The trails aren't well marked, and i wasn't sure about the road i picked up out of Two Harbors. I was fairly sure it was what they call the Banner Trail, but there weren't any signs to that effect. The route was all uphill for the first couple of miles, but that gave me some awesome views of the ocean on both sides of the island.Hiking on Catalina is pretty much all about the views. There aren't many trees, and the most interesting wildlife is the local herd of bison that was transported there for a movie many decades ago. Fortunately, there are relatively few places on the island where you can't see the ocean on at least one side of the island, and even when you can't you still get nice views of the interior valleys.
I finally crested the hill and started down the trail to the main road (still dirt at this point), which i then followed down to the Little Harbor campground. I reached the beach by about 12:30, and i stopped to take of my hiking boots and soak my feet in the surf. I also had some lunch.
I started out again after 1pm on a short section of the road that follows along the coast. By the time the road turned back inland i was well above the Little Harbor and Ben Weston beaches, and it was an absolutely gorgeous view down. At that point the road turns sharply inland toward the appropriately named Rancho Escondido. I reached the ranch a bit after 2:30 and started down the Cottonwood trail toward the Black Jack campground where i was planning to spend the night.
The Cottonwood trail was hot and mostly uphill, but it was a pretty little trail and i managed to reach the campground around 4:30. I eventually found my camp site, and settled in. The fact that the Catalina camp sites have fresh water and other amenities makes backpacking there seem a bit like cheating, but since i was on my own and breaking in both a new pack and new boots, i didn't mind cheating too much.
I spent the next few hours reading a book, looking at birds, watching the views of the ocean, and setting up camp. I was tired after the 12 or 13 miles i'd hiked that day, so by 9pm or so i was ready to sleep. I'd decided to leave the tent at home and sleep under the stars again, which i've come to prefer to the tent. The sky at first wasn't that great because the moon was too bright, but as the night went on it got darker and every time i woke up it looked better.
Not long after i turned in i heard a strange noise. I couldn't decide if it was a bird or some other critter, but initially it was distant so i didn't think about it. The same noise occurred about every half hour and it got progressively closer, until at some point in the middle of the night it woke me up because it was so near. At closer range the noise sounded like a growl or bark, followed by a lower pitch growl. Curious, i shined my flashlight in the direction of the noise and managed to fix one of the Santa Catalina Island foxes in the beam. This is probably the most interesting animal on the island, given that it's indigenous and endangered. I turned the flashlight off and decided to let the fox do his or her thing.
I got up at first light and packed up, since i wasn't really sure how long it would take me to get down to Avalon. It was only 8 or 9 miles, but i could only guess at the terrain. I knew it had to be generally downward since i was near the high point of the island, but i feared that there'd be another ridge in between. I managed to pack up, clean up, and hit the road by 6am.
I started down the road, and hit the main airport road in about a half hour. I saw a few deer as i started out, but i was hoping to get a glimpse of the island bison. I figured it was a long shot since i was avoiding the central valleys, but after about 40 minutes on the road i saw a single large male grazing on the side of a ravine just off the road. Cool, at least i could say i saw one. Then about 15 minutes later, i heard a noise above me and looked up to see the giant head of a male back lit by the sun and staring straight at me. It was a mildly transcendent moment primarily because the animal was so close and that shape, with the curved horns and the big shaggy head is so iconic. In all there was a group of 14 males, females, and calves grazing in a patch of burned out prickly pear.
Soon i made it to the long downhill section into Avalon. It's a beautiful walk even though much of the vegetation was lost in a recent wildfire. I reached Avalon much earlier than i expected-- before 10-- but it's about as nice a place to kill time as there exists. I got some coffee and a snack, sat in the shade watching people on the beach, and changed into my sandals. By the time the boat was ready to board back to San Pedro, i was actually wishing i could hang out for a while.
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