This isn't really a trip report, since it's only a day hike. I just thought I'd put it out there for those of you unfamiliar with what we do for fun up here in the PNW when we're not backpacking.
The last 3 weeks of October and the first few days of November had been almost non stop rain, so when the forecast for Saturday, the 8th of November was mostly sunny with balmy temperatures in the 50's, Fred and I took the opportunity to do an old favorite while the weather was favorable. Mailbox Peak will be familiar to those of you who live up here; for those of you who do not, it is perhaps best described as a gnarly, rooty, loose rocky grind of 4000' in 2.5 miles, straight up the side of the mountain. It is always a challenge but the reward, when the weather is decent is spectacular 360 degree views stretching from Mt. Rainier to the south, north to Mt. Baker, west to the Olympics(when there is not a smog trapping inversion layer), and east deep into the Cascades. A recently completed beginners trail, constructed to reduce the number of SAR calls, has made it accessible to many more hikers, but the traditional route is still there for those who cling to the old ways. Below are some pictures to give you a feel for what the old route involves.
