We were in Wrightwood once again for the garage-sale-crazy Memorial Day weekend, and by Monday afternoon the boys were surprisingly ready for a hike with Pop. One place Chris has been interested to visit is a blocked-off trail on the west slope of Lightning Ridge – from the satellite image, the trail appears to be an extension of the Lightning Ridge nature trail above Inspiration Point, looping around the north side of the ridge and reconnecting with the PCT west of the mountaintop. So, after a brief visit to the Grassy Hollow Visitor Center, Chris and the guys started hiking eastward up the PCT under beautiful clear skies and a cool breeze. Our pace was moderate this trip, and we covered the 0.6+ miles to Lightning Ridge in a little more than 30 minutes. At the top of the grade, we found the small log blocking our intended spur trail (someone has scrawled “Danger!” on its surface – there’s no danger whatsoever, the intent being to keep PCTers on the correct route), which we stepped over northward into now-unknown territory. The trail was initially in good shape, gently ascending for about 100 yards north and east into a shallow swale NW of the ridgetop – here, though, the path became overgrown with waist-high buckthorn. Although it looked clear maybe 50 yards ahead, Chris had little enthusiasm for portaging the kids one by one through the brush, so we turned around after a short break – enjoying the expansive desert views from this spot – and headed back to Grassy Hollow. Ollie, always inclined to issue forth profound statements, noted on our way back that, “I like hiking downhill better than I like hiking uphill” – don’t we all. We completed the 1.34-mile round trip in just over an hour, returning to the cabin a little sooner than Jane and Chelsea would have preferred, the two of them just having settled down for some whine, er, wine time when we pulled up. It will be worth a trip back to perhaps start at the Inspiration Point end of this little trail, bringing some clippers next time, and explore what’s clearly a little-used but very scenic route.