I was in Los Angeles County for a few days, primarily to join Barbara Lilley on a birthday hike near Palmdale the next day. I took the opportunity to collect a handful of unnamed summits in the area, primarily within the Angeles National Forest. Leaving San Jose around 5:30a, it was almost six hours before I was ready to start the first hike just before 11:30a.

Peak 5,860ft - Peak 5,881ft

These two summits are located on the east side of Angeles Forest Hwy, between the HPS summits of Cole Point and Pacifico Mtn. Peak 5,860ft is located on the Pacific Crest, part of Pacific Divide list I've been working on slowly these past few years. My route started from Angeles Forest Hwy, southeast of Peak 5,860ft. The cross-country route is about a mile to the first summit, then another half mile to the second. Though steep, the brush is of little hindrance, making for a pleasant climb. I spent 45min making my way to the top, finding the firebreak had been recently renovated, probably tied to the 2020 Bobcat Fire some distance to the east. The firebreak made easy work of getting between the two peaks, another 20min's work. I found a small glass jar register left on Peak 5,881ft by Chuck Hodi earlier in the year, no other entries. Both peaks have a nice view of Pacifico Mtn towering 1,300ft higher to the southeast, as well as Mts. Emma and Old Emma to the north. I returned via the same route, 2hrs for the roundtrip effort.

Peak 6,020ft

This is a P500 found just off the Mt. Gleason Rd. With a high-clearance vehicle, it is a drive-up, or about a 2/3mi road hike each way without one. There is a small microwave relay tower at the summit, the highpoint found nearby in the bushes. Lots of prominence, but low on the satisfaction index.

Peak 5,146ft

This one requires a bit of work, found off the south side of Mt. Gleason Rd. It's difficulty lies in that the starting point is 600ft above the summit, requiring a 1,000-foot climb out on the way back. The hike is about a mile and a half each way, mostly along an old firebreak. The only brushy part is at the beginning, starting from Mt. Gleason Rd. I saw that others had come from the NW, but the satellite view looked brushier there. I started from the northeast, a bit longer, but an old trail of sorts making it easier. PB has the local highpoint here near the road called Little Gleason Point. There is a register there too, which seemed a bit silly, but that's how the game goes. From this point, the old firebreak heading south in conjunction with less brush, makes it a straightforward hike down to the saddle and up to Peak 5,146ft, taking a bit less than an hour from the road. It's a lonely little summit out at the end of the ridgeline, surrounded on all sides by higher summits. I thought it a good hike to a modest summit, and left a register here before returning the same way.

Peak 4,380ft - Peak 4,300ft

These two minor summits are found between Angeles Forest Hwy and Aliso Canyon Rd. The first would be a drive-up if the utility road to the south wasn't gated at the highway. One could hike the road legally, but it's a few extra miles that way. Instead, I started from the east where the highway goes over a small pass, lots of parking at a wide turnout. I then went cross-country up and northwest to intersect the utility road just east of Peak 4,380ft. A short hike then gets one to the summit, about 15min, all told. The lower but more interesting summit is Peak 4,300ft, about half a mile to the west. I hiked west along the utility road to its end at a set of transmission line towers. Then steeply down sandy slopes to a saddle, and up the moderately brushy east slope of Peak 4,300ft, about 25min between summits. The return was a little easier since I could jump on the utility road back down near the saddle and avoid going back over the first summit. I was back around 5:40p to call it a day - the sun goes down a little earlier down in SoCal, currently just after 6p.

I did some exploratory driving for peaks the next morning, then ended up camped on the side of Peak 3,819ft on the west side of Aliso Canyon Rd. It was along an Edison utility road, under a transmission tower. There was a beautiful full moonrise with views overlooking Soledad, Arrastre, and Gleason Canyons, one of the better campsites I've had in the area...

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