[CINC] Islander to Scorpion/ Cavern Point Hike/ 1-27

[Paul Jr. Petrich]

Ahoy CINC Nation, Fantastic day aboard the Islander Scorpion under the guidance of skipper Anthony. 144 passengers included 2nd and 3rd graders from a charter school in Camarillo. They and chaperones, parents and teachers, numbered 112!  Andrea, Laurie, and Danielle got great accolades from the teachers and parents on the way back home for the great interpretive programs and hikes they organized for the huge group (dividing it into 3). I had it easy, with 5 of 7 remaining day hikers who got off at Scorpion joining in on the Cavern Point hike. Carolyn Mc Cleskey joined us, before returning to the Visitor Center duty. Captain Anthony and deckhand Luke took the rest, who did not get off to kayak or camp at Scorpion, to Prisoners. It was a "see forever" day from Cathedral Point! You could see almost the entire historical Chumash coastline on the mainland, from Point Conception, anyway, to Point Magu. There was no limit, excepting for the horizon, to the visibility! Four of us went on the Potato Harbor to marvel the view. Everything was green, and Meadowlark songs filled the air with constant background music.    We saw 4 fox in the camp area on the way back. Included in this sighting was the lame fox, but no one mentioned a collar.    On the way over the kids were thrilled beyond joy at the playful bow riding and stern wake surfing of a pod of 400 common Dolphin half way across that stayed with us a long time. Topping this off, Skipper Anthony diverted within a mile of the landing to view a southerly migrating pair of Grays. Waters were calm and non of the "energetic" kids got sea sick, coming or going.   Of particular interest archeologically, at Potato Harbor, we encountered an archeological team from UCSB leaving their 2 vehicle carts to hike to a more distant dig. The professor in charge said they were researching an ancient midden dated to be a least 8,500 years, witch had mixed deposits of shells and chert tools. While eating lunch and enjoying the view, we saw them working the dig on the distant hillside directly west of the Potato harbor overlook. The professor confirmed that this finding will change our current interpretive narrative which dates some of the 3000 middens on the island going back to 7,500 years.  Sincerely, Paul 		 	   		  
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