{Written by Summit Hut Gearhead Doug and Lauren James }
Day 3: Fox Poop Everywhere
On the third day of our trip, we hiked from Little Harbor to Black Jack campground. This hike is about 8 miles, and we were a bit sore by this point, so each hill we did encounter was a new challenge. As we said before, the Trans Catalina trail has very few switchbacks, and likes to follow ridgelines.
We grabbed a hot meal at Airport in the Sky. Doug talked to a guy who had flown into the airport many times, but never seen a fox on the island. This was a shock to us, as we had seen foxes at both campsites so far, and they had made great efforts to get into our food! (Do not turn your back on an open bear box. If you do, a fox will quietly steal exactly two granola bars. Yes, the very granola bars you were saving for dessert.) Not only that, but we walked through an amazing amount of fox poop on every leg of the trail. In most parts of the trail, you couldn’t go ten feet without seeing more fox poop. It was impressive.
Black Jack was a nice change of pace from the rest of the hike, which was mostly treeless. This campsite has lots of gorgeous trees. We went to bed on the early side this evening, as three days of intense hiking can take a toll! On hikes like this, both of us choose to invest a little extra weight in comfortable pads. Yes, there are lots of lighter pads out there (or some go without a pad), but when you’re sore and tired, it’s nice to sink into something plush and comfortable.
Day 4: Blackjack to Avalon
We woke up early and enjoyed some rich sunshine this morning. This was the only day we truly saw bison (the one in the dark didn’t count!). Catalina Island is famous for the herd of about 150 of bison that live there, but we only saw the one.
After 3 miles of the 9 mile trail, the descent to Avalon begins. At this point you can choose to take the road into Avalon, or the trail. Most take the trail, as it leads right to the Hermit Gulch campground, which is about a mile outside of Avalon. But we had opted for a cushy night in a hotel for our last night on the island, so we wanted to go right into town. We also knew that the trail would be devoid of switchbacks. The road, on the other hand, had switchbacks along a tree-lined road, and a beautiful view of the ocean and the town. It was a good choice for our last few hours of hiking, as we ended our journey with a pleasant, scenic descent.
We spent the evening at Hotel MacRae. We splurged on pizza and junk food, then set up camping chairs right on the beach at the harbor. This was the reason we chose to do the Trans Catalina trail “backwards” – so that we could enjoy a shower and a bed before taking the ferry home the next day.
Conclusion
Gear-wise, everything functioned without issue. It was the first time the Outdoor Vitals Quilt, the Nemo sleeping pad, the Mountain Hardwear tent and Kor Airshell Warm jackets were used in the field. We are extremely happy with all of them. Especially the Nemo Tensor Extreme Conditions pad, which is the best Doug has ever used. Our lucky trekking poles continue to function flawlessly after 20 years of hard use.
We loved hiking the Trans Catalina Trail, but it was more challenging than we expected. With elevation changes totaling over 9,600 feet in 40 miles, and hardly any switchbacks, you’ll feel like you worked out every muscle in your legs to the fullest! If we were to do it over again, we might add a rest day in the middle, simply stop in Two Harbors for a night instead of combining two legs or go back in time 20 years to when we were young and spry. No matter how you go about it, we highly recommend you add Catalina Island and its trails to your hiking bucket list.