{"id":3527,"date":"2013-05-24T17:57:06","date_gmt":"2013-05-25T01:57:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.wanderjunkie.com\/?p=3527"},"modified":"2013-05-27T19:51:55","modified_gmt":"2013-05-28T03:51:55","slug":"mailbox-peak-hike-may-2013","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wanderjunkie.com\/?p=3527","title":{"rendered":"Mailbox Peak Hike, May 2013"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mailbox Peak<\/strong>
\nDate:<\/strong> May 24, 2013
\nDifficulty:<\/strong> 9 out of 10
\nDistance:<\/strong> 5 Miles \/ 8 Kilometers Roundtrip
\nElevation Gain:<\/strong> 4,000 feet \/ 1,219 Meters
\nTime:<\/strong> 4 to 5 hours
\nLocation:<\/strong> Near North Bend, Washington
\nUsers Group:<\/strong> Hikers & Dogs Only
\nPermits:<\/strong> Discovery Pass
\nTrail Conditions:<\/strong> Damp to Muddy
\nHiking With:<\/strong> Me and my wonder dog Macho<\/p>\n

The last time I hiked up Mailbox Peak was in November so I was overdue for some thigh pounding punishing pain. There were only 5 cars in the old parking lot when I arrived, the new parking lot is not open yet. They (DNR) have installed new gates and added new asphalt to the new parking lot since my last visit in November. They also added a sign at the new trailhead stating that the new trail will be 5 miles up to the mailbox and will be open in the fall. My first thought was “oh hell yes”, what great news for my knees and legs because I will continue to hike the old steep trail up and descend on the new 5 mile trail. <\/p>\n

By the time I reached the Mailbox, I had it to myself. Of course, like all my hikes this year…..it was so damn cloudy I had no view. I changed shirts, choked down a energy bar and headed back down. I managed to make my 2:00 p.m. acupuncture appointment with Dr. Wang in Bellevue.
\n\n\t\t