TCT: Day 1
Trans-Catalina Trail: Day 1
6/4/2022
San Pedro - Avalon - Black Jack Campground
Miles hiked: 11 mi
Elevation gained: 2,831 ft (0 - 1,563 - 1,501)
Animals seen: dolphins, bees, bison
Elevation chart created on AllTrails.com
We woke up extra early to ensure we would make our 8:30am ferry to Catalina Island. Absolutely nothing was going to cause us to miss this ferry, not at the price they were charging. A brekkie of champs courtesy of your local Mickey Dee’s got us fueled up while en route. June Gloom was setting in hard with a heavy load of morning fog and I was full of regret for not packing my trusty flannel shirt.
The parking lot for the dock was a mess confusing. Signs all over stated no overnight parking but with the only ferry to and from Catalina, where else would you park? After talking to two very unsure employees we decided to park in an area that had a lot less towing signs and hoped for the best. Otherwise, an already not cheap backpacking trip was going to turn very, very expensive one with a tow tacked on.
While waiting for the ferry there were a few other groups with backpacking gear. One group had literal totes of supplies. Hmmm.
Waiting for the ferry.
The email confirmation for our ferry tickets had what I thought were very clear instructions on how to obtain the tickets at the ticket counter no later than 45 minutes prior to departure. Or I am genius, based on the number of people who attempted to get on the ferry with just the email confirmation only to be turned back to the office. One guy with a large pack even missed the ride completely.
The ferry company allows dogs on board, but their policy was clearly made by a cat person. Dogs must either be contained to an airline approved carrier or muzzled at all times on deck. They must also never be on any of the seats. We were told this multiple times, by multiple staff members. Leinie was a champ, accepting the muzzle (cuz no way in hell am I dragging a carrier 35+ miles on my back) and laying underneath our table. Honestly though, if I have to control my dog, control your damn kids. We had dolphins playing in front of the ferry which was nice to watch. We occupied ourselves with creating D&D character names for our friends, which in no way would ever be used in a game. Jaques Staet Fom, hehe.
A good boy tolerating a dumb policy.
Once we arrived at Avalon, the southern end of Catalina, we disembarked the ferry and made our way to the conservatory center for a map. Public bathrooms were less than ideal which led to an almost peep show for an unsuspecting stranger in the port-a-potty. So we were off to a great start by 10:30am.
Walking through Avalon
The trail officially starts at the conservancy center and follows a road walk through the town of Avalon. We made a pit stop at Vons for a few forgotten items (flip flops, sunscreen) and off we were. Leinie was a hit in town, naturally. We wound our way past a golf course and a park and up to Hermit Gulch campground where we muled up on free spigot water.
Then the big climb of the day began. Up, up, up over 1200 feet in 3 miles. The failed Baldy attempt the previous weekend provided perspective, so the mental game was an easy win. The June Gloom fog held strong, this kept the temperature reasonable but the views a bit lacking. I’ll take the moderate temperature any day.
The TCT kindly provided a resting bench at the top of the climb. We took a fuel up break (omg honey peanut butter!) and chatted with a hiking couple and a bikepacking guy. We followed the dirt road over some mild PUD’s (pointless ups & downs) for a stretch. Every once in awhile the view would clear and we could see Avalon way below.
I spy, with my little eye…the town of Avalon
We tailed a group of four with suspiciously small packs and the couple we chatted with before (with appropriately sized packs) tailed us. The foursome would warm up the nicely spaced rest stop benches for us and we would keep them warm for the couple after. Nice little system we had going.
Playing pass the shaded resting bench
The trail spurred off the dirt road and meandered over more mild PUD’s. Lots of wild flowers, lots of bees. We crossed through a gate in a fence signaling the start of bison territory. With our eyes alert and Leinie between us we continued trucking.
No bison yet
At roughly the halfway point of the day we hit a park with a reservoir, bathrooms and water. Some firefighters were having a party and offered us beers. I am ashamed to say we passed, thinking it would be wise to not be buzzed while hiking. Karma was not impressed and out came the sun and up went the temps. Some impressively large PUD’s in complete exposure was a challenge.
The views and an amazingly placed shaded resting bench helped balance the challenge out. We saw one large, lone bison in the distance but more than enough chips to confirm the presence of them on the island.
Turd on a turd, some would call this art
The last two miles were difficult. The legs were tired, the hips and shoulders screaming. It had been a long day. We hit a ridgeline trail as we neared camp and followed it up and over a saddle of sorts with some incredible views. We rolled into Black Jack campground around 5pm.
Ridgeline trail to camp
The campground had potable water, bathrooms, picnic tables, and bear fox boxes. Pretty plush for the backcountry. Two trees made the perfect hammock pitch that we had left behind filling us with some regrets. The foursome with questionably-sized packs were next door and appeared to have had their gear transported to and from the campsite. One lady of the group seemed to be relatively new to the experience, based on the questions regarding where and how to shower and wash her face. Embrace the stench, my friend, embrace the stench.
The fog was setting in again and once the sweat dried, the chill came so we hustled into the tent for dinner (tuna salad burritos, an attempt at stoveless backpacking) and an early bed.
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Our hungry little trail doggo faces a big climb back to civilization and food.