I have always wanted to go see the mailbox on mailbox peak...so today was the day! At the log with the hand holds nailed in (not far into the trail) a group of people coming down the trail told me ""it gets much worse"", I thought, well, it's supposed to be a good work out. And, it was. A little over half way, I met up with some friends from the Climb for Breast Cancer group that I did last year. We got to the top and discovered..no mailbox! After all that work.... However, Todd decided to go look for it (after discovering the ladder nearby in the bushes) and voila, he found it down the hill on the NW side. The mail was still intact, which led us to believe some idiot decided to move the mailbox for ""fun"". We had a great time checking out the mail inside, and Todd even had a letter waiting for him! He left it inside the black mailbox for all to read, it's a nice poem about hiking from one of his clients. We put the mailboxes back in their rightful places and started downhill. Downhill is nearly as difficult as uphill. To pass the time (and focus less on our knees), we played games of naming the capitals in all 50 states, naming game shows, and naming 3 animals that begin with each letter of the alphabet (anyone have more than Zebra for Z?) The day was great, the trail not bad (a bit muddy towards the top) and while the bugs were irritating, they didn't bite much. Tips: you NEED trekking poles, bring lots of water, sign your name in the Dr. Suess book (green mailbox), and enjoy the awesome view from the top. Key for enjoying this trip is to pace yourself and not worry about how long it takes. Oh yeah...the fire hydrant is down in the bushes on the NW side of the summit. Todd left that for some other helpful soul to bring back to it's rightful place! Great day had by all!

I woke up today feeling young (partly because I am) and ambitious (that's also due to the fact that i'm young) and strong of legs (that also might be the young thing). A friend told me about Mailbox Peak, something he does as a great conditioning hike. No wonder he's able to go so fast. This trail, which I determined to be about 2.5 miles up, gain's 3800 feet to the peak! Mailbox Peak, begins from the left side of an old logging road up which you've gotta go. Bring plenty of water, you're gonna need it. Begin by walking in the valley bottom, a second growth forest. Soon you will come to a creek. A very, very smart man once said of the creek, don't cross it! only a fool would cross it. If you cross the creek you are very dumb. At the creek, follow the trail to the LEFT. After NOT crossing the creek take the trail up. And up. And up somemore. After what seems like forever in the second growth forest going up, you eventually come out of the forest huffing and puffing. But wait there's more to this hike. You're not at the top yet! Take a small break and start to soak in the views of the valley below. Turn your head back up and start movin them legs, if you can, up and up into a nice little open area. After walking for a little long you come to the real open meadow. Look up (again) at the pretty rocks and wildflowers, which will soon be out, and keep walking, you're almost there. After passing the pretty rocks you'll catch your first glimpse of the mailbox, off of which some moron has broken off the mail flag. Oh well, there's some other cool stuff up there now, but you'll have to find out yourself. At the top be sure to catch the stunning views into the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, which still remains under snow in the higher elevations. See the sights, eat some food, drink some water, tighten the boots and get started on the way down. Pick a good pace for yourself and keep it, cause going down 3800 feet might be just as hard if not more painful than going up. Back in the car, pop in some Eagle's hits and revel in the fact that you just climbed a less crowded mountain than mount si. The trail is in good condition with no snow. Wear your Vibrams and bring a hiking pole or walking stick, it gets slippery on the roots, in the mud. Over all this is an excellent conditioning hike. Be prepared to spend a couple of hours doing this one. And if you feel up to it, afterwards, mount si is just down the road.

Gorgeous Day for a hike. Sadie was ready. Mailbox didn't disappoint. No snow anywhere on the trail. Very few patches to the side of the trail. No need to go over the boulders. Stay on the trail - but it's muddy at the upper end of the trees and just before you break out into the open. Didn't use gaiters - just ended up with muddy calves. Prior trail monkeys with a good sense of humor have added a ladder and fire hydrant alongside the mailbox. Just in case, I guess. Views spectacular, of course - making the cardio workout worth it! Enjoy.

Despite (or perhaps because of) last week's somewhat significant low elevation snowfall, the conditions on Mailbox have not changed at all since I last hiked it last Sunday. It was a little breezy and thus chilly for the last 500 feet or so today, but overall a great hike (and I did it with a 40lb pack without feeling completely depleted! Hooray for me).

Take the time to stop and admire the beautiful, shaded creek at the bottom of the trail. It's the last creek you're going to see! The hike up was muddy and steep. The trail is well known for being steep and rough. We assumed it would be comparable to Storm King near Lake Crescent, but it's actually twice as long and gains twice as much height. It took us almost three hours (including creek-admiring and one snack) to go the three miles to the summit. Maybe 80 percent is under big woods, which are beautiful. The squishy mud on the trail was both good and bad. You didn't feel like your boots were going to roll out from under you as sometimes happens on steep but dry trails with bits of gravel on them. But definitely wear boots, not sneakers. Also a pair of walking sticks would have greatly speeded up our time up and down - not that we were in a hurry. This trail is obviously no secret locally, judging by the number of cars parked at the bottom, but it also wasn't crowded. We would be passed or meet someone maybe every twenty minutes. Near the timber line, there was a lot of snow on the trail and the steepness did not decrease. It was slippery and if we did it again, we'd pick our way across the adjacent boulder-field instead of the snow. That's what we did on the way down. After you pass the snow and/or boulders, you're in the sun and on the last leg to the tantalizingly visible summit. The steepness does not let up. The summit is small and pointed like a mountain drawn by a child. Check the mail in the mailbox, then step carefully aside to eat your lunch! Careful going down, it's very treacherous and hard on the knees.