Updates on Catalina Island

At dinner tonight we had an informal Q&A session with a member who had gone on this trip last year.  Here are 15 updates, in no particular order:


1) It's possible to walk into town since it's just 4 miles downhill.
2) You can stay overnight at the community/teen center in Avalon for free if you don't have to work the next day.
3) They like us there and take us scuba-diving and kayaking...for free!
4) Apparently there's an old man named Donald who will take us fishing.
5) Avalon, the touristy city is 1 mile long.
6) It is very expensive.  We will probably try to bring some food in bulk with us from the mainland.
7) The backpack we bring has to fit into our duffel bag.  How do you spell that?  Duffel/Duffle...I think duffel.  And our boots, rain gear (which will consist of boots, pants, and a jacket), and sleeping bag all have to fit in it!
8) We're here to work, but we've come to an agreement that time will be made for fun!
9) The last team to go there did not catch pnemonia, nor did the one before them.
10) The last team there was attacked by a bison that felt trapped during their very first invasive species removal project.  Apparently the lady talking to us had to jump across a ditch to get away!  Otherwise they're supposedly pretty chill animals.
11) Rainy season, unless it's unusually rainy like for the last team who had monsoon-like weather, consists of about 2 inches a year.  That's nothing!  I'm wondering if it comes more in the form of a mist rather than rain showers.
12) The noteworthy weather she warned us of was the wind.  The chilly wind.
13) There are actually two showers, one indoors, one outdoors.  The outdoor one has a view of the stars at night!!!
14) We will have bunkbeds in our tent, a fire pit, and a camping stove.
15) The lady that presented said she did take her laptop and just used it when she went into town.


...This is all sounding so much more manageable!  This Q&A session took away a lot of my stress about this adventure and added to the excitement!  Also, I apologize for the lack of pictures in the last few posts...they're not very aesthetically pleasing.