It was an amazing trip! Unfortunately I did not find a way to paddle out the 22 miles to Santa Cruz Island in some of the best conditions available (light winds, full moon, moderate temps). The Supermoon was rising shortly after the sunset with a clear sky. Although temps during the day inland on the island felt like 60's F, the night air dropped into the 40's with the Santa Ana winds adding wind chill on the exposed areas of the island.
The shuttle ride from Ventura Harbor with Island Packers was amazing with the dolphin escorts. Upon landing on the island, I was hoping to hike a 28 mile out and back route from Scorpion Canyon Campground to Prisoner's Harbor, but I took the wrong path one path too early. I was now headed to Potato Harbor,which was a dead end out and back trip on the Northerastern point of the Eastern side of the Santa Cruz Island. However, I knew there was a possible foot path up and over to Montanan Ridge. I took the chance with an extra hour of hiking past and above Potato Harbor on what appeared to be an Island Fox trail. I was doing great to find the trail after losing it several times. I was approaching a ridgeline summit, but I had to abort this route on my solo journey. I turned around after my attempt to summit a ridge at sunset was too dicey on the steep grassy slope with my heavy pack and my knee/ankle without any hiking poles. And that trail was an unofficial foot path way off the beaten path up and past Potato Harbor. I was able to hike about 20 miles continuously with a stop for sunset viewing and watching a few humpbacks breach (1 completely out of the water), smack tail 22 times, and then wave it's huge flipper before swimming away. A stop for dinner back at the campsite and then more dangerous miles in the moonlight on rocks and loose dirt on steep grades that took me up, way, up some more, and over waaaay down to Smuggler's Cove beach. Coming back up from Smuggler's Cove was dangerous with the loose footing and low moonlight. I was glad to make it back to camp around midnight Pacific after about 11 hours of hiking and sightseeing.
The wrong path? Yep, my Delorme Earthmate 30 GPS with the routes had broken the morning that I was leaving for the trip. The SD card latch broke when I put the SD card back into the GPS after preparing for the trip and loading the Santa Cruz Island TOPO maps. So I had thoroughly prepped hand drawn maps of the area, but trying to track an unmapped footpath I only saw while zooming all the way in on Google Earth was impossible on the remote island.
I slipped several times but had come to rely on some dead scrub branches that I picked-up after I could not summit the steep ridgeline. My last slip broke the right hiking stick in half and left me with a dagger. I kept revisiting my SAFESTART training from work so that I did not let RUSHING and FATIGUE lead to a roleld ankle or severe knee injury on the treacherous footing with sttep grades in the dark!!! Coming back from Smugglers Cove was an exercise in slow focused step placement and a slow pace to avoid sweating more in the cold 40 degree air temps with additional windchill created from the Santa Ana winds.
I was hurting and cold back in my tent. I now had an opening on my tent fly vestibule. My three season tent let the Santa Ana breeze creep in under the fly and through the mesh sides that were close to the ground. The window clear material had completely separated from the fly. So I finally warmed-up when I snugged my mummy bag to only expose my nose and mouth to the chilled island air.
Sunday was spent trying to move again before I joined my Sea Cave Kayaking Tour. I spent several hours in the morning on the dock as the sun rose watching the waves crash against the rocky sheer cliff shore. I peered into the kelp beds through the crystal clear waters.
Sea Cave kayaking was fun and relaxing. just wait to see some of the video footage being greeted by a "small" breaking wave exiting my first cave and getting blasted out of the Blowhole on Scorpion Rock. Conditions worsened with building winds that prevented us from rounding Cavern Point. I was taught how to eat the end of the kelp, and I did eat several pieces of kelp from the Pacifica Ocean. I finished the day with skills practice with kayak reentry on the SOT. Thanks to Kyle for guiding our group through the sea caves.
The Island Packers ride back to Ventura Harbor was amazing with sightings from multiple pods of dolphins. There must have been thousands of dolphins because there were so many jumping dolphins as far as I could see in all directions for many miles of the crossing. Again I stood on the bow rail for the entire trip and enjoyed the dolphins' show, as well as the sunset off the port stern setting above the Channel Islands.
I noticed the Thomas Fire in Ventura County while hiking to dinner on Monday night. On my way back from my dinner, I was watching the fires spread tremendously in the Santa Ana winds. I witnessed the power loss during the fire that knocked power out from the beach to the fire line in the hills, and as far as I could see up the coast. Everything was completely dark. Buildings and homes did not even have emergency power for the next 6-16 hours.
My headlamp was a saving grace as I continued to walk back and forth from my hotel to the Channel Islands Harbor, and through the dark and powerless Hampton Inn.
Concerned that the high winds would send sparks my way within 8-12 miles of these fires on the hills, I added my drysuit to my pack just in case the wind shifted and I would have to take refuge in the marina waters. I finally retired to my hotel around 3-4 AM after patrolling the area and keeping an eye on the glowing sky and burning hills and now structures
My business training on Monday was moved from Oxnard to Thousand Oaks. Our training facility, the host hotel, many stoplights, and much of the area around us still had no power and the emergency generators had long since run out of diesel.
Our group of 20+ people now traveled like nomads with all belongings in our vehicles in case they found a hotel with vacancies and power. Plus, you did not want to risk having all or your luggage above the ground floor with the risk of elevators trapping you during the power loss.
The fires spread over about 12 hours to include a 14 mile path and 150 structures destroyed, but thankfully no fatalities from the fire.
Wednesday more fires were ignited. I learned that 9 people I was associated with had lost homes amongst the growing carnage.
The winds changed Wednesday afternoon and our plant was immersed in the smoke and ash making breathing difficult.
So I went paddling Wednesday night before catching my plane home! Thanks to Tim and his friend Don, and Don's friend Dave. Don had a boat right behind my room at the hotel, and I was able to meet him in person while I was on my balcony Monday afternoon. We had been communicating by Facebook messenger when I texted him a photo of his boat from my balcony, and he realized we were only feet away from each other. I had a great time meeting Don. Don made a call and was able to arrange a kayak and kit for me to use.
Wednesday night I paddled over an hour in the Channel Islands Harbor. I had to turn around when my path through a culvert was blocked. Without another paddler, I was not going to risk getting stuck in this area. Unlike this paddling event with OneEyedJake from EC2013 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xa_fNY5Tmgs).
It was tough to breathe as the wind changed during my night paddle. I kept pulling my buff over my face to reduce the amount of contaminants that I was inhaling. I wished to have paddled longer, but I had a 2 hour drive down the PCH to LAX for a midnight flight home. Since the 405 had been closed due to the fire and high winds, I needed ample time to get to the airport.
I replaced the kayak, PFD and paddle to their places. I changed out of my dry suit. And I headed to LAX.
I was hoping to hike Point Dume on the way to the airport, but the high winds were blowing my car across lanes of traffic, and I was getting sandblasted by the high winds. So I passed on the hike because I was afraid of two things, 1. getting blown off of the hill, and 2. getting debris in my eyes from the large debris and dirt getting whipped around.
I arrived at LAX at my gate with 3 hours to wait. This left me wondering how much more I could have been paddling in the rising moonlight in the Channel Islands Harbor.
Now it is Thursday night after leaving last Friday, and I hope to catch-up on a little sleep.
Enjoy our National Parks!
Get out there and do something amazing! And do it and night in the dark!!!
