In February 2021 some friends and I decided to meet up in Los Angeles and attempt the Trans Catalina Trail. The TCT is short but beautiful, and it was nice to get out of the cold of Bishop for a few days.
I took the Eastern Sierra Transit bus to Lancaster, the train down to Los Angeles, and stayed with my friend Noe for a few days. In comparison to Bishop, LA feels warm and tropical in the winter. I tried to pack as healthy as possible for this trip, inspired by Aria Zoner.
Matt, Noe and I took the Silver line BRT down to San Pedro, and met Adam and Zach to take the ferry to Catalina Island. In comparison to the undeveloped Channel Islands National Park, Catalina Island has much more infrastructure. A small town, Avalon, feels more european then american with the small cars and houses.
We didn’t dawdle in Avalon long though, we had ground to cover! The campsites are quite expensive, so we planned to only stay on the island one night. The hike was beautiful, and we did not see many other hikers for long stretches. We were treated to beautiful views of bison, the ocean, and the mountains. While it is only 20 or so miles from the sprawling metropolis of Los Angeles, Catalina Island truly feels like a different world.
We ended the hike with a relaxing dip in two harbors, and took the ferry back to San Pedro.
Matt’s trip report: https://www.mattymorrison.com/transcatalina
Anthony Ottati 