One stretch of the PCT near Wrightwood we had yet to fully explore is the 5-mile section between Guffy Campground and Inspiration Point – we visited some of the area when hiking Frost Peak last year but thought the full out-and-back would make for a nice longish walk that was close enough to home. Plus, it’s nearing the end of the PCT thru-hiker season already and, since we enjoy meeting these intrepid folks and hearing their stories, we figured we’d encounter some PCTers during our 10 miles on the trail. We got to the trailhead about 9:30am and right away discovered Jane was without her hat, and by the time we had walked a mile eastward, she had decided the sun was going to be too harsh to spend that much time outdoors without it – we agreed to go east another mile or so before turning back. We drove the Blue Ridge road up to Guffy CG last year as well, so we should have expected the frequent ups and downs of the terrain – for some reason, the grade looks quite mild on the topo map, and we were a little surprised to find a couple of steep inclines on the trail, the most intense one being a short piece just below the east end of the Mt. High West ski area. Still, the scenery was beautiful, and the steep sections were short enough to not be an issue. The forest gives way to a series of open, brushy slopes here, especially on the south side of the ridge, and the views south, though familiar, were nothing short of amazing. We had a revised goal of turning around at the Blue Ridge CG, about two miles east of Inspiration Point, and there we met a young man with his large standard poodle hiking west as we reached the campground area – he was camping at Guffy and was doing the same hike as our original plan, but from the opposite direction, and was low on water. Since we had brought 2.5 liters apiece and clearly wouldn’t need that much to get back, we filled his Camelbak from ours and proceeded on. Though dry, the Blue Ridge CG seems like a great place to car camp, with open views south and west, at least from the southern edge of the facility. We rested here for a little while before heading back west, treated to marvelous views of Mt. Baden-Powell and the western end of Blue Ridge along the way. As we neared the car, we again met the guy with his dog, topped off his water reservoir for their return trip up the ridge, and finished the hike about noon. While it was in the 80s in Wrightwood, it was at least 10 degrees cooler up here with a gentle breeze the whole time – perfect weather for a nice hike.