[pct-l] Entering PCT at Castle Crags from Dunsmuir

[Diane at Santa Barbara Hikes dot com]

On May 28, 2010, at 7:56 AM, pct-l-request at backcountry.net wrote:
>
>
> We plan to take Amtrak, disembark at Dunsmuir, and hike north from  
> there.? That means we'll be getting off the train during the  
> night.? Have any of you readers?done this? What route should we  
> follow from the train station to the PCT?? Can we hike this in the  
> dark, or does traffic make it too dangerous?? Should we try to book  
> a room in Dunsmuir?? If so, any recommendations?

I hiked from the PCT to Dunsmir and took the train southbound home.  
If you're taking the southbound train, you won't get to Dunsmuir  
until about 3:30 AM.

I stayed at a nice place called Cave Springs Resort, but I doubt they  
would be open at 3:30AM to help you and they were almost a mile from  
the station. I think there was a chain hotel not too far from the  
train station, but I don't remember the name of it.

It would be hard to find your way in the dark to the trail. You have  
to make your way through some of the town streets, then follow some  
residential streets, then walk along the railroad tracks for a while,  
which was surprisingly treacherous. Once you get to where the PCT  
crosses, you are at a road that has an underpass to the freeway.  
You're not really going to be able to see that it's the PCT.

That said, you might find somewhere to stealth camp. At that hour,  
it's hardly worth it to knock on hotel doors waking up people for a  
couple hours of probably non-sleep.

Diane