In my eternal quest for an idyllic camping location close to home, I bribed Jake into going to Catalina Island off the coast of Los Angeles, California. We'd both been to Avalon before, which we thought was tourist-y and commercialized. So we opted to visit the northern end of the island and explore the area around Two Harbors.

This time we boarded the ferry in San Pedro for a three-day weekend that coincided with Easter. We booked a campsite near the harbor via the Internet. Since the campsite was within walking distance of the ferry, we were less judicious in our packing than other camping trips. Thematically, we still opted for quick and easy - the ever-present Pop Tarts (discriminating palates opted for frosted cinnamon and frosted strawberry), Chef Boyardi Pop Top Raviolis and Spaghetti-os, fig newtons and an Easter treat, candy in pull-apart plastic eggs.

We arrived late Friday night, a little green from the choppy ride. When we checked in at the Two Harbors Visitor's Center to obtain campsite information, we were informed that our campground was seven, count 'em, seven miles away.

- I'm sorry sir, there must be a mistake…I booked a site near the harbor.

- Our records indicate that you are staying at the Little Harbor Campground that is a seven-mile hike from here. Since it's 9:00 P.M., let me see if I can squeeze you into a local site for tonight.

- Uh, great, I appreciate it.

We grabbed some nachos and beer at the all-purpose Harbor Reef Restaurant and Saloon, which was the only hotspot in town. The West End Galley that adjoins the restaurant closes around dusk; the restaurant and bar close at 11:00 P.M. The bar was filled with old, salty dogs, hippies living 30 years behind the times and raucous youth drinking "Buffalo Milks."

So, there we were an hour later sprawled out on the ground with a flattened tarp and two sleeping bags. We both agreed that setting up the tent in the dark was futile - the round hole, square peg thing.

On the Trail to the First Campsite

A view from the Two Harbors Campsite

The next morning we packed up our purple 2'x3'x1.5' Tupperware tub, the two sleeping bags, the tent and the tarp and walked back down the hill to Two Harbors. Now that it was daylight we could see that the town consisted of the Harbor Reef Restaurant and Saloon and the West End Galley, the Two Harbors general store, a schoolhouse, a fire department and a few residences. The local children are schooled from kindergarten through 8th grade in the one-room schoolhouse and then take the 60-minute bus ride to Avalon to attend high school. The Banning House Lodge, a bed and breakfast above town, enjoys views of Isthmus Cove and Catalina Harbor.

We bought a pint of spiced rum at the general store, rearranged our goods to create make-shift backpacks, picked up a map from the Visitor's Center and then began our seven-mile trek southwest to the Little Harbor Campground for night two of our adventure.

The camouflaged Safari Shuttle Bus crisscrosses the island twice a day. It's 23 miles on a hilly dirt road. We were taking the same route to get to the campground. When the bus driver spotted us with our horribly unprepared packs she offered to transport us. To her amazement, we declined. I guess we were determined to stick it out.

- Can I at least haul your gear and drop it off at the campground for you?

- Thanks, but we'll manage.

- Are you sure?

- Yeah, thanks.

I think she thought we were aliens.

The makeshift packs felt lousy (rope and skin are like oil and water) and we tried to alleviate the problem by wrapping towels and sweatshirts around the rope straps. By mid-hike we truly did look like aliens.

The hike was actually a great way to see parts of the island that most don't have the opportunity to enjoy. The vistas were sweeping and people-free and the baby buffaloes cruising around with their elder statesmen were a real treat. Since we traversed the island, we dissected the differences between the west and east sides.

We arrived at the Little Harbor Campground around lunchtime, delicately removed some beach-goers gear from our site with the help of the ranger, bought firewood from him and set up our tent. The campground is small grid facing the beach with Port-a-Potties, rinse-off showers and fresh water spigots.

We explored the beach and the surrounding bluffs. We took in the sunset. We read. We played cards.               

As the evening wore on, the sites filled up with aggro-hikers, hippies and more hippies. We nearly exhausted our food supply, ate all the candy, and proceeded to use the plastic egg halves as shot glasses for the spiced rum. Shot after shot went down the gullet, but we never even worked up a buzz. What a drag. With envy, we watched the neighbors heat up vacuum-packed meals and drink booze with more fortification than ours.

The next morning we packed up the gear and waited for the Safari Shuttle Bus to haul us back to Two Harbors. The same bus driver picked us up and laughed with us about our crazy hike the previous day. Back in town, we parked it in the patio and inhaled cheeseburgers and beers before catching the ferry back to San Pedro.

The boat trip back became pretty exciting when we came upon a huge school of dolphin (porpoises).  They rolled and played in acres of sea surrounding the boat.

All-in-all it was a good trip, well had.

Time to Relax