think to check the FarOut app. Well shoot, I’m now way below their line on the map. I contemplate my options. This road is not on the map and I don’t know where it will take me. So I reluctantly turn around and climb back up the steep road. I turn onto the faint tread and follow it along the bank before it drops onto a road. I follow the road until it does eventually merge with the road I had been on. So, the FarOut app doesn’t yet know about this new section of West End Road. I think this new section drops down pretty far and you have to climb up to where it merges with the older section.
Catalina’s Island Fox, sensing the edge of day, has emerged for the evening. It freezes as we watch each other for a long time. The small Island Fox is endemic to six of the eight Channel Islands and a descendant of the mainland’s gray fox. Fossil evidence shows that they have been on Catalina for over 7,000 years. Just after 5 pm I find a seep of water in the road, which is the only water source that I’ve seen the whole day.
At 5:20 pm I get to a view point where I can look down on Parsons Landing. I can see uncle’s bivy and him sitting at our campsite table. The West End Road connects to a road that descends to the campground. I roll in about 5:45 pm to find that the sun has set enough that our campsite is now in the shade. During the day, uncle met the other campers here, found some refuge from the sun under the giant rock in front of our campsite. and had a food disagreement with some ravens. I struggle a bit to set my tent up in the changing breeze. And then it’s dinner time. My raspberry oatmeal has soaked and warmed to perfection. Plus salami, cheese, chips and peanut m&m’s for dessert. It’s been a long day with tons of climbing so I’m ready to rest. The neighbors have a light tower going and are having fun so I put some music in my ears and relax into the evening.
