Our quads and glutes were a little sore following yesterday’s climb up Blue Ridge, so we were in need of something slightly less intense for today’s outing. We settled on Gobblers Knob, a 6,955′ bump on the eastern end of Blue Ridge near Circle Mountain, which would only involve about 3 roundtrip miles of hiking if we could reach the trailhead at the end of a 3-mile-long 4WD road. We found the road easily enough, but 200 yards from leaving the paved road we came to a deeply rutted dry creek crossing, and we decided the Jeep is too new to risk dinging up the chrome finishes by scraping them on the rocks – back to the pavement we went, thinking now about Plan B. We drove back west through Wrightwood, talking about possibly walking more along the PCT, but deciding instead to head to Vincent Gap and the Bighorn Mine trail. We had heard this trail described as “nearly level,” which is not at all accurate – still, it was a relatively easy hike, all things considered. From what we understand, the Bighorn Mine was one of the more profitable gold operations in the area, and though its shafts watered out and have long been closed up, the entrance structure still stands about two miles from Vincent Gap on the eastern shoulder of Mt. Baden-Powell. Having been here before to hike the peak last November, we knew the trailhead – as we entered the parking lot, we spotted a USFS ranger walking through the crowded parking area, issuing tickets to cars not displaying their Adventure Pass. No worries, thought we, since we have ours displayed prominently – a proud moment. We headed east and south down the trail, unexpectedly losing about 100′ of elevation during the first mile. The east face of Baden-Powell towered over us as we traversed through several deep gullies, and the trail abruptly narrowed as we rounded a bend and began to climb. From here, we gained over 400′ in the second mile, the trail crossing several steep washes where the path was only 12″ wide and the rock very loose and exposed – if one were to start rolling in these spots, it would be a good while before one stops. However, the trail eventually leveled out and widened again as we rounded the last bend and began to head west into Mine Gulch, where we reached the mine itself a few minutes later. The structure at the mine entrance must be more than 100 years old, and many of its exterior panels seem to be missing – what panels remain are covered in spray-painted graffiti, as are many of the concrete and rock surfaces within and without the structure. The mountainside below the mine drops away very steeply, and they are certainly courageous – if not misguided – souls who have climbed atop the rickety structure to tag its highest points. We had been at the mine for just a few minutes before an intrepid younger man emerged solo from one of the sealed (or so it had appeared) shafts, reporting that it did not go very far into the mountain – crazy. We hung out for a few minutes more, taking in the beautiful views east to the Mt. Baldy area across the San Gabriel River basin before turning back for the car – we made the two miles out in about 45 minutes, finding the parking lot still about 2/3 as full as when we had arrived. While we’d hesitate taking small kids on this trail, given the narrow, loose, and exposed sections, it is not necessarily a poor family hike if care is exercised. The views are wonderful, even if one just heads to the trail’s low point about a mile in.