The second day at Malibu Lagoon State Beach we continued our invasives battle. A small group kayaked out to one of the further islands to do work. One problem. There were only two kayaks available so ASB members had to be ferried out two at a time – a hilarious scene to behold. We weeded nearly the whole restoration area, a job that would’ve taken the California state park staff weeks, if not months, to accomplish due to the various areas they manage. To celebrate, we spent a little time on the beach, simply enjoying the sun- something many of us normally don’t see outside of the summer months.
Wednesday was a recreation day! Breakfast was an hour earlier to make up for the extra time it took to get to Channel Islands National Park. Sea lions acted as gatekeepers to the ocean, and en route dolphins swam along the boat and in its wake.
Landing in Scorpion Harbour, a few of us opted to hang out on the beach while the rest of the group split off into different hikes. Three members completed a strenuous eight mile round trip hike which was especially impressive due to our extremely tight time constraint.
Santa Cruz island was spectacularly beautiful and had large, craggy bluffs overlooking the ocean. On a clear day it can be seen from the mainland. In the less than five hours we had on the island, lizards, butterflies, a variety of birds, and even the elusive Channel Island fox were spotted. We noticed eucalyptus trees, on the island, a non-native tree also found on the Californian mainland, planted for aesthetic and scent reasons.
Everyone made it back to the boat safely and eventually to camp where we had a fantastic Gado Gado dinner. Curfew was extended to a drastically late 9:30pm so that folks could go on a night hike to enjoy the nearly full moon. Unfortunately, I lost my headlamp looking for people, but these new memories will soften the loss of the sentimental item.
