Friday July 30th, 2010--Hiking and Kayaking on the Channel Islands

Today, we woke up slowly after our first camping night. The skies were cloudy, as is typical for an ocean island, and a little cool. Today our plan was to hike out to Smuggler's Cove--which we thought might be a swimmable beach on this cliff-laden island. We knew the hike was about 7 miles total, but we weren't quite prepared for the elevation gain, and eventually the strong sunshine the beat down with very little relief as the island had few trees.

The hike went south and west on the island--and mostly uphill for the first section of the hike--maybe the first 2.5 miles, even with the shortcuts. The topography was interesting but a little monotonous. The trail led steeply down to Smugglers cove, though an old Olive tree grove, making it seem quite mediterrean in flavor. We were very tired and overheated when we arrived at the cove, and quickly disappointed at the lack of beach. Small but frequent waves crashed against the rocky cove, cobbled with agates, and not good for swimming due to the pull of the waves and the chilliness of the water. Beachcombing, we found a frond of a palm tree that appeared to be an ancient, weathered bone, as well as a well presevered squashed lizard, and several agates. However, we quickly took back to the trail--up the steep first section then onward with a slow descent.

We decided to have only Peter and Alice go on the kayak trip--Patrick was tired, and our sense was that the trip wouldn't be as enjoyed, given Peter's enthusiasm. Their guide's name was John, a fellow about our age who led kayak trips on the island and lived in Lone Pine, California. They learned a lot about the island on the trip, most particularly how to ride into a sea cave, leaning back instead of forward. They saw a flying fish while paddling out to the many cliffs and caves on the island. The first island was a rookery for gulls and cormorants. The first was the Green Room, a tunnel that went through the entire island. The ceiling started high but got narrower when paddling through.

They learned a great deal about the natural history and peoples of the island--the chumiak. They also about the Spanish explorers who left prickly pear and pigs on each island they visited in the expectation that they would multiply by the time they returned. They also learned about the Russian fur trappers almost decimated the native population in addition to nearly extinguishing the otter population. They also saw harbor seals and keyhole limpets, and lots of sea stars. They travelled many kelp beds, and three other caves--all of which had stories and interesting features--tidal changes that meant that they had to wait. By the time they returned to shore, Patrick and I had dinner cooked on the cool shores, which we enjoyed before returning for our last camping night on the island.