With the Middle Fork road covered with snow that appeared deep enough to high center a Subaru, we chose to park at the Mailbox trailhead and walk 1/4 mile to the Granite Creek connector.  Showshoes were mandatory immediately upon leaving the road.  There was 1.5 feet of lovely fresh powder, making the woods lovely but the trailbreaking slow.  A few leaning or downed trees pose minor obstacles.  A great day to savor views through the trees, filagreed twigs and branches, and the stillness of winter on a calm day.

We proceeded as far as the 2.8 mile junction with the more direct Granite Lakes trail, which bore no signs of use since the snow Wednesday night.  We saw tracks of chipmunk, snowshoe hare, and deer, and encountered no other parties.

More of a PSA to remind people to thoroughly put out your campfires. Can't say for certain this is what happened, but it appears that a fire burnt into the ground around a fire ring and was likely the cause of the center island catching fire. Have been here twice in the past two weeks and the island has been burning for at least 10 days. The fire department is aware and seems to be letting it burn itself out, as it is thankfully on an island. This feels like preaching into the void, but if you had a fire at the campsite on the south side of the lake mid September, you nearly started a forest fire (well, you did, but a small contained one)

Trail report - trail is great. Though someone cut down some of the brush encroaching on the granite creek connector trail, but left all the branches and debris on the trail? Maybe someone was coming back with a rake or something? But made it actually much more difficult to hike through than when I came in. The effort is appreciated, but usually the goal of trail clearing is to ya know.. make it more clear than when you started. Weird choice is all. 

Seeing the glow of flames at night on the island was a surreal experience, really hope it doesn't spread more. Went to revolution peak as well, looks like only a few people sign the register a year, views are 100% worth the effort. There is what could be described as a trail, though it's tricky to stay on. 

Kind of an odd choice for a hike tonight. First time on the Granite Creek Connector Trail. It's a nice little trail and goes through some pleasant forest with a nice mix of trees. Many small stream crossings.

For some reason I thought it might be fun to bushwhack up Dirtybox's east ridge. I decided to abandon that and head up Mailbox's north ridge instead because the lighting was perfect. It would have been very dim lighting heading up to Dirtybox.

Anyway, I headed south straight up the ridge towards Mailbox. TONS of fallen trees to scramble over, under and navigate around for the majority of it. Steep from 2000'-2800' or so. Choked with dense, young trees and blueberry bushes towards the top. Saw the fire hydrant below the summit.

Pretty cool when you burst through the dense trees and see the Mailbox right in front of you. Clouds were racing up the mountain towards me on the summit. It was beautiful up there, I wish my pictures could do it justice. Rested awhile and made my way down through the clouds.

It was nice to get below the talus and start running down. I took the new trail down for a ways, first time on it. I pefer the ridge trail or old trail. Rather than take it all the way down and walk the road, I spontaneously bushwhacked to the Granite Creek Connector.