SA Guide: Little Harbor to Two Harbors

"Best thing about camping," I said.

Laura agreed, "Yay, Pop Tarts."

Okay, it would be pretty sad if Pop Tarts (actually, "Nature's Path" toaster pastries) truly were the best thing about camping, but for some reason we both really enjoy them when we've got a good excuse - like a backpacking trip. Sure there's the hint of childhood - and it's accompanying overly sweet breakfasts that we've outgrown as adults - that amplifies the experience, but when a large part of your day is going to be dominated by hours of hiking with a good-sized pack on your back, that shot of sugar is also welcome.

Especially when you've got the ones with the frosting (mmmm, Cherry Pomegranate).

~

It was morning in Little Harbor on Catalina Island's windward shore. Although there were plenty of people in the campground we were the first up, and had the beach to ourselves. Trying to enjoy as much of the area as we could before we had to leave, I took video, Laura drew with pastels, and we both nibbled on our flat, rectangular reminders of simpler times. It seemed appropriate as we sat there with our feet in the sand and watched the waves.

But we had a boat to catch at 2PM, and five and a half miles of significant climbing and descending before we'd get to Two Harbors. And our hiking pace, encumbered as it usually is by the taking of plenty of pictures and video and the examining of any interesting flora and fauna, often turns what for most would be a hike of 2.5-3 hours into one longer than four. So we got going fairly early (well, okay...9AM).

The part of the Trans-Catalina Trail that runs between Little Harbor and Two Harbors (at least the southern three or four miles of it) affords dramatic Big Sur type views of the backside of the island - including the craggy entrance to Catalina ("Cat") Harbor - along with some nice interior vistas. Our timing was fortunate enough that as the fog rolled in off the open sea we crested the long, and sometimes steep, uphill ridge that parallels the backside coast. At this point the trail turns away from the windward shore and heads inland. But before getting too far we ran into a small ramada - a good place to rest, eat some trail mix and M&Ms (more sugar), and, through the last vestiges of clear sky, appreciate the impressive ocean-island views. After taking advantage, we geared up, headed back out on the ridge and began the stretch to the leeward side.

It doesn't take very long for views toward the east-side channel to begin peaking out from behind the hills, and soon enough we were heading down the long, loping stretch of fire road to the small village at Isthmus Cove, where we would catch the boat back to the mainland. We soon discovered that a different attitude prevails here. On the mainland, Catalina Express customers are given precise instructions on how, where and when to prepare for their trip. However when I inquired at the pier information center regarding when we were supposed to meet the boat, the staffer raised an eyebrow and said, "Whenever it gets here." The guy next to me grinned, "'Island time,' man."

I left the information office and we began looking for lunch. We had arrived in Two Harbors expecting little in the way of prepared food and resolved to snacking on leftover trail mix and granola bars. But as serendipity would have it we happened upon a very nice, and quite busy, burger place. After some particularly satisfying veggie-burgers, we grabbed our packs and moseyed out onto the pier to wait for the boat. This gave Laura a chance to finish her ice cream - which she'd gotten as a late birthday treat...and because we hadn't had enough sugar yet.

Info: Distance - 5.5 miles, Elevation change - 1239', Rating - Moderate-Difficult

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All photos and video by Laura or Bob Camp unless otherwise indicated. Use without permission is not cool.