Dunsmuir - The Jumping Off Spot for Northern California

Arrived in Northern California this morning, stepping off the train into the mountain town of Dunsmuir. Tomorrow morning, I finally head back out on the trail.

The overnight ride from Sacramento went by quickly. Between the train’s constant horn and a couple of impressive snorers nearby, it felt like an off-key concert that lasted all night. Still, I have to admit—I really enjoyed the 5 hour ride through the night.

When I stepped off the train early this morning, the air had a sharp chill I haven’t felt in quite a while. Nights up here are going to be cold, no question. I’ll also be hitting snow in this stretch. Most PCT hikers pass through here after it’s melted out, but coming up early means I’ll be dealing with it—and there’s a good chance I’ll even get snowed on. For the first time, I’ll be adding an ice axe to my gear, just in case.

I'm back in the pine trees here too! To me, that is just comforting. There's just something about walking underneath massive pine trees that fills me up. The desert was amazing, but to me, it felt like such a foreign place. A great place to explore and beautiful, but the pines trees have a magic to them. These woods and mountains have a taste of home in them and I'm looking forward to seeing what the trail has to offer in this part.

I’ve heard about a few other hikers heading north like I am. I connected with a French hiker who’s starting tomorrow as well, so there’s a good chance we’ll be leapfrogging each other for a while. One of the best parts of the trail is how international it is—I’ve shared miles with people from Great Britain, Switzerland, Germany, Israel, Russia, Australia… and Texas (which I still consider a foreign country 😄).

I’'ll be carrying seven days of food (99 mile stretch) to reach Etna, where I’ll resupply. With the snow, progress will probably be slower for a bit—assuming I can get through at all. If not, I can always turn around. There’s a weather system moving in this weekend, so I’ll try to put in some solid miles tomorrow before it hits.

My leg is better, though still a little sore. We’ll see how it holds up once I’m back out there.

Talk to you up the trail....

Airing out our gear and reorganizing before the next stretch