I received this email today and thought I’d share the suggestion w/ the rest of you:
Hey Hans,
Mailbox peak is on I-90 Exit 34. It is 3 miles to the top and gains ~4000 feet. We did this last year when training for Mount Saint Helens. I would like to recommend it as a good training hike of Mt Rainier.
Here are some links for more info:
http://www.summitpost.org/view_object.php?object_id=150711
Thanks
Sudhakar
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I’ve done Mailbox Peak in the past and can confirm that it’s no joke. Here’s a blub from an article on Mailbox that was posted roughly 12 years ago:
Mailbox Peak is a good winter tonic — it’s nasty but good for you. This hike is bitter medicine unless your quads are made of iron, but Mailbox should be done once a year if you are a serious hiker.
You’ll earn the respect of your fellow hikers at a holiday potluck if you casually mention, “Yeah, I did Mailbox last week — 2-1/2 hours up, 1-1/2 hours down.” Chances are good they didn’t climb Mailbox Peak. Chances are good they haven’t even heard of the place.
A serious hiker can always embellish a hike, throwing in hazards here and there, and omitting such niceties as the fact that Mailbox is only a stone’s throw from a hot bowl of chili at the truck stop off Edgewick Road. Throw in a pair of snowshoes and an ice ax (whether needed or not) and earn even more respect.
However, having accomplished the hike, you might not want to get out of bed the next day. Plan this hike on a Saturday if your work requires you to show up bright eyed and limber on Monday. However, if you can hike up Mailbox Peak and get out of bed the next day, you are in moderately good condition. If you climbed Mount Si the day before, you are in excellent condition.
If you’d like to read the rest of the Seattle PI article please click here
Alright who’s with me!? Let’s get a training hike on the books. Please post some possible dates in the comments section.
-Hans
I did Mailbox 2 summers ago and it was awesome!
I did get us lost on the way down which sucked.
It is by far the grittiest hike I have ever done, although my experience is somewhat limited.
I would be totally up for a training hike!