Mile 1,506.5 - 1,520.5

We took our time leaving Dunsmuir this morning. We like to get the most rest we

can in the comfort of a motel. It was 10am when we started hitching back to the trailhead. Problem was, we had very few customers. It's Sunday morning in this tiny town of Dunsmuir and it seems like no one is driving. The road is all but empty. 

We decided it was best to start walking through the town center in hopes of meeting up with more traffic. No dice. We walked more. Still no luck and we began to get nervous about our chances of getting a hitch out of this town.

We walked from one end of town to the other with a few hitch attempts in between. Still no luck.

It's only 4 miles to the trailhead but the only road that goes there is I-5 and we can't walk on that, and hitching on the interstate is useless. We were told that we could walk the railroad tracks all the way back to the trail. We were considering that when a man pulled over and told us to hop in. It took us over an hour to get that ride. The man joked that we would be waiting here in this town for days before someone would pick us up. I don't think he was kidding.

I did ask the local man about Dunsmuir's claim to have the best water on earth. He said that when JFK stopped by via the railroad during his Presidency,  that after he took a drink from the town's water he made that claim. Interesting.

Once back on trail we had a major climb up Castle Crags, over 4,000 vertical feet in a 10 mile period. In the Castle Crags wilderness there are huge stone structures that look like castles from afar. 

To top it all off, I have poison oak on my leg. I just knew it would get it. Everyone wears shorts, and I wear pants thinking I'm safe from the poison oak, wrong. I got it. 

Just after we got dropped off by our Dunsmuir trail angel. Balance walks under I-5 to the trailhead.

Y-Knot's poison oak on the lower leg. Poison oak is everywhere on and around the trail in this area. Now I have to try and treat it. Not good.

Castle Crag Wilderness.

Later in the day and much higher up, and we still get views of Castle Crag.

Tightest camping spot ever. We had no choice, it's the only one around and it's near water and flat. We nestled right in next to the huge tree and shrubs.