Day 4-Two Harbors to Parsons Landing
Day 4. Eight miles and a massive seemingly endless climb to start the day. Once again we started early to avoid the sun.
We had hiked a marathon so far.
We had to stop and look back so any times for this beautiful view.
Wow, what a view! Some people begin so early that that they miss the views in the dark. Some hike too late in the day and it's brutally hot so it's difficult to enjoy. We timed it perfectly so it was still cool and we caught the sun rising behind the ridges.
Enjoying the view.
Once again, after reaching the top of the climb, we were on these nice rolling ridges for most of the day.
So green!
This was the highest point of our trek, we had to stop and have a snack and enjoy the views.
Ravens all over the island.
Heart-shaped cactus.
The downhill. Nearing Parsons Landing, the trail turned into a rocky, slippery nightmare. It's hard to capture on camera, but this is some of the most difficult terrain we've ever hiked on.
Parsons Landing campsite in view. Just a few more rocky trails to descend.
We saw so many varieties of birds, including ravens, hawks, pelicans, and even eagles.
We finally made it safely down the treacherous hill to Parsons Landing.
We thought squirrels would be a nuisance, but it turned out that the ravens were worse. We stepped away from camp for a minute and they were already digging in our packs for gummy bears.
A nice rocky beach.
The water was a little too cold and turbulent so we decided not to swim.
Campsite number one. Perfectly secluded and private.
Pelicans were making their rounds for the day.
Moonrise.
We weren't in line at Parsons to see the sunset, so dark came early as it set behind the coastal ridges.
While we were enjoying our fire, a pair of sneaky foxes lurked around the little cove we were camping in.
A perfect campfire to end the night.
Day 5-Parsons Landing to Two Harbors
We woke up before sunrise to get an early start on day 5 and the stars were out strong.
Day 5 was an easy day. Eight miles of fire road along the coast to get back to Little Harbor. We needed to arrive before 11:45 to catch the ferry back to the mainland.
Tons of flowers on this side of the island.
Sun rise over the mainland.
The east side of Catalina has numerous camps nestled in the private bays.
We stalked a fox for at least 20 minutes. We thought we would get through this hike quickly, but there was so much to see that it took us a lot longer than expected.
Perfect morning light.
The island is a very isolated ecosystem and invasive species can be a really big problem. Apparently cats and raccoons can hop on the ferries and sneak over to wreak havoc.
After 38 miles over 5 days, we reached Two Harbors.
Finally, we completed the Trans-Catalina Trail. This was a tougher hike than we expected, but at the same time all the "luxuries" of hiking through towns, camping at developed campsites, and not having to carry too much weight made it a really enjoyable five days. It was also the perfect time of year, and we couldn't have been happier with how this trek turned out.