Jayson and I hit up Mailbox Peak on Sunday. My first time up, on paper it didn't look good (4,000 feet in 2.5 miles). I can tell you that it is as advertised.
Jayson summits through the fog.
Mailbox Peak is tucked away behind exit 34 on I-90, just a few miles away from the infinitely more popular Mt. Si trail. There's really not much about this trail that will surprise you. You walk a half mile on an old forest road and then spend the next 2.5 miles hiking straight up - 4,000 feet straight up.
Eerily quiet in the forest.
There's not a single part of your lower body that won't be burning after only a half hour on this hike. Quads, gluts, hammies, ankles - you name it. Exposed roots and rocks demand your full attention and it isn't until you get to the very top that you finally get a break. Jayson and I made the top in 2 hours - good time, I'm told - but we were more excited about finally stopping. Its one of the longer 2 hours of my life.
We feel like we look.
The views are wonderful, when you have them. Unfortunately for Jayson and I, we mainly had fog to contend with. A quick snack and rest for the legs, then the hardest part of the trail awaited - going down.
A small break in the clouds.
A sign posted at the trail head warns you not to proceed if you aren't sure of your hiking shape. For good reason, as this is a hike that loves to punish. Going up, one wonders what lunacy possessed them to hike this. You promise yourself never again. Going down, you just worry about not getting your foot caught in a root or a rock, ending your day early. Still, sitting back at the parking lot at the end of the day - sun shining on your face, cold beer in hand - you can't help but feel like you accomplished something.
Floxgloves and Berries.
glad the casbah is back. Good fun. And I'm "stealing" that "eerily quiet in the forest" picture because it's "eerily wonderful."
Posted by: Katie P. | June 29, 2009 at 12:11 PM