How risky is it to run a full length truck on 101 south from Eureka to Bay Area?

Buckhorn Summit? I never minded that too much. You couldn't get going fast enough to get in any real trouble if you used your head.
What got a lot of guys in trouble on Buckhorn was hauling S4S lumber and not gut wrapping it. All those turns, not enough straps, and rough handling would cause a load to move.
A truck and trailer or doubles was usually okay but a semi could be flexing in two different directions at once on some of those turns.
LOL...I wish I had all the lumber I've seen scattered up and down through there.
It's much easier now but the challenge is gone.

 

That was my "school road". When I first started driving I was pulling four trips a day between Weaverville and Redding. No power steering.
The haul lasted all summer and I was glad to see the end of it.

 

We were hauling logs from a cold deck just north of Weaverville.
I never made it to the Diggins but I sure heard some stories about the place.
Hayfork was always good to haul lumber out of. Not much going on there anymore since SPI closed the mill. If you're not retired, a FS employee, or a pot grower it's pretty tough to make a living there.