July Destination: Camping at Two Habors, Catalina Island

I purposely dedicated my month of July travel destination to my boyfriend, Brad. I let him choose where he'd like to celebrate his birthday and counted it as my 7 month travel spot! Woohoo! I'm more than half way done with my New Years Resolutionnn! Wait. That means 2018 is like...half way over. WHAT!? This year is seriously flying by. It needs to stop. Now. Once by birthday comes and goes on September 10th the rest of the year ALWAYS flies by in the blink of an eye. Should I go ahead and wish you a Happy New Year now? Okay, I won't.

I've only been camping once in my life. It was a few years ago with friends in Joshua Tree for only 1 night. I barely count it because I didn't have to lift a finger. My friends had all the camping supplies and I just got to tag along. My trip to Catalina Island was my first "legit" (still not exactly roughing it) camping experience and since being diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. Not the biggest ordeal, but it does require some extra planning, additional backup supplies, and tonsss of snacks for fuel and treating lows. My Thompson Diabetes Travel Carry All from Myabetic.com came in handy! I carried it everywhere and used it to hold more than just my diabetes supplies & snacks. (P.S. Use code: Typelovely for 15% off your Myabetic purchase)!

The first thing I've learned about camping is: Book in advance! Camp sites book up so quickly - who knew?! I was so disappointed when I went to book a campsite for Yosemite to find out are completely booked exactly 5 months in advance. Our campsite at Two Harbors is not as competitive, but I still suggest booking your favorite spot at least one month out. A few months more if you want spots nearest to the beach! Book Two Harbors Campsite here.

Brad decided to camp for his birthday last minute, so we didn't have too many camping spots to choose from. We ended up with TH10 which looked pretty good since it was so close to the beach. We quickly learned that it was pretty tiny, had zero shade, was on uneven ground, and had a janky fire pit compared to all the other spots. So, there is definitely a learning curve if you haven't visited before. We adventured around the entire campsite to pick our favorite spots in case we wanted to camp there again. Camp sites we recommend: TH1-3 (most popular), TH11 (great shade close to water) and TH46 and TH47 (great shade and view of the ocean).

The "Bison Bomb" sundae

The reason Brad considered camping at Two Harbors to be considered "glamping" (glamour + camping) is due to the amenities. You can pay $5 to have your heavy/big gear hauled to our campsite and another $5 per day for firewood to be delivered too. You are a 15-20 minute uphill both ways - I'm not joking - hike from restrooms/showers and the tiny town of Two Harbors. The town has a market, two restaurants, ice cream place, and places to rent kayaks, canoes, snorkling equipment, etc. So no, this camping trip was not a quiet alone-in-the-middle-of-the-woods-with-bears experience. For me, it was a great way to dip my toes into camping before trying something super remote.

However, we DID have to bring all our own camping equipment and supplies. I purchased my first tent and hiking pack from REI (both on sale!) for this trip. Brad and I scored REI Co-op Half Dome2 Plus tent on sale for $150 because it was the 2017 model. It is no longer available but you can buy the new 2018 model here.

The REI Co-op Flash 60 Pack was also on clearance ($100) since the newest version was coming out. I snagged the last size small from my local REI and was fitted by a super helpful lady in the camping section. She taught me how to wear it properly and how to pack it up. I felt so legit. Brad nor I felt like splurging on a sleeping bag or pad so we purchased them off Amazon.

Once arriving to Two Harbors I quickly realized why it got its name. The two harbors (Banning Harbor & Catalina Harbor) are separated by only 842 yards of land. Brad and I walked from the dock at Catalina island to the windward side of the island to check it out.

The entire island is pretty much fair game for adventuring. If we saw an interesting path or lookout point, we hiked it! It didn't take long to gain some elevation and amazing views! Everyone is incredibly friendly on the island, which is a refreshing change from the city of LA. While walking back towards Catalina Harbor was ran into a nice married couple and their dog. They suggested hiking up to a taller peak called Upper Ballast Point to enjoy the views.

The next day, we did just that! We took a path up towards the Banning House, and began our step incline towards the peak. Along the way we met another amazing couple who were hiking the 4-day Trans-Catalina Trail. There were dozens of backpackers along the paths making the tough trek. When purchasing my backpack the REI lady asked if thats what I was doing - nope. Props to the hikers who do!

I went low a few times on the way up to the top. I stopped to eat a KIND bar, energy chews, and starburst jellybeans in order to keep going. Warning: there are HUGE very intelligent crows on the island. One flew down and landed on a tree while I was eating a KIND bar. He understood I had food and started hopping towards me. I began running away AND HE CHASED ME. Brad threw a rock to scare him away. PSYCHO BIRD!

One you reach the top, there is a barbed wire fence along the rim of the peak. There were hundreds of designs, names, and words stuck to the fence from previous hikers.