Saturday, May 01, 2010

Climbing to Mailbox Peak - 01 May 2010

Across the ice
a cold wind blows.
Quiet frozen green.

This is the essence of my Mailbox Peak summit experience.

I can only add that the trail was inconceivably muddy, a very deep and dark red-brown sludge, rising 4000 feet in elevation gained over 2.5 miles.

Wind - steepness - mud.

Me at the summit

Almost total whiteout enveloped us soon after reaching the summit

Frozen tree near summit






Warning sign for steep trail

The trailhead mud

4 comments:

  1. Hi Paul, it looks terribly cold and scary. Where did you make this entry from? In a hat at the base of the maountain? Hope you're now in a cozy warm place and relaxing your well worked feet. ^^

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  2. Hi Nori. I am familiar with this kind of hiking and was with one other hiking friend - that way if one of us became hurt, the other could go for help. We did just fine though it was a very steep climb and the wind was ferocious at the summit.

    Immediately after we reached the summit, my friend's hands became numb from the cold and wind so he left and went back down the mountain.

    I stayed there for about 15 minutes and ate a sandwhich with my back to the wind and my gloves still on! There was no view and it was totally white all around us.

    When I returned home at about 6 PM, after a hot shower, I began writing this post. This morning as I am writing this I feel really good.

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  3. Good dramatic pictures with the frozen ice clinging as sprays to the trees and clifs. Looks like running water just froze on the spot. Did you or your friend have a GPS device to help with your location on the white out spots Does your cell phone work while you were on the climb.
    A chalengiing climb even in good weather. I would check the weather before making a climb like that. You cold get your climb with pictures published in the newspaper.

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  4. Hi Paul,
    I still can't imagine that climbing in the kind of weather is desirable. But then I only walk along wide trails; but even though I have never climbed in beautiful mts. as you have, I also have a love for the natural beautiful of the mts and forests,etc. At first I wondered about the picture with the mailbox and then I understood the name of the trail.
    Bernice

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