Trans Catalina Trail, Black Jack CG to Little Harbor CG
Sunset from camp
Morning vistas
Our campsite in the twilight
Friends swimming
By 7:45, we were packed up and hiking. A few hours later, we passed by Airport in the Sky, where we spent a leisurely amount of time sitting at the cafe, eating breakfast burritos and drinking coffee. Today was a shorter day, with more absurd views for most of the day. We could see the Little Harbor Campground for a while as we approached in the early afternoon. A cove with a beach, palm trees, and campsites dotting the surrounding hills. After an 8-mile day, we rolled in around 1:30. In the November low season, we were able to reserve a premium campsite right off the beach.
The short day meant we had plenty of time to enjoy the beach. We set up our tents in the sunshine and sprawled our gear out on the picnic tables. Even though it was late November, it was just warm enough to wade in the ocean. One feature of the Catalina Island campgrounds is that you can request firewood delivery for a fee when you book your reservation. We opted for this but got a notice that the delivery was skipped for the day due to a wind warning weather forecast for the evening. This was hard to believe, given the beautiful afternoon we were experiencing, but an understandable precaution. We all cooked dinner together and watched an incredible sunset. Annoyingly, a lone boat anchored right in the path of the setting sun and only sailed off after it passed below the horizon.
Once we had all drifted off to sleep for the night, the wind started to kick up. The forecast warning was definitely accurate, and the intensity ratcheted up through the night. Emily and I shared a tent, exchanging nervous glances after the stronger gusts. We would yell over to Leslie every once in a while to see how they were faring. At one point, I held up my cell phone to illuminate the inside of the tent and saw that everything was dusted with a fine layer of sand blown in from the beach. It felt like we were on Arakis. Despite the wind, our tents remained upright for the night.
