The January weather this year has really been spoiling us, and clear skies call for hikes with big views! I finally decide that it's time to take on the challenge of Mailbox Peak. I even manage to persuade Jeannie to join me, which is great since neither of us have attempted this summit before. Mailbox Peak is the stuff of legend in the local hiking community, with the old trail being infamously bad, and the new trail being much gentler but long in the tradeoff. Harder than its neighbor Mt. Si, the old trail on Mailbox gains 4,000' in 2.5 miles. Our plan is to go up the old trail, but then down the new trail to save a bit of wear and tear on our knees and feet.
As we head past North Bend and near the trailhead, I have butterflies in my stomach, which is an unusual sensation before a hike. Will we be able to make it to the top or will I run out of steam? Such is the reputation of this mountain that it inspires fear and uncertainty in those who have not conquered it. Nonetheless, we arrive in the almost-empty parking lot at around 10:00 and head out. The gate for the lot closes at 4:00 PM, and six hours should be plenty of time to finish this hike. Right? We pass by the new trailhead and find the old one a bit farther up the road. An ominous sign warns about the difficulty of the unmaintained trail, but it's expected and we start our workout.
As one of my guidebooks describes it, the trail to Mailbox starts out steep and then gets steeper. This seems about right so far. The route climbs up roots and slopes with no hint of trail work besides some sawn trees, and many signs of hordes of climbers rushing up or down. Even in very steep sections of trail, speedsters have apparently decided to cut the few switchbacks there are and make their journey even steeper. In many places, there are so many alternate paths cut by boots in the hillside, that it's difficult to tell which one is the "real trail". The veggie belay along the trail - usually small fir trees or the occasional vine maple - has actually been worn smooth on the uphill side by hundreds or thousands of hikers grabbing on for support over the decades.
We advance at a quite slow pace, Jeannie taking the lead and keeping us moving. Much of the way has been in second-growth forest, which has very little underbrush and looks pretty desolate - certainly not the most scenic trail so far. It's a lot of climbing, to be sure, but every step gets us that much closer to the top. It's nice having an altimeter to check our progress. As we reach about 3000', the smaller trees and bear grass are a sure indication of alpine territory. Views materialize to the south, mostly of Mount Washington but also Rainier. Very shortly, we reach the junction with the new trail, 1.8 miles in, about two hours after we started. The two trails diverge once more before finally joining for good at almost two miles from the bottom. Shortly after this, we break out of the trees entirely into a large talus field, and this is where the scenery really starts to impress. A hiker passing us on the way down gives us some good "beta" (tips) for the rest of the hike, telling us that there is a short section of snow, followed by a section of open rock, then a section of steep snow to the summit. We decide to leave our spikes off for now.
The short snowy section is easily dispensed with. I stop constantly to take pictures, but I know the views will mostly likely keep getting better as we ascend, and from this point we still have around 500' of gain to reach the top. The bare rock section that comes next is nicely built and fun to climb. It has been fashioned into a stairway, with large flat rocks worn to a different color, or possibly just turned over to make them into such nice steps. Walking up these is a pleasure compared to the rooty mess of the old trail in the forest. The rock section is pretty short, and at the top of it we don our spikes, since we can see the rest of the climb is all snow and is steeper still, as promised.
I think Jeannie can sense the summit is near as she starts to pull away from me on the steep snow. This mountain makes you work for the summit, that's for sure. Nonetheless, I'm feeling pretty good on this final climb, and the endless views are the fuel that keeps us going. All of a sudden, the rocks and trees melt away and there's just snow. Then I see Jeannie stopped ahead of me, and there's the mailbox right next to her. It's somewhat anticlimactic, really - after all the doubt and fear of the unknown that this trail creates, here we are at "the mailbox", the one you see in hundred of pictures every year. Certainly we didn't post the fastest time - the regulars seem to make it up in about two hours, and it took us a bit more than two and a half. But, I'm proud of what we have achieved. The conditions at the summit are excellent - mostly sunny with views for miles, and just a light breeze to cool us off. We've hiked the entire way up in just a single layer shirt, which is pretty nice for mid January.
Even better, there is no one else at the summit at the moment, which is a rare treat for this peak that attracts hikers by the hundreds every weekend. We break out our lunch, which is very satisfying after a big climb. One other hiker and her dog join us in about 10 minutes, but there is plenty of room to spread out and enjoy the views. The summit offers stunning vistas in every direction, with some of the closer peaks being Mount Washington and McClellan Butte to the south, Mount Si and Teneriffe to the north, and Russian Butte to the east along the Middle Fork Snoqualmie valley. There is a small additional summit called Dirtybox Peak nearby, but the ridge to it looks quite narrow and hazardous, and I doubt anyone attempts it in the winter. I know we're several hundred feet above Mt. Si and Mt. Washington, though it's a bit hard to tell. Mount Teneriffe to the north is at a similar height - maybe that one will be next! We put our packs back on and get ready for the long trip back - it will be almost twice as long on the new trail, but I'm looking forward to it.
The steep snowy section is harder on the descent, even with our spikes on. In one section, someone has made a short track for glissading, but I am not wearing waterproof pants, and glissading is somewhat harder with spikes on, so I don't try it. We carefully descend to the rock stairway, which is just as fun going down as up. Reaching the intersection with the old trail, we stick to the new route on the way down. It's quite obvious that the new trail was constructed properly, since the grade is gentle and it actually has switchbacks and other structures to keep the trail in good shape. The main downside we encounter is some remnants of snow that have turned to slippery ice, since this trail is on the north side of the peak. We fall once or twice, but the short slick sections aren't worth bothering with our spikes again.
I am starting to understand why some people prefer to go down the old trail, as the new one does feel like it takes its time going down. However, my feet and legs are really enjoying it as a low-impact alternative. Compared to the route we went up, this feels almost flat, though I know we have to eventually lose the same amount of elevation. I'm starting to get a bit nervous about getting back to the car by 4:00, and I take the lead. On this comparatively gentle downhill tread, my long legs give me a big advantage over my shorter companion. As we near the bottom, I run ahead to make sure we can get the car out before the gate closes. With plenty of time to spare, I reach the car at 3:45, and Jeannie arrives several minutes later.
In the course of the day, we've only seen maybe a dozen other parties, and only one other hiker at the summit - weekday hiking can't be beat! It was a perfect day to tackle Mailbox, and successfully completing the most elevation gain we've done in a day feels good. We're not yet up there with the hiking elite but I think this qualifies as a local rite of passage. I'm very comfortable with our choice to come down the new trail, as my legs and feet are feeling great at the bottom. Perhaps Mailbox Peak isn't quite the scary monster of a climb that it is made out to be, which gives me confidence in tackling other harder missions that await me in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. Onward!
[Editor's note: I later found out that on this same day, one of the aforementioned "elite hikers" went up and down Mailbox three times, in less than 10 hours - wowza!]
Stats
Time: 5.5 hours
Distance: 7.5 miles
Elevation Gain: 4000'
Summits: Mailbox Peak
Photos and Videos
360° Photo: Mailbox Peak Summit
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