Mount Markham sits right in the middle of the cluster of mountain peaks you can reach from Eaton Saddle in the Angeles National Forest. It's not the highest one, but it's the toughest to climb. When you see it from the Eaton Saddle trail head, it looks pointy, but when you see it from Mount Wilson, it looks like it has a flat top. That's because the summit is really long and narrow, as you can see from this view:





Instead of hiking directly to the summit from Eaton Saddle, I started from the old Red Box Ranger Station - now a Native American Cultural Center - a mile or so down the road, so that I could hike up the north face of Mount Disappointment and get another look at it. Mount Disappointment is my sentimental favorite among the peaks in the area. It was named by some disgruntled surveyors who didn't like having to carry their equipment over to San Gabriel Peak when they realized it was slightly taller. Then it got its top blown off by the Army Corps of Engineers, so they could build a Nike Missile base up there. There's still an antenna farm on the summit, along with a serviceable helipad, which makes it very interesting to me.



I'd gotten a late start, so it was already getting warm when I reached the trail up Mount Markham. I use the word "trail" loosely, because it's steep, rocky and overgrown. There are spots where you really have to look to figure out where you're going. But the view was worth it when I finally reached the top and walked across the narrow ridge line.




But getting to the top wasn't the end of the adventure. Getting back had challenges of its own. For starters, I had to get back down the same steep trail I'd used to reach the summit. Then I had to go back up the side of San Gabriel Peak to reach Mount Disappointment, in the mid-afternoon sun. Fortunately, I planned ahead and conserved my water supply, and then I had a nice breeze to help me much of the way up. Originally I'd thought about exploring the two peaks a little more on my way back, but I was too hot and worn out. I'd been there back in February, so I chose just to head home instead.

At the beginning of the year, I bought an "Adventure Pass" that allows me to park inside the Angeles Forest, and I've been making the most of it. There are two more hikes I'd like to do out there, with plenty of summer left. And now that I'm through all the weekend events I had this summer, I should have plenty of chances.