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Four Days. One Island. A Family’s Journey Across the Trans-Catalina Trail.
Every mile had a view, and every view had a price. From Avalon to Two Harbors, we hiked 24 miles of steep ridges, ocean views, and rolling hills. We found everything we were looking for: unforgettable memories, amazing scenery, aching knees, cold plunges, and a teenager who refused to part with a rock named Stoney, his loyal trail companion and makeshift dumbbell.
Day One: Boats, Basketball, and Tent Cabins
We left San Pedro on the 8:45 AM ferry to Avalon, backpacks stuffed and spirits high. Within minutes of docking, our boys had spotted volleyball and basketball courts, and out came the deflated volleyball and the tiny hand pump from our teenager’s pack. Because, you know…priorities.
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Then they got doughnuts and also asked for ice cream. I told them, “Sure, in Two Harbors.” That’s 24 miles away. There, the motivation was set.
Avalon was bustling, so after a short wander and a grocery stop at Vons, we started the short uphill trek to Hermit Gulch Campground, grocery bags swinging awkwardly beside our fully loaded packs.
The tent cabin was a pleasant surprise: simple cots, real comfort, and the immediate reward of rest. Three of us crashed for a well-earned nap. Teeny, of course, remained tethered to his phone, savoring the last moments of reception. Later that evening, we shared a quiet dinner, played cards, and laughed as the title of “Old Maid” passed from our tween to our teen.
While we were all gathered around the table, talking over each other and shuffling cards, the usual family chaos hit its peak. In a rare moment of self-awareness my husband chimed in with the perfect line to restore order:
“Did the middle of my sentence interrupt the beginning of yours?”
I’m definitely keeping that one in my back pocket.
Sleep came easy, except for the one bird who sounded like an alarm clock stuck on loop. I’m pretty sure it chirped until 7 AM. Still, the night was peaceful.
Day Two: Climbing, Shortcuts, and Stoney the Forearm Builder
We packed up and began the climb out of Hermit Gulch, nearly 1,500 feet over two miles. The overcast sky helped, and so did the freshness of day one legs.
After a pit stop at the playground for water and toilets, We took a sneaky shortcut via the Airport Road, skipping a winding section of trail. This allowed us to pass everyone else on trail, even though we left last, and arrive at Blackjack Campground first. Cheating? Not exactly. Let’s call it strategic hiking.
At some point, our teen picked up Stoney, the rock that joined our hike to Blackjack. Stoney became part of the crew. Teeny did 333 wrist curls with Stoney while hiking, determined to balance leg day with arm day. Classic teenager logic.
When I suggested maybe it was time to leave Stoney behind, he actually dropped the rock… and then ran back to pick it up. The emotional bond was real.
Once we made it to the campground, we stretched, well, I stretched, while Tweeny lounged on his Z-line and Teeny knocked out some pushups to round out his arm workout.
Then it was dinner and a surprisingly peaceful night. Well… mostly peaceful. At some point in the middle of the night, my tent companion, Tweeny, started moving in his sleep with a rhythmic, determined motion. I told him to stop squirming, only to be met with a loud snore and more foot shuffling. Turns out, he was still walking the trail, in his dreams. The next morning, he had no memory of it, but apparently, the day’s hike wasn’t quite over for his legs.
Day Three: Farewell to Stoney, Cramps, Cold Plunges, and Frog Concerts
We left Blackjack without Stoney, after an emotional good by, at around 8:30 AM. The first two miles: a mix of descent and climb, because nothing in Catalina is ever flat.
By 9:30 AM, we reached the Airport in the Sky. We ordered breakfast and burgers and sandwiches to go.
Then came the hardest part. A couple of miles after the airport, the exhaustion hit me. My legs had been cramping since the campground, and despite breakfast, my energy plummeted. I had been pushing too hard for too long, trying to escape the group hiking behind us. That’s when Teeny stepped up and took the tent off my back, giving me just the boost I needed to keep going. Meanwhile, shortly after leaving Stoney behind, he had made a new friend, Rocky, a little smaller, but still good to work on this forearm muscles. Unreal.
Then, we began the descent toward Little Harbor. It was scenic and gentle, rolling hills, ocean views, and the kind of expansive beauty that I want to say makes all the soreness feel worth it. But not really. Somewhere around the last lookout before Little Harbor, we stopped to eat our sandwiches. The kids, energized by the promise of the ocean, sprinted ahead to the beach.
I paused for a while to chat with other hikers, and then, miraculously, I got a second wind and caught up with my family. They did wait for me a few minutes, but I was proud, I had caught up, for a minute, after needing help earlier that day. Of course then they ran ahead again.
When I arrived at Little Harbor, the boys were already in the ocean, splashing in the cold 14°C water like it was nothing. The kids talked about how during junior lifeguards they could see Catalina from the mainland, now here they were hiking and swimming in it. I did my version of a plunge: in and out, just enough for bragging rights.
My husband took the plunge too, in his new floral “trail underwear” that doubled as swim trunks. His drone hovered above, capturing the moment… or trying to. At one point, he was in the water, hands up, trying to catch the disobedient drone as it refused to land. That footage? Legendary.
We all felt clean-ish and refreshed after the saltwater dip. And, out came the volleyball. The boys still had energy for that! My legs were grateful for stretches and a couple of Advils. Then we made a campfire right by the beach, in one of the most beautiful campgrounds we’ve seen. We’ll definitely be coming back here, maybe next time with the gear-haul option.
And of course, cards made a comeback. Our teenager was once again the Old Maid… until my husband sneakily pulled two cards from the deck. Suddenly, there were two Old Maids, both of which ended up in Teeny’s hand.
That night, I finally got decent sleep. Maybe it was the painkillers. Maybe it was trail exhaustion. Or maybe I was just too tired to care about the frogs, who sang a full-blown concert all night. The quacking started in waves: one frog, then two, and more, a chorus, then silence. Then another solo, followed by a crescendo of croaking chaos. It was like as soon as they were about to be quiet, one started it all over. But somehow, combined with fatigue, it became the perfect lullaby.
Day Four: Sweat, Cheese, Ice Cream, and Dolphins
We woke up around 5:15 a.m., determined to hit the trail by 6:30. We had a boat to catch and 1,200 feet of elevation gain ahead of us, so no time to waste. We packed everything up in a sleepy blur, scarfed down a quick breakfast, and hit the trail with one mission: make it to Two Harbors on time.
The climb was relentless. Not technical, but it just… kept… going. Rolling hills, sure, but always up, up, up. I was so worried about missing the ferry that I barely took any breaks, just kept hiking like a crazy mama on a mission. For once, I actually made it to the top before everyone else, which, let’s be honest, almost never happens.
At the top, we were rewarded with incredible views. We paused for a quick second breakfast: Gruyère cheese and tortillas that had been marinating in my backpack for three days, so just perfectly ready.
Then came the next challenge: the descent. If we thought the uphill was hard, this downhill stretch was brutal on the knees. But again, the views made it bearable: golden hills, the sparkling Pacific, and the knowledge that ice cream and a boat ride were waiting for us.
In the final mile, the kids began chanting their battle cry:
“Ice cream! Ice cream!”
My knees chimed in with their post hike protest:
“I scream. I scream! Ouch! ouch! Ouch” with the rhythm of each step.
And my husband had his own silent last mile mutter:
“Ice pack! Ice pack! Ice pack!”
So yes, we were a mess, but a determined, hungry, smelly, and proudly happy mess.
And just like that, we walked into Two Harbors on time.
On time for our post-trail celebration: a trip to the Two Harbors General Store. My husband took the boys in for their well-earned ice cream, but of course, they came back with way more.
Sugary drinks. Candy. And a bright blue gum roll that looked like a tape dispenser full of regret. It was loaded with sugar, food dye, and everything I’ve always told them to avoid.
I raised an eyebrow and asked, “Who’s your mom? Didn’t she ever mention reading ingredients?”
Teeny gave me his innocent face and said, “She may have mentioned it…”, then promptly bit into the gum roll without even unrolling it!?!
My husband? The one who paid for this junk? Let’s just say he peaked at parenting somewhere on the trail, but definitely not at the general store.
Ice cream was devoured, backpack patches were earned, and we soaked in our final island sunshine.
Teeny spent the ferry ride blowing bright blue gum bubbles, totally unbothered. Tweeny gave it a go too, he actually used the roll, but mostly looked like he was about to accidentally spit out his gum and stick it to the seat in front of us.
And just when we thought the magic was over… dolphins. Dozens, maybe even hundreds of them, leaping alongside the boat, playing in the waves. It was unreal. The sun was shining, the breeze was perfect, no one got motion sick, and it felt like nature’s way of saying:
“You did it.”
