excerpt from email to Sandy Re: Overnight hike Squaw Creek Trailhead near McCloud to I5 at Castle Crags.

This was just at the start of my afternoon hike yesterday at Squaw Creek south of McCloud. 

I'll elaborate further later when I get a chance, but yesterday I overnighted at the Hwy5 PCT crossing parking area I showed you on the way to Dunsmuir from Castle Crags CG. Woke up at 5:30 to bicycle from there to Dunsmuir to catch the 7am bus to McCloud (with a transfer in Mount Shasta City.) Bicycled the 5 miles of paved road and 2miles dirt to the Squaw Creek Trailhead, hiked about 13 miles in 8 hours to the other side of Girrard Ridge, about 5 miles short of Hwy 5.  Overnighted at an awesome view of Mt Shasta.  Hiked the final 5 miles in two hours this morning.  

Got to my car to find someone asking for a lift to the gas station at Castella, which I did, in exchange for a coffee at the Amiretti store at the gas station.  Also got bits of local "secrets" from the guy who's dirt bike had run out of gas there.  One was that there's a tunnel from the side road between that gas station and the PCT crossing which goes straight to the showers building at the state park.  

So after dropping off the biker with a can of gas back at the PCT crossing, I went straight for that tunnel, ready to take a shower.  But there was a sign on the door saying that bathroom was closed, to use the bathroom in the upper loop.   But the door was open so I walked in and took a shit.   But when I was ready to flush, there was no water!   Oh well, so I left, and noticed a guy in a ranger suit (looked to me) coming my way from up the hill, but he turned around and went back to the tanker truck that I think may have been pumping the septic tank or something, the likely reason for the closure.  Walked back to the car, a bit relieved I didn't have a personal encounter with the ranger.  

Spent the rest of the morning sorting out my car some more, then to the Dunsmuir library.  Been her mostly figuring out a few snags with the tracklog I was taking of my hike, uploading my picts but haven't done much looking thru them yet - just remembered taking the pic attached.

Now I'm off to the Redding library again, to see that slideshow by John Livingston who's been section-hiking the PCT.