It is approximately seven miles from Guffy Camp to Gobbler's Knob and I did this segment of the PCT in three pieces. First, the 2.5 miles from Guffy Camp at about 8300' to the end of Blue Ridge Road, second the 3 miles from there eastward toward Gobbler's Knob, and third the final section to Gobbler's Knob at about 6500'. This was a very dry area and despite including a transition from pine forest to Ceanothus chaparral was an area of extremely low diversity. This perhaps would not be as evident earlier in the season or in a year which had seen more substantial rainfall. Along the way I crossed the border from the Angeles National Forest into the San Bernardino National Forest and was afforded some great views of the Mojave Desert, the Wrightwood area, and Mts. San Antonio, San Gorgonio and San Jacinto. Obviously at this time of the year many of the plants that were identified were either dead or well past their bloom time, something that does not produce great photographs. As I was preparing to hike the next section on down toward Sharpless Ranch Road (3N29), the Sharp Fire broke out with its potential impact on Wrightwood and consequent road closures. Thus I diverted to the I-15 to hike the 5.5 mile segment back toward Lone Pine Canyon and Swarthout Canyon Road, something which I did twice over the next week. The photos in this gallery were taken on 7/27/13, 8/1/13 and 8/4/13. An asterisk next to the common name indicates a non-native taxon. The list of species for this segment of the PCT is here.

Wax currant
Ribes cereum var. cereum
Grossulariaceae

Crested milkvetch
Astragalus bicristatus
Fabaceae

Summer lupine
Lupinus formosus var. formosus
Fabaceae

Alpine sulphur-flowered buckwheat
Eriogonum umbellatum var. minus
Polygonaceae

Veatch's silk-tassel
Garrya veatchii
Garryaceae
[Named for American botanist/physician/surveyor John Allen Veatch, 1808-1870]