We made our first of two stops at the Scorpion drop off. Most of the people on the ferry got off there. On the way over to Prisoners drop off a couple of dolphins were swimming in the boats wake! It was amazing to see how gracefully and swiftly they dive in and out of the water! Unfortunately, Lauren made it over to the railing of the boat to late to take any pictures; the dolphins were too far away.
We helped unload the ferry, grabbed our gear, and headed onto the island to begin the 4-mile trail that would take us to our campsite, where Alan and Tara had arrived the day before. That 4-mile trail felt like 10! Each of us was carrying our backpacks plus one or two gallons of water and the trail was extremely steep no matter which direction you were going. We took a break near a sign that pointed us in the direction of the campsite. We took our packs off, drank a lot of water, took in the scenery, and then grudgingly put back on our packs and headed for the campsite.
We were pleasantly surprised to find the campsite approximately one whole minute away from where we had taken our break! Tara was already there waiting for us and Alan was on his way back from hiking to the China harbor. Chris and Lauren set up their hammocks while Dan and Jordan set up their tents. Alan finally arrived from his long hike and told us that there were some great views just a couple minutes farther up the trail. He was right! The views were outstanding! On our way back we noticed some prickly pears on a cactus just below us. Chris, Lauren, and Dan made their way down to try some! They were very juicy, but the little fruits were covered in fuzzy spines, which attached to your skin like Velcro and were extremely hard to remove!
The biggest predator on the island was the Santa Cruz Island fox, which is no bigger than a typical house cat. They were friendly and obviously very used to people. They would hang out around us and even jump up on the table where we were sitting. One stole Chris’s yogurt trail mix and Chris went tearing after it. The fox was too quick and Chris was upset. We also saw a fox running with a roll of toilet paper, apparently they are very civilized foxes!
That night we played some fun card games and ate brats for dinner. We laughed a lot and really enjoyed everyone’s company! By 8:00 everyone was exhausted and ready for bed. Chris and Lauren were the only ones that did not sleep well and Alan soon told us why. He showed us the proper way to sleep in a hammock, diagonally so your body can lay as flat as possible, probably a good thing to know before you invest in a hammock!
In the morning we had eggs and toast for breakfast and began to pack up our gear. The foxes smelled our tasty morsels and came to explore. Chris and Dan were even able to feed them out of their hands, not recommended or probably even legal; Jordan had no such luck. After we were packed we made our way down the steep trail back to the dock. We again had some amazing views and made it down in time to go on a guided hike to Pelican point.
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| Movember |
It was a short, but great hike! We saw an Island Scrub Jay, a type of blue jay only found on this island! Like this jay there are another 150 species found only on the Channel Islands! Also, several plants that are usually found on the mainland flourish here naturally and in slightly different states. For example, the Manzanita shrub grows only to about two to three feet high; on the island it can grow over thirteen feet high!
Our guide informed us of a lot of facts about the island and quite a bit of history. One interesting story is that a Chumash girl of about 10 was the only one left on the island after the rest of her tribe had been captured and taken to the mainland. Even at the age of 10 she was ingenious and skillful enough to take care of herself for the next 17 years. At the age of 27 a couple of fisherman found her and she went back to the mainland with them. Sadly, due to the exposure of disease she died three months later! We saw some jaw dropping views of the island coast and other scenery that surrounded us! A crow, apparently hungry, had found the weakest link of our group. It was Alan. He was moving slower and limping due to his sore knees and feet from the strenuous hike he had done the day before. The crow circled him for some time and then even hopped on the ground behind him until Alan noticed. Unfortunately for the crow, Alan managed to make the whole hike. Right before we made it to Pelicans Point we stopped to suck on some lemonade berries. Delicious! People sometimes soak these berries to make actual lemonade. They were sour and tart and tasted just like a lemon warhead candy! We could have stayed at the bush for at least an hour sucking on natures candy! Pelicans point was beautiful and we got to see some more starfish!
The hike had finished and the ferry was anchored in the harbor of Pelicans Point. A little inflatable dinghy brought us from the shore to the ferry. We boarded and after making a couple of stops to pick up other passengers we headed back to L.A. The ferry ride was great and we got to watch the sun begin to set on the water. We did not, however, get to see any more dolphins or whales, as Tara and Alan had seen on their ferry ride.
It was an amazing experience to be able to camp on an island and know that our group was the only one on that side of the island! It is an experience we hope to have more often! After we packed up the cars, Alan suggested we go to a Korean barbeque for dinner. Alan is Korean, which made the dining experience exceptional! He was able to tell all of the staff what we wanted and when we needed more, and was also able to tell us what we were eating, which is always helpful. In the middle of the table is a grill for the diners to cook their food on just the way they like it. Alan did a terrific job and everything was delicious! We said good-bye to everyone and jumped back into Dan’s car to make our way back to his house for the last shower and the last bed we would have for the next 16 days!
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