Tag Archives: Mailbox Peak

Mailbox Peak Hike, May 2012

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Mailbox Peak
Date: May 18, 2012
Difficulty: 9 out of 10
Distance: 5 miles roundtrip
Elevation Gain: 4,000 feet
Time: 4 to 5 hours
Location: Near North Bend, Washington
Users Group: Hikers & Dogs Only
Permits: Discovery Pass (new for this hike)
Trail Conditions: Dry
Hiking With: Rick Massie and my dog Macho

With the warm weather we have been having lately, I figured some of the I-90 trails are starting to open up with all the snow melt. I read one report on Mailbox Peak from the Washington Trails Association (WTA) last week stating that it was pretty much snowless to the mailbox….so I decided on this hike.

I asked Rick Massie to join me on this death march; I didn’t want to have all the fun by myself! As we were getting our gear on in the mailbox parking lot, a couple of guys were coming down the trail from summiting, it was only 7:45 a.m. and they just completed 5 miles of steepness! One of them showed a picture they took at the top; it was a beautiful sunrise shot. The picture gave me a mental boost knowing that I had a stunning view waiting for me.

Rick and I made good time only briefly stopping for water and to give our lungs a break. We got into the clouds about 2 miles up and broke out of them once we hit the top. It was a beautiful day with clouds and snow covered mountains around us. We spent nearly 45 minutes at the mailbox daydreaming and resting our legs.

We ended our agony down at the North Bend Bar & Grill with a warm bowl of Jambalaya and a cold Mac & Jacks African Amber.

Mailbox Peak Hike, January 2012

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Mailbox Peak
Date: January 7, 2012
Difficulty: 9 out of 10
Distance: 5 miles roundtrip
Elevation Gain: 4,000 feet
Time: 4 to 5 hours
Location: Near North Bend, Washington
Users Group: Hikers & Dogs Only
Permits: Discovery Pass (new for this hike)
Trail Conditions: Damp to Packed Snow (only on top)
Hiking With: Rick Massie and my dog Macho

I was due for a brutal hike and Mailbox Peak was the fix. I asked Rick Massie to join me on this steep but short hike. We met up at Starbucks in North Bend, Washington and got started at 10:00 a.m. at the trailhead. There was only 6 cars in the parking lot, which meant there wasn’t a lot of people on the hike today….as it should be! The trail was good up to the opening, where it became packed snow. I was happy to see an inch or two on top of the ice, if not…it would have been difficult. Right before the opening, we put on our gators and mini-spikes. We made good time to the peak where it was cloudy, but no wind. We spent 15 minutes changing out our wet clothes and munching down some food.

The descent was the usual beating of the legs and knees and we both agreed, it’s almost easier to hike up than coming down. Rick Massie had a date later that day, so we had to make the stop at North Bend Bar & Grill short.

Mailbox Peak Hike, May 2011

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Mailbox Peak
Date: May 20, 2011
Difficulty: 9 out of 10
Distance: 5 miles roundtrip
Elevation Gain: 4,000 feet
Time: 4 to 5 hours
Location: Near North Bend, Washington
Users Group: Hikers & Dogs Only
Permits: No Permits Required
Trail Conditions: Dry to Packed Snow (only on top)
Hiking With: my dog Macho

I knew it was going to be a sunny warm day and I wanted a big work-out so I chose Mailbox Peak.  It was such a nice day, we hit our first 70 degree day this year…it was a perfect hiking day.  Since I was only hiking with my fearless dog Macho and I had all day to hike, I casually loaded up and got to the trailhead around 9:45 a.m.  There was five cars in the parking lot when I drove up….which meant there were only a few people on the trail. 

The trail was pretty much dry until you came out on the first opening on top, there was packed snow which wasn’t that bad to hike on.  The rock field was free of snow, but most people were taking the thick snow to the north of the rocks.  After the rocks, the trail to the top was free of snow until you reached the top, which had so much snow, there was no signs of the Mailbox.  I found a dry rock and took my boots off and shared a Starbuck’s turkey sandwich with Macho.  It was such a beautiful day, I sat on top for nearly a hour.  On the way down, I was feeling the Mt. Si hike I did two days earlier…my legs were tired and stiff.  At the bottom, I stopped at the creek to wash the mud off of Macho and rinsed the sweat from my face and hair.  On the way home I stopped for a 9 Pound porter at the North Bend Bar & Grill.

Mailbox Peak Hike, March 2011

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Mailbox Peak
Date: March 6, 2011
Difficulty: 9 out of 10
Distance: 5 miles roundtrip
Elevation Gain: 4,000
Time: 4 to 5 hours
Location: Near North Bend, Washington
Users Group: Hikers & Dogs Only
Permits: No Permits Required
Trail Conditions: Muddy to Packed Snow
Hiking With: Rick Massie

I wasn’t for sure if was going to hike this morning as I lay in bed, so I didn’t plan where I was going or talked to anyone to go with me.  The weather looked decent, so I decided to rally and send out a text to any friends that might want to hike up the steep Mailbox Peak with me.  Only one friend found time this moring and decided to join me on this death march.  I met Rick Massie at the Starbucks in North Bend and we took one car to the trailhead.  As we pulled up, there were no parking spots available and so we had to park along the road.  When I first started hiking Mailbox about 10 years ago, you would only see one or two cars at the trailhead; the word must have gotten out about the 360 view and the challenging trail it offers.

We started with gators due to the snow and slowly made our way to the top.  I had brought my crampons, but left them in the car….that was stupid, I could have used them the the first mile.  Rick was struggling after the 1/2 mile mark, he did a leg work out in the gym the day before…that was stupid.  After a snack and sun break on top, we headed back in the deep snow.  Instead of staying on the pack snow trail, we leaned back and slowing descended straight down the mountain.  This was a life savor for my knees, I couldn’t tell I even hiked the next day.