Dirty Details: Backpacking the Trans-Catalina Trail, Parson’s Landing to Two Harbors (via Silver Peak Trail) (Day 4)
Detailed Trip Report: Day 4
Day 1 here | Day 2 here | Day 3 here
Day 4 [May 13]: Parson’s Landing to Two Harbors (via Silver Peak Trail) to Avalon to San Diego
Hike:
6.5 miles*
1,700 feet elevation gain
Weather:
High 63° / Low 54° | Foggy
Terrain:
One big hill; steep climb, gradual dissent. Well packed gravely trail.
Ferry:
Catalina Express: Twin Harbors to Avalon (apx 30 minutes) | Avalon to Dana Point (apx 1 hour)
Drive:
Dana Point, CA to Encinitas, CA
* Hike distances and elevation changes are all educated estimates based on maps and tools such as AllTrails.
Short, Steep, & Sweet
- Last day was split about 1/3 hiking, 1/3 waiting, and 1/3 traveling.
- The hiking portion of Day 4 was short, steep, and sweet. As promised by fellow backpackers and the Two Harbors Visitor Center, the through-the-island route back to Two Harbors was steep.
- We climbed consistently for about two miles without the usual switchbacks. A few sections were so steep – or I was so slow – that Brandon lent me his trekking poles. They helped a lot, took a little weight off the legs, made balance easier, and kept me from falling. They helped so much that I ended up buying a pair when I returned.
- The climb was rough, but it wasn’t as bad as I was expecting. There were no steep drop offs to the side and after the climb, it was all downhill for 4 miles a large chunk of which was on very wide dirt trail.
- Typically, there would be views of both sides of the island from the high points, but it was foggy enough to leave my hair damp and obscure the views on the day we hiked.
- Was weird to be DONE when we got into Little Harbor. When we got in, we rearranged our ferry scheduled. We had booked the return ferry back to San Pedro, not Dana Point where we departed from, because that was the only feasible option I saw online. BUT we learned that we could ferry to Avalon then to Dana Point directly. Added a few dollars but was worth it to get off the ferry where the car was.
Harbor Sands – Too lazy to stand and take the photo 
Harbor Sands – Harbor View
- After finishing our hiking, we once again (see Day 2 report) had burgers and beers at Harbor Reef Restaurant, this time at Harbor Sands, the outdoor harbor-front dining area. We chatted with our new friends, the group and the couple we had been on the same course with over the past few days, and all waited for the ferry to come in.
The Long Way Home
- We didn’t actually take the long way home, it just took a long time to get home from the time we finished. We had to wait for a ferry, get on the ferry to Avalon, get off the ferry, get on another Ferry to Dana Point, get in the car and drive home. We did get to witness schools of dolphins playing in the wake of the second ferry, which I enjoyed.
In Avalon, waiting for ferry #2 to Dana Point. 
Few photos of Avalon to kill time.
- Eventually got home. I was a little emotional – some mix of fatigue, beer wearing off, the end of a good trip, and some sentimentality about upcoming life changes. Fatigue won the fight of mixed emotions and I was sound asleep quickly.
…and that’s a wrap on Trans-Catalina Trail Backpacking 2019!
