Day 3: Two Harbors Campground to Parsons Landing back to Two Harbors Campground – 14.3 miles, 38.5 miles total (4.24.2021)
I woke up to the sound of waves crashing on the beach nearby. Like the previous two mornings, it was cloudy and grey. I hoped the sun would come out later in the day as it had the day before. I slowly started my morning routine: brushing my hair and boiling water for my oatmeal and tea, feeling happy but a little sad to be finishing the trail that day. My body was tired, but the trip had gone by so fast and I wasn’t quite ready to return to normal life. It was so empowering and freeing to live out of my backpack for a few days and just walk without really worrying about anything else.
I took my time getting ready, savoring the cool and still morning air. Because we were camping in Two Harbors again that night, I didn’t need to break down camp completely. I left my tent and sleep system at the campsite, only taking the essentials I needed during the day. I was thankful for the lighter load on what would probably be the hardest day thus far.
The climb out of Two Harbors
A little before 9am, I met up with our new friends and we left the campground together. The night before, Madalyn decided that she didn’t feel up to hiking the full 14 mile loop out to Parsons Landing and back, so our friends invited me to join them so I wouldn’t have to hike alone. They needed to stop at the Two Harbors General Store on the way out of town, which is why we were getting a later start.
Once we were on trail, we started climbing almost immediately. There were no switchbacks to make the elevation gain more moderate. We pretty much walked straight up the side of the mountain. Unlike previous climbs, this one was really long. Every time we came around a corner, we hoped the trail would flatten out, but we were always greeted by a section that seemed steeper than the one before it.
Hiking along a ridgeline
After climbing 1600 feet in about a mile, we finally reached the top and the trail flattened out. We continued walking along the ridgeline for a few miles, the ocean views partially obscured by clouds. At one point, we were literally in the middle of a cloud and the only thing we could really see was the trail in front of us. We tried to stop for a snack break during this stretch, but it was so windy and cold that we didn’t stop for very long.
The descent to Parsons Landing – I think these are the only evergreen trees on the island
Luckily, the worst of it didn’t last very long and we soon began to descend towards Parsons Landing. The descent was just as steep as the climb at the beginning of the day. The trail was also covered in small rocks and I was scared I would slip and roll my ankle on them. Another guy in the group was battling intense knee pain, so it took us a while to get down to the beach.
Parsons Landing
Parsons Landing was beautiful. The beach was small but there were several interesting rock formations along the water’s edge that brought the area to life. I climbed up on one of the formations and watched the waves crash below me. In the distance, I could see a sail boat bobbing up and down. The clouds were beginning to clear, and the blue sky was finally peaking through. It was incredibly picturesque and I soaked up as much of it as I could.
Rock Formations at Parsons Landing
I wish we could have stayed at Parsons Landing longer, but we were ready to hike the last 7.5 miles back to Two Harbors to finish the trail. Soon after we left Parsons, we came upon what looked to be a bunch of abandoned metal cabin frames. Most of the cabins had two empty bed frames inside. It felt a little spooky and post-apocalyptic. As we walked, we saw more and more of the cabins and grew more and more curious as to what it could be.
This Boy Scout camp looked a little post-apocalyptic!
Someone thought it could be some sort of military thing (we had seen some National Guard vehicles at the airport the previous day), but I thought it looked more like a kids camp. We eventually passed an amphitheater in the center of the camp that looked like a shipwrecked pirate ship. That definitely settled the debate! Indeed, a half mile later we passed a sign confirming it was a Boy Scout camp.
Look at the color of the water!
Eventually, that trail merged on to a dirt road that wove in and out along the coast taking us back to town. The views along this part of the trail were completely stunning. The sun had finally come out and the water below us was a gorgeous teal-turquoise color. Each turn brought amazing new views of the Catalina coast line.
I may be smiling but my feet are dying
As beautiful as this part of the trail was, I don’t think I was able to fully appreciate it. My feet were REALLY starting to hurt. I tried to distract myself, but it was difficult. Every step was torturous. Thankfully, I was not alone. Everyone else in my group felt the same way. As much as we were ready to be done, we still had 4 miles left, so we had to keep going. We tried playing trivia games and quizzing each other with riddles just to get our minds off of how badly our feet hurt.
Two Harbors at last!
Finally, we rounded the last corner and could see Two Harbors down below us. I stopped to take some photos of all the boats in the bay while my group continued down to find the mile marker 38. Because there is no official ending sign (at least none that we found), we decided to call mile marker 38 the end of our trip and took all of our victory photos there.
Mile 38 of the Trans-Catalina Trail
After the photos, we limped down into town and went straight to the restaurant to celebrate. My feet hurt so badly that I could barely walk around the restaurant. It was amazing to sit in a real chair after being on my feet for the better part of three days. We ordered drinks and food and had a great time. I also used the opportunity to charge my phone since my power bank was almost dead. By the time we left the restaurant, my feet were feeling much better and the half mile walk back to camp wasn’t so bad.
The next morning, we all had breakfast in town before boarding a ferry back to the mainland. We sat in the back of the ferry and watched as Catalina Island grew smaller and smaller in the distance.
Farewell Catalina Island
It was so surreal that I had hiked 38 miles in three days. I am so proud of myself. Catalina Island is incredible and hiking across it was an amazing way to see the island. I also met some wonderful people that made the experience even better. I learned so much and I can’t wait to take on more thru-hikes in the future.
Officially a thru-hiker!
