This park….what can I even say that will compare with the experience I had. I think the pictures will do it more justice. My trip started out with a stroke of luck – on a whim I decided to drive down to Ventura the night before instead of waiting until the next morning. Late the night before, I got an email from the Island Packers company warning of “robust sea conditions”. They offered to reschedule or refund anyone who wanted to pass, but recommended calling in the next morning after 5 am to determine the plan. I was so worried they would cancel my boat ride out! I set my alarm for 8 am, but for some reason was wide awake at 5. I called in to find out that my 2 pm boat had been canceled and that all campers had to be there by 8 am! Motivation enough to get my butt in gear that morning and to get my food and cooler packed up. I got there early and loaded all my stuff onto the boat. The trip started off with a lot of excitement because there were two gray whales – a baby and a mama. I got a few pictures, two with the tips of their tails in it (I think??)!
I have about 30 more with just pieces of them, but I will spare you the unexciting photos! Just know it was VERY fun in real life to get to see the whales, it all happened so fast!! There were some people in kayaks right near the whales, I wonder if they were scared or excited – I imagine a blend of both!
I also got a few cool grabs of some dolphins swimming around too.
The ship ride was about an hour, and I stood up in the front for most of it riding the waves like it was a roller coaster. They were big! I had a good time, but there were definitely a few people who could not tolerate the swaying….
Here are a few pictures of my first view of the island.
We unloaded all of our gear and its about a 0.25-0.5 mile walk from the harbor to the campsite. Luckily I just got a new duffel bag with wheels! My gear is far from lightweight. This guy was hanging out right on the beach sunning himself so I couldn’t resist snapping a few pictures. Most people didn’t even notice him because he blended in so well!
I set up my camp, nestled back in the cover of some trees. The view in the valley of the surrounding mountains was peaceful. I was almost tempted to take my nap here – but I knew there was too much to see and too little time to see it!
After a small bit of confusion as to the exact location of the trail head I started hiking up to Potato Harbor. The wind was moderate in the canyon so I was interested to see how much worse it got once I got up to the cliff face. Here are a few pictures of the trail going out.
I made it to the edge and got my first view of the cliff face and the ocean. I couldn’t get enough of these views.
I spotted one of the island fox (which I had already seen dozens of) and he was looking rather photogenic so I grabbed a few pictures.
I was surprised to see him so far away from the campsites! I can imagine picking food off from unsuspecting campers has to be one of the best ways to keep fed on this island. They were very audacious! I would turn my back while unpacking/packing my bag and they would be trying to sneak into my food container! One almost got away with my toothpaste!!
I got up to the edge and was able to see Potato Harbor! Not sure how it got its name, but the water was so blue!! I decided this was a great place to take a nap.
It would seem though, that the everyone else had different ideas. A helicopter came flying through, which with the wind actually wasn’t as loud as I was expecting.
Now speaking of loud, the seals in this harbor were very loud! The funny part was I couldn’t even see them because they were so far away. I pulled out my zooming lens and proceeded to watch them move around through the camera. It was quite fun. I zoomed in even further in this picture so you can see them all.
It took me far too long to finally find them, but once I did I stayed there for almost 30 minutes watching them. I finally tore myself away to continue my hike back, but this time I walked along the cliff’s edge.
Once I got back to my campsite I had some lunch and then sat around and read my book. It was tough to find somewhere on the island where the wind wasn’t ripping through. While I was sitting on a bench two of the women I met on the boat said they were pier snorkeling, so I decided to join them. This basically consisted of us looking off the edge of the pier for fish, since the water was so clear. With the churn of the water, it was tough to see them but I did get some good pictures of the kelp forests.
Day 2 brought the much anticipated sea kayaking tour!! This was SO much fun. I brought my underwater camera which I had gotten originally for snorkeling in Dry Tortugas. I will ask for forgiveness now, because in my excitement and haste, I rarely checked to make sure there weren’t water droplets on the screen. Also the water was pretty rough, so staying still enough to get good pictures was hard.
With those excuses out of the way I still think I got some good shots! Our first semi-stop with our guide where he was explaining to us that kelp can grow a foot and half in a day! Insane. We used it as anchors when we were waiting or talking. It definitely became a lifeline for me towards the end of the tour!
I was with one other couple, who unfortunately was too scared to go anywhere near the cliffs! I certainly was nervous, but I trusted Jon since he seemed alive and he’d been doing it for 5 years. The water was rough some we couldn’t go in all the caves, but we did go in some!
The sea caves were nothing like what I was expecting. I imagined these large carverns, but really they were quite small and narrow! With the rough water, usually John would go in to see if it was safe, then would beckon me forward. Usually it was a fast experience, because you were never sure when the next big wave might come through. So I would go in fast take some pictures, turn and come back out. Some you would go in and come back out a different entrance, and they were so narrow you had to stow your paddle and guide yourself through!
The last cave I did was a bit scarier than the others. The other guide didn’t take his group all the way through, but John said he thought I could handle it. I got inside and John was encouraging me to take pictures. I tried to pull out my camera and two huge waves came surging into the caves! My kayak got slammed against the wall and I threw my arms out to try and keep from flipping. Unluckily the walls are all covered in sharp barnacles! Got a few cuts and bruises, but I was able to surge back out the side entrance after the next wave, with only a bit of blood and some awesome pictures to show for it! I feel like I earned my small cuts and it made the experience that much more exciting. John was such a fun guide, he really encouraged me to as he put it “push the envelope”. Although he didn’t use those terms until afterward….not sure if I would have taken as many chances if I knew everyone else didn’t normally do it!
Some of the entrances were so small! This one I had to duck to get into it!!
Here I was hanging out trying to catch a break from the wind. Selfie 🙂
After we got done, the paddle back for the second half was all up wind….needless to say I struggled! John offered to tow me in but I was too stubborn! The other couple (who didnt explore any of the caves) was in a tandem kayak, so I like to think they had it a lot easier. I did finally make it back to the beach and climbed out of my kayak a little shaky but so excited! I really recommend the adventure sea kayak adventure to anyone who wants to see more of the island. It was a blast! The guides were all great and really make you feel safe and comfortable. The wet suits and splash jackets didnt hurt either – that water was freezing! Also shout out to the two women I met on the boat – you guys know who you are. Sorry you didn’t get to come kayaking but I hope you enjoy the pictures I posted here!!
Once we got back to shore I had some time to get changed and eat before the afternoon boat back to Ventura. This park was such a blast. I will definitely be back – and for more than just one night! I heard some cool stuff about some of the longer hikes on the island and I can’t wait to come back and explore.
Kelsey's Climb to 59 (+4) 