Rich Ladies Hike Gone Bad

First of all, we are not rich ladies...though it is hard not to feel a little fat-cat if you are headed to Avalon on Catalina Island. A vacation destination extraordinaire, the small town of Avalon offers resorts, tours, fancy dining and upscale shopping for those who can afford it. But for us not so well-to-do gals, it was a just a place to walk through in the setting sun so we could start hiking the Trans-Catalina trail in earnest come morning light. 

I decided to call this post "The Rich Ladies Hike" on day two - after our second night at a campground with running water, picnic tables and nice pit toilets. There were even signs touting services that offer to bring your gear to every camp spot along the way if you didn't feel up to hauling a pack. This was certainly a far cry from our usual "cat hole" experience, and the fact we did have to pay a fair amount of money just to get there (plane tickets and boat rides and permit costs add up) all contributed to the idea that this adventure was only for the more privileged. 

We lucked out and ran into the famous Bison herd! 
Google it if you don't know.

And we sure felt privileged as we ate our fancy lunch in the sun at our stop along the way at the "Airport in the Sky"...this was living the high life indeed! But money can't buy you everything. It may get a heavy pack to the beautiful "Little Harbor" campground for you, but it ain't gonna stop the wind.

Calm before the storm

From now on, I will take a "high wind advisory" more seriously. I did do my best to prepare by using my guy lines and trying to stake down everything nice and tight...maybe too tight? My stakes didn't come out, after all - the ties actually broke! Along with one of my stakes...right in half! It was pure disaster. I will forever be indebted to Dani, who let me crawl into her tent in the middle of the night. Beth on the other hand didn't try to fight it, and just let her tent become a bivy bag. All I can say is thank God it didn't rain too, because we would have been screwed. 

More like body bag than bivy bag

Windy, but beautiful

The "made it to the top" selfie

Wondering how I was going to set up a tent on our fourth night with snapped lines and missing stakes as I fought to stay upright against the wind on the astoundingly exposed cliffs leading to Two Harbors, I at last staggered into town only to find my posse already cozied in at the Catalina Cabins. Turns out two deck rooms were provided to us for free because of the unsafe conditions predicted at camp by another upcoming storm. Sometimes it's better to be lucky than rich; so even though we were told our adventure had to come to an end the next morning, we still felt quite fortunate to be getting out of there alive and well. And considering ferry service was predicted to be closed for possibly another week due to the weather conditions, we felt extra blessed to be making this timely departure.

I have to admit, I am a little bummed to still be a "non-thru hiker." Guess I'll have to squirrel away my extra cash until I can afford another go. Until then, happy "rich with laughter, friends, and luck" trails! (Daily itinerary below for those interested.) 

Day 1: A last minute ferry change because Beth's flight got delayed at the eleventh hour ("why did she fly Delta?" was Dani's first response) got us to the island at sunset. We were grateful for the easy 1.5 miles to the Hermit Gulch Campground.

What a bunch of tourists, haha

Day 2: Even at only 62 degrees, I was very overheated getting into the Black Jack Campground after 9.5 tough miles. Shade is pretty much non-existant on this entire trail. And yes, of course we played Black Jack at camp!

A local legend- Greg Stumps

Day 3: Eight miles to Little Harbor, with the stop at the airport about half way. Probably my favorite day...until the wind storm of course.

I loved the moody feel of the ridge walk

Day 4: Five miles to Two Harbors, but don't be fooled. Really tough miles, but stunning views that keep you going.

Two Harbors is cute! And it has booze, haha. 
Order the "Buffalo's Milk"...it does not disappoint.

Day 5: An easy up and back on the road portion of the trail that leads to Parson's Landing, where we were supposed to camp that night. Instead we did three miles and had to turn around to get back in time to catch the one and only ferry leaving that day. Otherwise we would have done the 6.5 miles to Parson's Landing to camp, then taken the "rough portion" on the other side of the loop leading back to Twin Harbors, which totals eight miles. FYI, that part of the trail closes when it rains because the mud is slick as snot and the trail steep and treacherous, so we couldn't have finished the trail even if the ferries where running the next day. 

High Steel Bridge Blessings

The Instagram real from @explorewashstate showing a dizzying aerial view of Washington State's highest bridge had me memorized. A 375 tall steel bridge you could walk across with a stunning vista of river and waterfalls within a few hours drive from me? Count me in!

Though those few hours included getting through the agony of the Seattle/Tacoma 1-5 traffic hell...which is a lot to endure for a 685 foot stroll. Being that I really wanted a test run with my new backpacking tent, I searched for early season hikes in the area to make it worth it.

Eureka! The Lower South Fork Skokomish River was close by and looked perfect for an easy backpack; but being I had that traffic gauntlet to get through on a late Friday afternoon with daylight fading soon after 5 pm, I needed something easier than easy. 

Julie must decorate...it's tradition :)

Eureka again! Brown Creek Campground is right between the bridge and the hike - and six sites are actually open year round! February adventure, here we come! (We-- meaning Julie and I. She is crazy enough to be game for my stupid ideas, even after the Boundary Trail !)

Though my hiking addiction does cause me to make some questionable decisions, I have always been blessed with such incredible good fortune. We narrowly avoided some sure to be horrendous freeway backups, had clear skies with twinkling stars smiling upon us, arrived first at the trail head with more good weather, then barley even had a slow down all the way back to Skagit Valley. May you also find your early season fixes with just as much good luck. Happy trails! (Things to know list below as usual.)

Things to know for the Lower South Fork Skokomish River Trail and High Steel Bridge:

1) The road is not bad BUT make sure it's passable before you go, as rock slides and flooding are concerns. And do try to get there early -- the lot was full by mid afternoon IN FEBRUARY.

2) Make sure to download directions to BOTH places -- very confusing forest roads to the bridge, and service ends about 8 miles before the trailhead. But there is service on the bridge! We were thankful, because we found the directions to get home brought us over the bridge (you can drive on it) and it was a much easier and shorter way out.

3) If you want to car camp at Brown Creek, try to do Friday/Saturday if possible instead of a Sat/Sun. I was shocked to see 5 out of the 6 spots taken when we drove by on our way out on Saturday at around 2:30. Guess there are plenty of idiots who want to freeze their asses off in February. ;)

4) We enjoyed the Taqueria Las Palmas in Shelton. Nice, but not so nice that a stinky hiker would feel awkward. 

Cheers to being lucky hiking idiots!