Cat Harbor Overlook

Nuts and Bolts:

Date: 1 April 2012

Who Hiked: Me, Hubby, Things 1 and 2

Route: Trans-Catalina Trail to Cat Harbor Overlook Road

Time: ~1330 - 1530

Weather: sunny and very windy

Distance: 3.9 miles

Elevation Range: 0 - 955 ft, 1452 ft total ascent
Profile coming -- still working the bugs out of the new computer.

This hike is a good out-and-back route for people staying in Two Harbors. The view from the top is phenomenal -- you can see much of the middle and western portion of Catalina. On days with decent visibility, you can see San Clemente Island and (if it's really clear) San Nicolas Island.

Take the Trans-Catalina Trail (the old Banning House Road) uphill more or less the entire way to the Cat Harbor Overlook road. The TCT is steep and steeper, but Cat Harbor Overlook road rolls up-and-down along the ridge. Soon you'll find yourself enjoying the views rather than thinking about the climbs. At the end of the Overlook road, there's a flat area to relax and enjoy the view of Cat Harbor and the back side of the island.

Flip-Flops and Foster's

I am routinely surprised by the unprepared people I meet on the trail. I'm probably over-prepared for hiking, with extra water, a small first-aid kit, hiking shoes, and a map of where I'm hiking. But I've made the mistake of being under-prepared for hiking (Grand Canyon, 1997) and I'm not making that mistake again.

To illustrate my point:

On our recent hike from the Airport to Two Harbors on the Trans-Catalina Trail (TCT), Thing 1 and I met up with a couple who had hiked into Little Harbor from Two Harbors. They looked to be about my age and mentioned that they had been visiting the island for years. They were very nice folks, but I had to roll my eyes when I saw that she was shod in flip-flops and he was killing off a big oilcan of Foster's beer.

Realize this: she walked 11 miles in flip-flops that day. Were they really so comfortable after 11 miles? Wouldn't shoes with, say, arch support have felt better?  Or perhaps shoes with captured heels? I talked to her on the trail a bit -- she told me that her feet were slipping out of her "shoes" as she was climbing the very steep ridge out of Little Harbor. She was lucky that was all that happened.  I've seen some gnarly injuries on the feet of people wearing flip-flops in the field: bloody scrapes, nasty gashes, gruesome toe injuries... Flip-flops: OK for around town, bad for the trail.

I met them as they puzzled over the hiking map posted in the Little Harbor campground. I gathered that they'd started on the TCT from Two Harbors to Little Harbor and got side-tracked onto the road between Two Harbors and Little Harbor. They were wondering how to find the trailhead for the TCT to take it back to Two Harbors. Clearly, they didn't have a map with them. Not a deadly mistake between Two Harbors and Little Harbor, but not a good idea either.

That he thought Foster's beer was appropriate hydration for a 10+ mile hike also blew my mind.

Nice people, but no map and stupid shoes? Doesn't add up to an enjoyable or safe hike to me.

Trans-Catalina Trail: Airport to Two Harbors

A beautiful Catalina day!

Nuts and Bolts:
Date: 10 March 2012
Who Hiked: Thing 1 and me
Route: Trans-Catalina Trail: Airport to Two Harbors Time: 0945 - 1515 hr
Weather: sunny and warm (low 70s)
Distance: 10.X mi (measured on GPS)

I'll post the elevation profile and accurate distance soon -- the computer I use to download those data from my GPS unit is being rebuilt (get back to work on that Hubby!).

The trail descends from the Airport to Little Harbor over a distance of 5 miles. For the most part, the grade is gentle, with only a few steep sections. The trail to Two Harbors climbs steeply out of Little Harbor, with flattish sections interspersed with thigh-burning uphill sections. About 1.8 miles out of Two Harbors, you begin the steep descent into town.

Hermit Gulch to Lone Tree (er, Shrub)

The Palisades

My motivation in my 24 hike challenge is waning and I know that I need something to get me going again. Today I took advantage of an opportunity to hike on the East End.

I hiked from Avalon on the Hermit Gulch Trail to Lone Tree overlooking the Palisades.  I recommend the first part of the hike (Hermit Gulch Trail), but the Lone Tree leg was mediocre. Overall though this is a good hike to get you up and out of Avalon, with fabulous views of the town, the mainland (visibility permitting), and San Clemente Island. Because of its eastern exposure, it is probably best to hike this trail later in the day, especially in the warmer months of the year.

Big Springs Loop Redux

Date: 26 September 2011
Who Hiked: Me
Route: Big Springs Loop
Time: 1000 to 1300
Estimated Distance: 5 miles
Weather: cool and overcast

This is a fun hike that is not too challenging and offers a lot of things to see: beautiful views, water habitats, island vegetation, and a cat-tail filled spring.  While it is not easy to get to -- you can walk up from Two Harbors or Little Harbor, or drive from either, it is worth the effort.

The Top of the Island

Black Jack Campground with Mount Orizaba in the background

Date:  16 July 2011

Who hiked:  Me, Hubby, Things 1 and 2

Where:  Airport Road to Mt. Orizaba (and back)

When: 0940 - 1345

Weather:  70s, partly cloudy

Distance:  5.6 miles (measured on GPS)

Elevation range: (Coming soon)

Necessity is the mother of invention.

We went camping at Little Harbor last weekend for the first time this year. Our tent camper reprimanded us for neglecting it by getting a flat tire on the way to the campground. And, being out of practice, we forgot a few key items -- a large pot for cooking spaghetti, a colander, and the coffee filter. We were able to solve all of these issues, the most important of which was clearly that of infusing our bodies with caffeine on Saturday morning.

The Things had voted for a hike up the tallest mountain on Catalina, Mt. Orizaba (elevation 2103 ft). This surprised me because such a hike obviously involves going uphill, something they usually balk at. Or at least complain about while in the process of doing.

But we got up Saturday morning, managed to imbibe the minimum required amount of coffee, then hopped in the truck to drive to the trailhead for our hike. We chose to hike from the Black Jack Campground turn off on Airport Road to the top of Orizaba. 

Cape Canyon Reservoir

Bison at Cape Canyon Reservoir

Date:  11 July 2011

Who hiked:  Me, Things 1 and 2

Where:  Cape Canyon Road (out and back)

Click to enlarge elevation profile

When: 1045-1435

Weather:  starting overcast, clearing to mostly cloudy and warm (70s)

Distance:  6.8 miles (measured on GPS)

Elevation range: just over 400 ft, but felt less because of distance

After too many days parked in front of the television, watching cyclists crash at the Tour de France, I decided it was time for a hike. Monday was a rest day at the Tour, so I set my sights on Cape Canyon for Monday morning.

The hike is long, but flat. There is not much shade, but we saw a lot of wildlife and a lot of wildflowers blooming. And because it's an out-and-back route, you can adjust the length to suit your tastes, time, or ability.

Mount Monadnock Kicks My Butt

Where: Mount Monadnock, NH
Date:  27 June 2011
Who hiked:  Me, Hubby, Things 1 and 2

VACATION! Hubby's family hails from New England and many members still live there. We spent most of our time in the Boston area, visiting Revolutionary War and Colonial-era sites. Thing 1 was a great tour guide, having just finished 5th grade, when California school children learn about American history.

Thing 2, Hubby, Thing 1 on the trail

We walked all through Boston, experienced Plimoth Plantation, learned about whaling, biked on Cape Cod, and then traveled to New Hampshire for a family reunion. A day of meat (lots of meat) and beer was followed by a hike to Mt. Monadnock -- reportedly the most hiked mountain in the world. One guy even hiked it every day for EIGHT years!

Quiet time for the Hiking Diary

Swallowtail and Opuntia

Hey Readers (all 6 of you):

Things are likely to be quiet around here for the next couple of weeks -- we're going on vacation!  That's right, on Friday we are Boston-bound.  We are slated for a 13-day immersion in American history, from the Pilgrims to the whalers.  Two hundred and fifty years in just a fortnight.

I hope to get in a hike in New Hampshire -- so look for that posting here... Otherwise all the family vacation fun you could ever want to read will be available at Hubby's blog, Life in Two Harbors.

View toward Little Harbor from the Trans-Catalina Trail

What's on the horizon for July?

• recommended hikes and logistics for a weekend at Parson's Landing
• more about getting around Catalina -- a one-stop post for information about how to navigate the island by land
• camping at Little Harbor with the family, with the requisite hiking involved
• Cape Canyon hiking

And, for my local readers, where should I hike next?  East End?  Please suggest destinations in the comments -- I'll do the two most popular ones in July!

Goat Whiskers Trail (again)

Date: 26 May 2011

Click to enlarge elevation profile

Who Hiked: Me

Route: Goat Whiskers Trail -Water Tank Road - TransCatalina Trail

Time: 0920 - 1315

Weather: sunny with some clouds, 60s to 70s, breezy

Distance: 6.9 miles (measured on GPS)
Elevation range: 0 ft - 1284 ft

This hike offers some lovely views of the West End of Catalina, both of the ocean and the near-side coves and of interior valleys. There are some lovely oak groves that attract resident and migrant birds. On clear days, you get great looks at the mainland and San Clemente Island. The ascents and descents are fairly steep, but not unusually so for Catalina trails.

I hiked some parts of this route previously. You can read about them here and here.

WWII Sunday

Elevation Profile of Road to Camp Cactus

Date: 22 May 2011

Who hiked:  Me, Hubby, Things 1 and 2, SuperC

Where:  Camp Cactus

When: 1255 - 1420

Weather:  overcast at first, turning mostly sunny; temps in 70s

Distance: 2.9 miles (measured on GPS)

Elevation Range: 480 - 780 ft
See end of post for a zoomed-out view of location.

Today the family plus a 10-year old friend (SuperC) took a short hike to Camp Cactus. We had first seen these buildings during our Bullrush Canyon hike. We didn't know anything about the site then; later I learned that it had been a radar facility during World War II.